North End Historical Society of Boston, MA

06/22/2026

Hidden along Marshall Street in Boston’s Blackstone Block, the historic Boston Stone is one of the city’s most overlooked colonial landmarks. Originally brought from England around 1700 by painter Thomas Child and used as a millstone for grinding paint pigments, it later became a familiar local reference point and was embedded into the wall of a building where it remains today. Over the years, legends claimed it marked the center of Boston and served as the starting point for measuring distances from the city, though historians debate those stories. Whether viewed as an industrial artifact, a colonial curiosity, or a piece of early Boston mythmaking, the Boston Stone offers a small but fascinating connection to the city’s earliest days.

06/22/2026

06/21/2026

06/20/2026

For over a century, The Fisherman's Feast has been bringing people together through faith, family, and tradition.

From longtime Feast-goers to first-time visitors, moments like this are what make our celebration so special. We can't wait to continue the tradition again from August 13 through August 16.

Credit: Samantha Cocchiaro

06/17/2026

06/15/2026

06/15/2026

Before the glass Hancock Tower transformed Boston’s skyline, the original John Hancock Tower in Back Bay offered one of the city’s most popular observation decks and doubled as a giant weather beacon. This vintage advertisement explains the famous light signals that Bostonians watched from across the region: steady blue meant fair weather, flashing blue meant clouds, steady red meant rain, and flashing red meant “no ball game” if a Red Sox game was postponed. Standing 348 feet above the street, the tower’s observation floor provided sweeping views of Boston long before modern skyscrapers dominated the skyline, making it both a landmark and a practical source of weather information.