Category: 20th Century
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Recently Unearthed Footage Shows Old North’s Steeple Fall
In 1954, Old North Church’s second steeple was knocked down by Hurricane Carol. We recently received this shocking footage of the steeple falling over. Kathy Welch sent us this remarkable 8-millimeter video filmed by her father, Jay, who was stationed on a naval ship in Boston Harbor. Chris McLaughlin of MassLive interviewed Kathy for an…
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Queen Elizabeth II at Old North Church
During the bicentennial of the United States, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended services at Old North Church with her husband, Prince Philip. After the church service, the Queen and her husband went to the Old State House to address a crowd. While acknowledging that Patriot leaders like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere might have…
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The People in the Pews: Rt. Rev. John Burgess
A Bishop Who Made History In 1970, John Melville Burgess was elected the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. As such, he also became the rector of Old North Church. Burgess had been the first Black suffragan bishop elected over a predominantly white diocese in the Episcopal church, and his election to diocesan bishop…
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The Jewells of Old North
For nearly a century, a member of the Jewell family rang the historic bells at Old North Church. John H. S. Jewell began ringing the bells in 1847 and created a family tradition by teaching his younger brother Frederick Morse Jewell how to ring. The tradition continued when Frederick’s son, Charles Henry Jewell, took…
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1776 Starlight Illuminated Old North’s Lanterns for the Bicentennial
Sifting through a filing cabinet of old photographs and documents brought to light a story that has been forgotten by most people, even at Old North. Two newspaper clippings had been saved — the first from a newsletter once issued by the vicars of Old North, and the second from The Boston Sunday Herald,…
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Matilda Bibbey: A Model of Active Citizenship
Matilda Frances Bibbey was born in 1868 in the North End of Boston to immigrant parents with her mother originally coming from Ireland and her father originally from England. As a child, she lived on Vernon Place, which is near what is now the Charter St. Playground. As an adult in the 1890s, she…
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The St. Francis Chapel and Italian Immigrants in the North End
Built in 1918, Old North Church’s Gift Shop was once the St. Francis of Assisi Chapel, an important religious and cultural center for Italian Protestant immigrants living in Boston’s North End. Delaney Sieber, our Research Intern, put together this video delving into the unique relationship between these Italian immigrants and Old North Church. See the…
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The Two Episcopal Vicars Who Led Old North During Its Steeple Rebuilding Campaign, 1954-1956
Join us for a two-part blog series based on research by Fall 2022 Old North Illuminated Research Intern, Lee Parker. In part one, you learned about the people who contributed to helping the Old North Church rebuild its steeple after Hurricane Carol felled it in 1954. You discovered how efforts to rebuild the famed steeple catapulted…
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How Old North’s Steeple Fundraising Campaign Helped Define American Identity, 1954-1956
Join us for a two-part blog series based on research by Fall 2022 Old North Illuminated Research Intern, Lee Parker. Here in part one, you will learn about the people who contributed to helping the Old North Church rebuild its steeple after Hurricane Carol felled it in 1954. Discover how efforts to rebuild the famed…
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Centering Women’s Work in the History of Old North Church’s Parish House
If you have visited Old North, then you may have noticed the three-story brick townhouse that sits next to the church. Have you ever wondered what this building is used for? Delaney Sieber, our Research Intern and Educator, put together this short video exploring the interesting history of the Parish House. See the video and…