The construction of Boston’s Charles River Dam was a monumental project that transformed the tidal estuary of the Back Bay into a fresh-water basin, providing a 20th century solution to problems that the city inherited from the 19th, including issues with industrial waste, sanitation, and general public distaste for the acres of mudflats that were exposed at low tide. Temporary floodgates closed on October 20, 1908, which marked the first separation of the waters of Boston Harbor from the Back Bay’s brackish salt marsh. In the lead-up to this moment, earthen dams were constructed on both sides of the river, with a lock allowing boats to pass through the dam on the Boston side and a sluiceway to regulate water levels in the upstream basin on the Cambridge side. A temporary wooden dam was built to close the center of the river, allowing for the construction of a permanent dam made of dirt and rock.Ā Despite facing opposition and challenges, the dam was successfully completed in 1910, resulting in the creation of the Charles River Basin, the Esplanade, and some of Bostonās most iconic sites for outdoor recreation.
The Great September Gale (episode 310)
September 22nd marks the anniversary of a storm.Ā 209 years ago today, the wind was building over the sea off Boston while the skies grew dark with clouds.Ā The next day, the strongest hurricane in generations slammed into the New England coast, causing devastation on Boston Harbor, in city streets, and in fields and forests all around the region.Ā The storm is remembered as the Great September Gale, and it had wide-ranging effects, causing everything from a collapse in the local glass industry to a construction boom to an acceleration in westward migration from Boston and New England.
Thirty Days Hath September… Except When It Doesn’t (episode 309)
We all know the old mnemonic device, right?Ā Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November, but what if September suddenly had only nineteen days?Ā Thatās exactly what Boston experienced in 1752, when the town went to bed on September 2nd and woke up on the 14th.Ā It sounds like something that would have a supernatural explanation, like a mass alien abduction, or maybe something contaminated the water supply to make the entire town go into a brief coma, but the explanation is more pedestrian.Ā Almost two centuries after most of Europe had switched to a new calendar system, the British Empire was following suit, including its overseas colonies like Massachusetts.Ā How did Bostonians adapt to the change?Ā Were they as confused as I would be if my calendar suddenly changed?Ā Did Bostonians riot, demanding their 11 days back?Ā How did the generation that lived through the change remember key dates like their birthdays after the switch?Ā Listen now!
Continue reading Thirty Days Hath September… Except When It Doesn’t (episode 309)
The Importance of Being Furnished, with Tripp Evans and Erica Lome (episode 308)
This week, Erica Lome and Tripp Evans join the show to discuss a new exhibit at the Eustis Estate called “The Importance of Being Furnished.”Ā In the wake of Oscar Wildeās 1882 lecture tour focusing on The House Beautiful, outlandishly decorated bachelor households became an aspirational style that helped define American homes from the Gilded Age to the Jazz Era.Ā The new Aesthetic Movement brought beauty and artistic sensibility to American homes, replacing conservative styles that reinforced traditional morality.Ā “The Importance of Being Furnished” introduces four decorators who helped revolutionize interior design during this period: Charles Gibson, Ogden Codman, Charles Pendleton, and Henry Sleeper, as well as their homes in Bostonās Back Bay, Gloucester, Lincoln, and Providence.Ā In their own time, all four men were known as bachelor aesthetes, born into privileged families but hiding their queerness to greater or lesser degrees in an era when homosexuality was punishable by jail time in Boston.Ā In this interview, exhibit curators Tripp Evans and Erica Lome will tell us how these men took inspiration from their personal lives in decorating their own homes, and how they leveraged those lavish homes into careers in decorating for everyone from robber barons to Hollywood stars.
