If you’ve ever taken a walking tour of Boston’s North End, or if you’ve talked to the old timers in the neighborhood, you’ve probably heard stories about the network of so-called secret pirate tunnels or smugglers’ tunnels that connects the wharves to the basements of houses, Old North Church, and even crypts in Copp’s Hill burying ground. Sometimes the tunnels are attributed to a Captain Gruchy, who’s often called a pirate or a smuggler, and who is portrayed as a shadowy figure. The legends of pirate tunnels in the North End were inspired by a few subterranean discoveries in the late 1800s, but the fantastic details in stories told by tour guides and popular authors are just that: fantasy. However, there is truth underlying the legends, and there are tunnels underlying the streets of the North End.
The Lost Tunnels of the North End
With Jake Sconyers
Host of “HUB History”
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Time: 7:00pm-8:30pm
Upcoming Featured Events
In-Person & Virtual Event
Lanterns & Luminaries
Join us for an evening of inspiration and celebration at Boston’s Old North Church with Third Lantern Award honoree Keith Lockhart.
In-Person & Virtual Event
Join us on April 16 at 7pm for Lanterns & Luminaries: a special evening at the historic Old North Church celebrating the anniversary of Paul Revere’s famous “two if by sea” lantern signal in April of 1775. Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, will accept the Third Lantern Award, which is presented annually to an individual who embodies the values symbolized in Old North’s iconic signal lanterns. The program will include festive music, a dramatic reading of “Paul Revere’s Ride,” the presentation of the Third Lantern Award, and an inspiring keynote address from Mr. Lockhart.
In-Person Event
Lantern Service 2026
The Old North Church Congregation is pleased to offer a traditional Lantern Service with special guest The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Episcopal Bishop of Washington.
In-Person Event
Join Old North Church’s congregation on April 17 at 7pm for a ceremony inspired by the service held at the start of America’s Bicentennial celebrations in 1975 with President Gerald Ford. The Lantern Service recalls the lights of liberty that shone from Old North’s steeple on April 18, 1775, while reflecting on the meaning of faith, freedom, and American democracy today. Inspirational music, Paul Revere’s own recollection of his historic ride, Bishop Budde’s address, and prayers for our nation will lead us into America’s Semiquincentennial.
In-Person Event
Boston Resistance Then & Now
How did Boston spark the American Revolution? How can we once again lead the country toward liberty? Join us on April 22 for the launch of Silence Dogood’s Precedented Times Town Hall Series.
In-Person Event
Boston Resistance Then & Now
Join us on April 22, 2026, from 6:30 – 8:00pm at the Old North Church for the launch of the Silence Dogood Project’s Precedented Times Town Hall Series. Supported by Mass Humanities’ Promises of the Revolution initiative, this new series builds on the Silence Dogood Project’s projection-based storytelling to create spaces for live civic dialogue — rooted in Boston’s deep tradition of public dissent and collective action.