Before the Bomb Cyclone, before Superstorm Sandy, a historically severe storm hit Boston in 1804. Meteorologists say that the tropical cyclone would be counted as a category 2 hurricane today, with winds of 96 to 110 miles per hour. It wasn’t just the wind that made 1804 storm so memorable, although the wind was damaging enough, causing problems for industries representing a large sector of the early 19th economy and wrecking buildings that are major Freedom Trail attractions today. What made the storm so memorable was the fact that it was the first known tropical cyclone to carry snow, giving it the enduring nickname, the Snow Hurricane.
Tag: 19th Century
The Birth of Historic Preservation in Boston (episode 151)
From the mid-19th century through the nation’s centennial in 1876, some of Bostonâs most important historic sites and attractions were destroyed or nearly so. Starting with the Beacon Hill home of founding father John Hancock in 1863, and going right through the 20th century, Old South Meetinghouse, the Old State House, the Old Corner Bookstore, and many other buildings that help lend Boston its unique character, were threatened with demolition in the name of progress. After early losses, Boston was faced with the prospect of midwestern cities like Chicago or St Louis buying up and moving iconic buildings in order to save them from the wrecking ball. Through this threat, Bostonians learned to value their cultural heritage and banded together to protect early historic sites, especially those connected to the Revolutionary War that were of importance to all Americans. Â
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Women’s Groups Remaking Boston (episode 150)
This week’s show dusts off two classic stories about times in Boston history when womenâs volunteer organizations had a big impact on Boston. First, weâll talk about the Massachusetts Emergency and Hygiene Association, whose members introduced the concept of a playground to the American public in late 19th century Boston. Then, weâll fast forward a few decades to the 19 – teens, when the Womenâ Municipal League sponsored Bostonâs first (and so far only ) Rat Day. Both of these projects made valuable contributions to Bostonâs quality of life, and they happened at a time when society didnât generally approve of womenâs work outside the home.
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Bostonâs Dark Days and Eclipses (episode 145)
The brilliant sunsets and dramatic weather reports inspired by smoke drifting into our area from Canadian wildfires last month got me thinking about two past HUB History shows. There have been at least three smoke events in Boston history that caused darkness in the middle of the day and made people wonder if the end of the world was coming. Our first clip will be about the dark days in 1780, 1881, and in 1950. Of course, people who witnessed dark days compared them to solar eclipses. Our second classic segment is from the summer of 2017, exploring the solar eclipses that early Boston witnessed, from soon after European colonization to the turn of the 19th century.Â
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Annexation and Perambulation (episode 141)
This week’s show revisits two classic HUB History episodes that are all about the boundaries of the city of Boston. First, weâll go back to a show that originally aired last January to learn why independent towns like Roxbury, Dorchester, and Charlestown were eager to be annexed into the city of Boston in the mid- to late-19th century, and weâll examine why Boston hasnât annexed any other municipalities since Hyde Park in 1912. Of course, once you make the boundaries of the city bigger by annexing your neighbors, you have to keep track of those new boundaries. So our second clip will be from a show that aired way back in September of 2017, about the ancient practice of perambulating the bounds. Since the 1650s, Massachusetts law has required towns to clearly mark their boundaries with other towns, and to send somebody out to walk the line and examine the markers every five years.
Founding the BSO (episode 139)
Boston has long been known as the Hub of the Universe, but it’s also a hub of world class arts institutions. One of those institutions is the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This week, we’re looking at the founding of the BSO and the construction of its iconic home, Symphony Hall.  Weâll discuss the characters that brought the BSO and Symphony Hall to life, as well as the remarkable features of the concert hall, known for its near-perfect acoustics.
Hooker Day in Boston (episode 138)
Hooker Day was a one-time holiday celebrated in Boston in 1903.  While it might sound like this is going to be an X-rated podcast, we’re not talking about that kind of hooker. Civil War General Joseph âFighting Joeâ Hooker was briefly the commander of the main Union force called the Army of the Potomac.  Forty years after his command, he was immortalized with a massive statue in front of our State House. When the statue was dedicated, the entire city celebrated a holiday that was called Hooker Day in his honor.
ED Leavitt, Fresh Water, and Steam Power (episode 137)
For centuries before the Quabbin reservoir opened, Boston struggled to provide enough clean, fresh water for its growing population. Â One of the solutions to this problem was a new reservoir built at Chestnut Hill in the 1880s. The pumping station at this reservoir was home to enormous steam powered pumping engines, and itâs preserved today as the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum. Â Eric Peterson joins us this week to talk about the history of Bostonâs water supply, steam power, and a brilliant engineer who designed the steam pumps that provided Bostonâs water.
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Boston Marriages in Literature and Life (episode 136)
A new form of relationship arose between 19th century women, which had all the emotional trappings of romantic love, but was long considered to be merely an intense form of friendship.  More recently, however, critics have wondered whether Victorian assumptions about the inherent chasteness of womankind allowed couples who would consider themselves lesbians today to hide in plain sight.
These relationships came to be known as âBoston marriages,â both because a number of high profile Bostonians engaged in them, and because Henry James popularized the concept in his novel The Bostonians. Â As the story of the name indicates, real relationships between women were influenced by contemporary literature by James, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Oliver Wendall Holmes, but these authors also drew inspiration from the apparently romantic relationships they saw between women in their lives.
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The Underground Railroad on Boston Harbor (episode 135)
In the 19th century, a network of abolitionists and sympathizers in Boston helped enslaved African Americans find their way to freedom in the Northern states or Canada.  Itâs a topic weâve talked about before, but this time thereâs a twist. Weâre going to be examining how Bostonâs position as an important port city changed the dynamic of seeking freedom. Jake sat down with National Park Service ranger Shawn Quigley to discuss how the underground railroad ran right through Boston Harbor.
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