By Jonathan M. Chu, PhD “And let all the People say, Amen.” Timothy Cutler was well aware of gravity of language and the consequences of his words when he concluded the closing prayer for the 1722 Yale commencement. Two decades earlier, Yale had been founded to correct the theological libralism that had infected Harvard. In […]
Beneath Boston
By Erin Driscoll Chan Krieger and Associates “Boston Over Time: Filling In the Land 1630-Present,” 2008. For thousands of years before Europeans arrived, Native Americans lived on the narrow 800-acre Shawmut Peninsula. As illustrated in “Boston Over Time: Filling In the Land 1630-Present,” much of modern Boston rests on nearly 5,000 acres of added land, […]
Philip Ashton and the Dismal Face of Castaway Survival
By Gregory N. Flemming Vessels sailing back to Boston harbor from faraway destinations would often sell their cargo at public auctions in 1722, but the return of the Rebecca in June of that year was particularly strange and alarming. The goods aboard the Rebecca were auctioned off under court order, and the return of the ninety […]
Examining the History of Drinking Culture on Ships Through Colonial-era Grog and Madeira
By Renee Barouxis There is a long tradition of drinking on ships. Drinking alcohol on board became commonplace for a variety of reasons: it was more palatable than algae-filled water or sour beer, it served as a form of entertainment, it was a welcome distraction from plain and heavily salted meal rations, and certain drinks […]
Mercy Otis Warren: The First Lady of the American Revolution
By Andrea Antidormi, Old North Foundation Educator Editor’s Note: In celebration of Women’s History Month, Old North is highlighting influential women in both modern day and historic Massachusetts. This post is a short bio on Mercy Otis Warren, an influential writer and historian of the American Revolution. Mercy Otis Warren was born in Barnstable, Massachusetts […]