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
Online Speaker Series
On Courage: How to Be a Dissident in an Age of Fear
Join us on Zoom for a conversation with Julia Angwin and Ami Fields-Meyer about their interviews with over 100 dissidents and activists.
Online Speaker Series
On Courage: How to Be a Dissident in an Age of Fear
Join us on Zoom for a special event with Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Julia Angwin and former White House senior policy advisor Ami Fields-Meyer, authors of the new book, On Courage: How to Be a Dissident in an Age of Fear. You may remember their acclaimed 2025 New Yorker essay “So You Want to Be a Dissident?” which offered a roadmap for resisting authoritarianism through courage, community, and nonviolent action, and sparked a wave of conversation and debate.
Online Speaker Series
The Sea Captain’s Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love and Adventure
Join us on Zoom to learn about the harrowing adventure of Old North congregant Mary Ann Patten, the first female captain of a merchant ship.
Online Speaker Series
The Sea Captain’s Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love and Adventure
The New York Times bestselling author Tilar J. Mazzeo will deliver a fascinating talk about her popular book The Sea Captain’s Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love and Adventure at the Bottom of the World. The book details the true story of Mary Ann Patten, the first female captain of a merchant ship, who navigated the treacherous waters of Antarctica in 1856. Thrilling, harrowing, and heroic, Mary Ann’s story is one of a woman who, for love, would do what was necessary to survive.
Special Event
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: A Musical Reading
Experience a hauntingly beautiful autumn night at the Old North Church with a musical reading of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Special Event
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: A Musical Reading
Step into the shadows of history at Boston’s oldest church as the brilliant Johnny Kinsman brings Washington Irving’s classic tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman to life. The gripping live recitation is perfectly paired with a breathtaking atmospheric score of original music performed by multi-instrumentalists Josiah Reibstein, Joe Kessler, and Tev Stevig. Elevate your experience by adding an Old North Church Crypt Tour to your itinerary.
Worship service
Worship on Sunday
Join us for Sunday summer services at 10am. For over 300 years, we have drawn people from every background and denomination. Whether visiting Boston briefly or seeking a permanent spiritual home, know we are delighted to welcome you to Old North Church.
Worship service
Sunday Services
Our Sunday services follow the liturgies in the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer, supplemented by a rich array of resources from across our Anglican tradition, especially the Church of England and the Anglican Church of Canada, as well as our Lutheran full communion partners.
Most Sundays we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or the Mass. Choral Matins (traditional Anglican Morning Prayer) is offered several times a year. Lessons & Carols are held in Advent and Epiphany.