The Atlas of Boston History
9780226631158
9780226631295
The Atlas of Boston History
Few American cities possess a history as long, rich, and fascinating as Boston’s. A site of momentous national political events from the Revolutionary War through the civil rights movement, Boston has also been an influential literary and cultural capital. From ancient glaciers to landmaking schemes and modern infrastructure projects, the city’s terrain has been transformed almost constantly over the centuries. The Atlas of Boston History traces the city’s history and geography from the last ice age to the present with beautifully rendered maps.
Edited by historian Nancy S. Seasholes, this landmark volume captures all aspects of Boston’s past in a series of fifty-seven stunning full-color spreads. Each section features newly created thematic maps that focus on moments and topics in that history. These maps are accompanied by hundreds of historical and contemporary illustrations and explanatory text from historians and other expert contributors. They illuminate a wide range of topics including Boston’s physical and economic development, changing demography, and social and cultural life. In lavishly produced detail, The Atlas of Boston History offers a vivid, refreshing perspective on the development of this iconic American city.
Contributors
Robert J. Allison, Robert Charles Anderson, John Avault, Joseph Bagley, Charles Bahne, Laurie Baise, J. L. Bell, Rebekah Bryer, Aubrey Butts, Benjamin L. Carp, Amy D. Finstein, Gerald Gamm, Richard Garver, Katherine Grandjean, Michelle Granshaw, James Green, Dean Grodzins, Karl Haglund, Ruth-Ann M. Harris, Arthur Krim, Stephanie Kruel, Kerima M. Lewis, Noam Maggor, Dane A. Morrison, James C. O’Connell, Mark Peterson, Marshall Pontrelli, Gayle Sawtelle, Nancy S. Seasholes, Reed Ueda, Lawrence J. Vale, Jim Vrabel, Sam Bass Warner, Jay Wickersham, and Susan Wilson
Edited by historian Nancy S. Seasholes, this landmark volume captures all aspects of Boston’s past in a series of fifty-seven stunning full-color spreads. Each section features newly created thematic maps that focus on moments and topics in that history. These maps are accompanied by hundreds of historical and contemporary illustrations and explanatory text from historians and other expert contributors. They illuminate a wide range of topics including Boston’s physical and economic development, changing demography, and social and cultural life. In lavishly produced detail, The Atlas of Boston History offers a vivid, refreshing perspective on the development of this iconic American city.
Contributors
Robert J. Allison, Robert Charles Anderson, John Avault, Joseph Bagley, Charles Bahne, Laurie Baise, J. L. Bell, Rebekah Bryer, Aubrey Butts, Benjamin L. Carp, Amy D. Finstein, Gerald Gamm, Richard Garver, Katherine Grandjean, Michelle Granshaw, James Green, Dean Grodzins, Karl Haglund, Ruth-Ann M. Harris, Arthur Krim, Stephanie Kruel, Kerima M. Lewis, Noam Maggor, Dane A. Morrison, James C. O’Connell, Mark Peterson, Marshall Pontrelli, Gayle Sawtelle, Nancy S. Seasholes, Reed Ueda, Lawrence J. Vale, Jim Vrabel, Sam Bass Warner, Jay Wickersham, and Susan Wilson
224 pages | 57 color plates | 11 x 14 | © 2019
Geography: Cartography, Cultural and Historical Geography, Geography--Reference
History: American History
Reviews
Table of Contents
Introduction
Section I. The Setting
Introduction
Section II. Making New England’s Metropolis
Introduction
Section III. A Provincial City in the British Empire
Introduction
Section IV. From Town to City Government
Introduction
Section V. “Athens of America”
Introduction
Section VI. Immigration and Industrialization
Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
Section IX. Decline
Introduction
Introduction
Section XI. Boston in the Early 2000s
Introduction
Nancy S. Seasholes
Section I. The Setting
Introduction
Nancy S. Seasholes
Plate 1. The Boston Basin, before 5,000 BP Joseph Bagley, Nancy S. Seasholes, Marshall Pontrelli, and Laurie Baise
Plate 2. The First Inhabitants, 12,000–400 BP Joseph Bagley
Plate 3. Europeans Arrive in Massachusetts Bay, 1500s–1630 Dane Morrison
Section II. Making New England’s Metropolis
Introduction
Mark Peterson
Plate 4. Boston Is Founded, 1630–1640 Robert Charles Anderson
