Category: North End History
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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…
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99% Sure | Ep 11: The Surprising Origins of Old North’s Gift Shop
First built in 1918, Old North Church’s gift shop has a surprising history. It was once a chapel that ministered to Waldensians, a medieval Christian sect with origins in the 12th century. Learn how this historic building become a pillar of the community for Italian-American Protestants living in the North End. See below for the…
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The People in the Pews: The Humphries Family
John and Elizabeth Humphries were a free Black couple who first appear in the Old North records in March 1748 with the baptism of their daughter, Deborah. Over the next four years, they would baptize seven more children at Old North: Robert, Richard, James, Catherine, Elizabeth, Thomas, and Ruth. Five children were baptized on the…
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The Women of Old North, Part II: The House by the Side of the Road
The story of the Women’s Guild founding and function demonstrates the ways in which the organization benefited the institution of the church itself. However, in order to grasp the positive impact that the guild had on the Boston community, one must turn to the story of the House by the Side of the Road, a…
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The Women of Old North: The Women’s Guild
Despite their support of the church throughout the first half of the twentieth century, the Women’s Guild of Old North remains relatively unknown in the modern historical narrative. From behind-the-scenes, the guild maintained the church and accompanying Parish House as a welcoming and homey place, as well as fundraised through various events, having demanded no…
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Festivities and Revolution: Pope’s Night in Boston
Picture a Boston evening in the late fall: children are running up and down the streets in costumes asking for treats; there is cheering and celebration in the air. Is this a typical New England Halloween evening? No, it is Pope’s Night, a holiday celebrated in the British colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries.…
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Police & Protests: Italian Immigrants and North End Buildings That Remain
Walking through Boston’s North End, it’s hard to ignore the beautiful brick tenement buildings that line the crowded streets. Built during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, these buildings housed many of Boston’s Jewish, Portuguese, and Italian immigrants. They are not famous landmarks like the Old North Church or the Paul Revere House, but…