Archive: Apr 2020

One of the many details that give Boston’s Beacon Hill its distinct charm and character is its brick sidewalks. Thanks to a group of determined women, they took it upon themselves to preserve the brick sidewalks for posterity. In 1947, rumors had been swirling that Mayor James Michael Curley wanted to repave Beacon Hill’s sidewalks with cement. On a cool April morning, Mrs. Dewey was furious at what she saw happening outside her window. A worker was tossing one brick after another onto the back of a truck. She raced out of her home and outstretched her entire body on the brick sidewalk. The Battle of the Bricks was about to begin. The ladies of Beacon Hill joined Mrs. Dewey’s passive protest. They sat on the brick sidewalks for several days as a loud bulldozer started digging up the bricks…

The Swan Boats, one of Boston’s most famous icons, usually come back from vacation in April on Patriot’s Day weekend. But, not this year…they are practicing social distancing until they receive the all-clear to set sail again in the Public Garden, the oldest botanical garden in America since 1837. The story behind the Swan Boats…