Plate 5. Boston’s Economy in the 1640s Mark Peterson
Plate 6. Accommodation and Conflict, 1630–1676 Katherine A. Grandjean
Plate 7. Boston in 1676 Nancy S. Seasholes
Section III. A Provincial City in the British Empire
Introduction
Mark Peterson
Plate 8. Boston’s Economy, 1740–1760 Mark Peterson
Plate 9. Boston and the Slave Trade, 1638-Early 1800s Kerima M. Lewis and Mark Peterson
Plate 10. Boston in 1743 Benjamin L. Carp
Plate 11. Revolutionary Boston, 1763–1776 J. L. Bell
Section IV. From Town to City Government
Introduction
Nancy S. Seasholes
Plate 12. Boston’s Economy, 1776–1807 Richard Garver
Plate 13. Boston in 1800 Gayle Sawtelle
Plate 14. Connections to the Mainland and Additions of Land, 1786–1828 Nancy S. Seasholes
Section V. “Athens of America”
Introduction
Dean Grodzins
Plate 15. Railroad Development, 1830–1855 Richard Garver
Plate 16. Early Landscaped Spaces, 1820–1860 Arthur Krim
Plate 17. Literary Boston, 1837–1891 Susan Wilson
Plate 18. Boston and Reform Movements, 1820–1865 Dean Grodzins
Plate 19. Abolitionist Movement, 1829–1865 Dean Grodzins
Section VI. Immigration and Industrialization
Introduction
Robert J. Allison
Plate 20. Irish Immigration, 1700s-1855 Ruth-Ann M. Harris
Plate 21. Boston in 1855: Population Nancy S. Seasholes and Dean Grodzins
Plate 22. Boston in 1855: Economy Richard Garver, Nancy S. Seasholes, and Arthur Krim
Plate 23. Development of the South End and Back Bay, 1845–1882 Nancy S. Seasholes
Plate 24. Great Fire of 1872 Nancy S. Seasholes
Plate 25. Addition of Land, 1828–1880 Nancy S. Seasholes
Section VII. Metropolitan BostonIntroduction
Karl Haglund
Plate 26. Annexation Movement, 1868–1873 Noam Maggor and Sam Bass Warner
Plate 27. Streetcar Suburbs, 1870–1900 Noam Maggor and Sam Bass Warner
Plate 28. Public Transportation, 1856–1918 Charles Bahne and Nancy S. Seasholes
Plate 29. Water and Sewerage Systems, 1795–1906 Nancy S. Seasholes
Plate 30. Boston and Metropolitan Park Systems, 1875–1919 Nancy S. Seasholes and Karl Haglund
Section VIII. Boston in the Late 1800s/Early 1900sIntroduction
Robert J. Allison
Plate 31. Boston’s Economy, 1905 Richard Garver
Plate 32. Sports and Recreation, 1895–1903 Richard Garver
Plate 33. Scollay Square, 1880s-1963 Rebekah Bryer
Plate 34. Theatrical Boston, 1880s-1930s Michelle Granshaw
Plate 35. Cultural Boston, 1780–1915 Jay Wickersham
Plate 36. Enterprising Women, 1862–1914 Susan Wilson and the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail
Plate 37. Social Service Institutions, c. 1900 James Green
Plate 38. Boston in 1910 Reed Ueda
Plate 39. 1910 Mayoral Election James Green
Section IX. Decline
Introduction
John Avault
Plate 40. The Long Depression, 1920–1960 Richard Garver, John Avault, Sam Bass Warner, and James Green
Plate 41. Public Housing, 1935–2010 Lawrence J. Vale
Plate 42. Boston in 1950 John Avault
Section X. “The New Boston”Introduction
Jim Vrabel
Plate 43. Addition of Land, 1880–2003 Nancy S. Seasholes
Plate 44. Highways and Airport, 1920–1973 Charles Bahne and Nancy S. Seasholes
Plate 45. Public Transportation, 1918–1967 Nancy S. Seasholes and Charles Bahne
Plate 46. Relocation to the Suburbs, 1940–1970 James C. O’Connell and Gerald Gamm
Plate 47. The Urban Renewal Era, 1949–1974 Richard Garver
Plate 48. Boston School Busing, 1974– Jim Vrabel
Section XI. Boston in the Early 2000s
Introduction
John Avault
Plate 49. Updating the Water System, 1907–2013 Nancy S. Seasholes
Plate 50. Updating the Sewerage System, 1907–2013 Nancy S. Seasholes
Plate 51. Updating Highways and Public Transportation, 1967–2017 Amy D. Finstein, Nancy S. Seasholes, and Charles Bahne
Plate 52. Boston's Economy: Higher Education in 2018 Aubrey Butts and Arthur Krim
Plate 53. Boston's Economy: Medical Center in 2016 John Avault, Nancy S. Seasholes, and Arthur Krim
Plate 54. Boston's Economy: Commercial Center in 2019 John Avault and Richard Garver
Plate 55. Boston's Economy: Visitors and Tourists in 2017 Richard Garver
Plate 56. Environmental Challenges in 2014 Stephanie Kruel
Plate 57. Boston in 2010 John Avault and Jim Vrabel
Acknowledgments
Appendix: Boston’s Population 1687–2010
Additional Information, Sources, and Credits
List of Contributors
Index
Appendix: Boston’s Population 1687–2010
Additional Information, Sources, and Credits
List of Contributors
Index
