Discover Boston's Oldest and Most Quaint Neighborhood: Beacon Hill

[@rickcheever6794]

This is great and fascinating stuff guys!! Very informative and entertaining! Thank you both!

[@sobelgroup]

Thank you Rick!!

[@manaman6971]

Yes I would like the buy the road, that cool one.

[@ScottA2345]

Nice video - some comments: It's the Common. Not the Commons. Acorn Street is paved with ballast stones - not cobblestones. You should have mentioned Savenor's Market on Charles Street - a family-owned butcher and specialty foods market that has been there for over 75 years - it's where Julia Child used to shop. Also, the North side of the hill used to be home to Boston's African American community during the colonial era.

[@sobelgroup]

Excellent comments! Yes, it's Boston Common. I apologize for the slips, we don't script any of these so it's on the fly... You're correct about the stones likely having been ballast stones, used to weight ships coming from overseas. The question is: were they cobblestones, used for ballast or do they become "cobblestones" once they were used for a street? We'd love to highlight a dozen more places and Savenor's would be great! Perhaps a separate video... Interesting regarding the African American community on the North Slope! The adjacent West End and bordering Beacon Hill were quite diverse, representing home to dozen of nationalities before the "urban renewal" that occured, displacing everyone.

[@ScottA2345]

@@sobelgroup Cobblestones are cut stones - square or rectangle. Usually granite. Ballast stones used in ships, were just gathered from beaches - they are smooth and rounded. They don't make for good street pavers because they are very slippery when wet and don't create a very flat surface - as demonstrated by Acorn street. So, in its day - ballast stones would have been rather poor 2nd grade road surface material. But sure looks perty today ;-) You should check out the old African Meeting House on the North side of Beacon Hill. You can also find the Louisa May Alcott house at 20 Pinckney Street.

[@sobelgroup]

@@ScottA2345 Found an interesting paper on the historic sidewalks and paving in New England. Most detailed and cited of the dozen pieces I read. They propose that it was unlikely the local cobblestones were from ballast given the value of goods coming from overseas and the readily available stones that were available locally. It seems the shift from riverstones to cut cobblestones (setts, later called Belgium Blocks) occurred around mid 1800's. The term cobble come from Old English Cob which means round lump. The modernization of transportation phased out the round stones. Apparently horses traversed round cobbles just fine and even helped dictate stones smaller than 9" to be used. Here's the article I was referencing above which highlights the local area: www.archipedianewengland.org/1600-1699/historic-paving-and-sidewalks-in-new-england/

[@ScottA2345]

@@sobelgroup Very interesting. I guess I stand corrected. But the pedantic part of me will relish swatting down that old New England lore about ballast stones the next time some old codger brings it up. ;-) Thank you for the article.

[@ScottA2345]

@@sobelgroup BTW - There are two Savenor's markets owned by the same family. The original one was in Cambridge - that is where Julia Child used to shop. It burned down and a second opened on Charles St. Boston. They later re-opened the one in Cambridge, so now there re two.

[@manifestandohoy9214]

Best video. Thanks a lot!

[@sobelgroup]

No thank YOU!!

[@joecatetal3889]

i was just there and i swear i saw a stand alone old brick home with a garage in that area but i cannot find it on google maps though it stuck out like a unicorn-any idea on it's history

[@jamescampbell2190]

Beacon hill isn’t the oldest neighborhood, the North End predates it as does Charlestown and Dorchester.