Discover the Dark Side of Boston

http://www.bu.edu/today/2015/discover-the-dark-side-of-boston/



Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, where pirate captain John Quelch was hung in 1704, is just one of the gruesome spots along Boston’s by Foot’s Dark Side of Boston tour.

Discover the Dark Side of Boston
08.07.2015
By Ashley Mayrianne Jones

Many are familiar with the city’s Freedom Trail, the 2.5 mile walking tour chronicling the role of the city and its citizens in the American Revolution. But for an altogether different take on the Hub, tonight’s Boston by Foot Dark Side of Boston walking tour brings to life some more lurid history. The tour is rife with tales of more than two centuries of disease, crime, and murder in the North End.

The tour-guided walk begins at 6 p.m. at the intersection of Hanover and Cross Streets. Over the course of 90 minutes, you’ll explore historic burial grounds and crime scenes dating from the early 1700s through the 20th century. Pay your respects at Copp’s Burying Ground on Hull Street, the final resting place of thousands of African Americans who were part of the city’s New Guinea community and were buried in unmarked graves. Also buried there is Puritan minister Cotton Mather, a supporter of the Salem witch trials and a proponent of inoculation during the smallpox epidemic of 1721 that infected more than 5,000 and killed more than 800. You’ll also learn about the Great Influenza epidemic of 1918 and its impact on the city. One theory (not held widely today) is that the pandemic began on the city’s Commonwealth Pier. The virus claimed from 30 million to 50 million lives worldwide (675,000 Americans).

Wander through the streets and alleyways of the North End, past former speakeasies, gambling dens, and brothels. Hear about the dangers of Richmond Street and visit the site of the infamous 1950 Brink’s Robbery, where five masked men made off with nearly $3 million—at the time the largest robbery in US history. You’ll pass the former headquarters of mafia boss Gennaro “Jerry’’ Angiulo, who prior to his death in 2009 was called “the last very significant Mafia boss in Boston’s history.” Your guide will enlighten you about other disturbing stories, ranging from witch trials to body-snatching to the deadly Molasses Flood of 1919 that claimed the lives of 21 people.

Boston by Foot also hosts neighborhood tours and architecture cruises throughout the summer. Special topics include Literary Landmarks, Reinventing Boston, Boston’s LGBT past, and a Boston for Little Feet tour geared for children 6 to 12. All tours are led by volunteer docents who complete a six-week training course in Boston history.