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A Light Under the Dome, with Patrick Gabridge (episode 307)
This week, Patrick Gabridge joins us to talk about his new play āA Light Under the Dome,ā which opens at the Massachusetts State House on August 12. The first in a series of works exploring the intersection between abolition and suffrage in the 19th and early 20th centuries, A Light Under the Dome recreates a specific moment in history that took place under the dome of the Massachusetts State House 186 years ago. Angelina Grimke grew up in Charleston, South Carolina in a family of enslavers, witnessing the cruelty of Americaās peculiar institution under her own roof. Leaving her comfortable life behind, she risked threats and acts of violence to become a radical abolitionist. Listen to this conversation with Patrick to learn how she got invited to speak to the Massachusetts legislature, why her address was groundbreaking, and how she tied the cause of abolition to the novel idea of rights for women.
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The Enduring Grip of Stillson’s Pipe Wrench (episode 306)
Long before becoming a haven for software and biotech giants, Kendall Square was a center for manufacturing during the era of steam. Here, in the 1860s, two crucial advancements emerged: the standardization of threaded iron pipes and fittings for use in household plumbing, gas fixtures, and steam power and the invention of the modern pipe wrench that allows us to work on them. This episode explores the story behind the Stillson pipe wrench, a tool so revolutionary that its inventor’s name became synonymous with pipe wrenches and so innovative that its design remains nearly unchanged over 150 years later. We’ll meet Daniel Chapman Stillson, the Civil War veteran and ingenious machinist who, frustrated by the limitations of existing tools, designed an adjustable pipe wrench that revolutionized plumbing, pipefitting, and his employer, the Walworth company.
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Hail Britannia! (episode 305)
This episode explores the impact of the Cunard Line of steamers and its flagship Britannia on Boston in the mid-19th century. Before the Britannia, transatlantic travel relied on fickle winds, making each crossing perilous and unpredictable. The introduction of steamships revolutionized transatlantic travel by offering faster and more reliable journeys. Boston became a central hub for this new era of maritime transportation, benefiting from its proximity to Europe and the construction of railroads and modern wharf facilities. However, the challenges of winter ice necessitated innovative solutions, such as cutting a seven-mile canal for the Britannia to depart. Cunard’s regular service between Liverpool and Boston not only boosted the local mercantile economy but also transformed Boston into a center for European news dissemination. However, as the 19th century progressed, technological advancements and shifting economic factors led to a decline in Boston’s dominance in transatlantic shipping, with New York eventually overtaking it as the primary port for Cunard and other steamship lines.
What’s In a (Nick)Name (episode 304)
For this week’s show, I spent some time asking visitors and locals what nicknames they know for Boston.Ā From the Hub to Titletown to Beantown and beyond, people know a lot of nicknames for Boston, but it turns out that most of us don’t know the meanings behind the monikers.Ā In this episode, I dig into the stories behind five nicknames you might have wondered about.
The Lincoln of Ireland at Fenway Park (episode 303)
105 years ago this month, Irish President Eamon De Valera embarked on an 18-month tour of the United States, starting with a visit to Boston.Ā His goals were to raise funds for the Irish Republic, gain international recognition, and garner support for Irish independence from British rule.Ā De Valera’s visit to Boston included a massive rally at Fenway Park, a speech to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and visits to historical sites.Ā Despite facing challenges, such as his questionable immigration status and opposition from Yankee-aligned politicians, the tour was a success, laying the groundwork for nearly a century of American support for Irish republicanism before the Good Friday accords finally brought the Troubles to an end.
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General Patton Invades Boston (episode 302)
On the first anniversary of D-Day, Boston was feeling festive. Yes, there was a somber editorial cartoon in the Globe picturing an allied cemetery in Normandy to remind people of the sacrifices that the nation had made, but Germany had just surrendered, making the sacrifice seem worthwhile. Now, on D+1 (or was it D+366?), the city would turn out to hail a conquering hero, as General George S Patton, Junior set foot on American soil for the first time in two and a half years. His speech in Boston honored the cityās wounded veterans but managed to deeply offend gold star families whose sons, fathers, and brothers had died under Pattonās command. Was this a simple slip of the tongue or a symptom of a deeper and more concerning malady, a closely guarded and dark secret?
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