Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Boston

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
A+History
History · Boston

Boston has 324 places on the National Register, 56 of them National Historic Landmarks

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #13 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

Dated to 1630 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history), with 47% of its homes built before 1940 and 97 historic districts holding 10,668 contributing buildings. Below: 150 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, the census since 1790, and every listing on the Register.

1630founded
324on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
150old photos & papers
48famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Boston’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Boston began

When was Boston founded?

1630

Boston dates its founding to 1630 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 18,320 in 17902020 census: 675,647396 years

How historic is Boston?

A+

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1816.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Boston’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Boston is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #13 of 283 in Massachusetts. All 3 inputs put Boston near the top nationally; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Boston’s overall grade.
Founding era1630, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194046.7% of homes (±0.8) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%A+National Register324 listings, 10,668 historic buildings, 160 per 10,000 residents · typical MA town 46.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Among the top 1%
NewerOlder
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 96%

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Boston ranks #13 on History.

Massachusetts towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Massachusetts town has 46.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Boston’s 160 sits above most of its state (73% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 10,668 historic buildings outnumber those of 100% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1630.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Boston’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A town in postcards150 old photos, postcards and papers, 1860–1980.A National Historic Landmark324 places on the National Register, 56 of them National Historic Landmarks.A historic districtThe South End District takes in 2,720 historic buildings.Older than the countryEstablished in 1630, 146 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · By decade

Boston, decade by decade

13 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s–1890s9 items
School1860SchoolWashington Street1874Washington StreetBoston One-Price Clothing Store1881Boston One-Price Clothing StorePostcardPublic Gardens1895Public GardensBoston Commons, Massachusetts1897Boston Commons, MassachusettsTrolley cars near Boston Commons1897Trolley cars near Boston CommonsTremont Street, Boston, Boston, Mass1898Tremont Street, Boston, Boston, MassPostcardWest Boston Bridge, Boston, Mass1898West Boston Bridge, Boston, MassPostcardCharlestown Bridge 18991899Charlestown Bridge 1899Postcard
1900s40 items
Readville Shops postcard (2)1901–1907Readville Shops postcard (2)PostcardRustic bridge, Stony Brook Reservation - postcard1901–1907Rustic bridge, Stony Brook Reservation - postcardPostcardStreetcars on Harvard Bridge postcard1901–1907Streetcars on Harvard Bridge postcardPostcard"Boston tea-party." Three cargoes of tea destroyed. Dec. 16, 17731903"Boston tea-party." Three cargoes of tea destroyed. D…PostcardBoston Tea Party, image from 19031903Boston Tea Party, image from 1903PostcardMaverick Square incline 1905 postcard1904–1907Maverick Square incline 1905 postcardPostcardChinatown in Boston from Harrison Avenue, c. 1905 - Historic New England 18760scr f2b70880c361322c. 1905Chinatown in Boston from Harrison Avenue, c. 1905 - H…PostcardSheep in Franklin Park, Boston, Mass1905Sheep in Franklin Park, Boston, MassPostcardThe Mall & Park St. Church, Boston, Mass1905The Mall & Park St. Church, Boston, MassPostcardThe Mall & Park St. Church, Boston, Mass1905The Mall & Park St. Church, Boston, MassPostcardState House1905State House1906 NewspaperRow Boston DetroitPubCo postcard NYPL19061906 NewspaperRow Boston DetroitPubCo postcard NYPLPostcardEast Boston Tunnel entrance 1906 postcardc. 1906East Boston Tunnel entrance 1906 postcardPostcardEllicott Arch 1906 postcardc. 1906Ellicott Arch 1906 postcardPostcardMattapan Bridge 1906 postcardc. 1906Mattapan Bridge 1906 postcardPostcardMaverick Square portal 1906 postcardc. 1906Maverick Square portal 1906 postcardPostcard1907 Wood Island Park Postcard, East19071907 Wood Island Park Postcard, EastPostcardBRB&L ferryboat Newtown postcard1907–1915BRB&L ferryboat Newtown postcardPostcardChelsea Bridge postcard (1)1907–1915Chelsea Bridge postcard (1)PostcardCleary Square postcard (1)1907–1913Cleary Square postcard (1)PostcardHead House (South Boston) postcard1907–1915Head House (South Boston) postcardPostcardMaverick Square with streetcar postcard1907–1915Maverick Square with streetcar postcardPostcardNorth Ferry 'Noddle's Island' postcard1907–1915North Ferry 'Noddle's Island' postcardPostcardPostcard of BRB&L ferry Dartmouth1907–1915Postcard of BRB&L ferry DartmouthPostcardReadville shops postcard1907–1915Readville shops postcardPostcardSouth Boston streetcar transfer station postcard1907–1915South Boston streetcar transfer station postcardPostcardStreetcar on Harvard Bridge postcard1907–1915Streetcar on Harvard Bridge postcardPostcardWalnut Street, Dorchester - 1907 postcardc. 1907Walnut Street, Dorchester - 1907 postcardPostcardWolcott Square postcard1907–1915Wolcott Square postcardPostcardFort Point Channel bridges 1908 postcardc. 1908Fort Point Channel bridges 1908 postcardPostcardGrand Junction Railroad and Chelsea Street bridges after Chelsea Fire on 1908 postcard (cropped)1908Grand Junction Railroad and Chelsea Street bridges af…PostcardGrand Junction Railroad and Chelsea Street bridges after Chelsea Fire on 1908 postcard1908Grand Junction Railroad and Chelsea Street bridges af…PostcardSoldiers Monument on Meeting House Hill, 1908 Postcard1908Soldiers Monument on Meeting House Hill, 1908 PostcardPostcardFirst Parish Church and Lyceum Hall 1909 postcard1909First Parish Church and Lyceum Hall 1909 postcardPostcardBoston, Market. Location: Boston, Massachusetts1909Boston, Market. Location: Boston, MassachusettsBoy marketing1909Boy marketingVendor1909VendorNewsies. Location: Boston, Massachusetts1909Newsies. Location: Boston, MassachusettsNewsies. Location: Boston, Massachusetts1909Newsies. Location: Boston, MassachusettsFruit Peddlers. Boston 1915 Exhibit. Location: Boston, Massachusetts1909Fruit Peddlers. Boston 1915 Exhibit. Location: Boston…
1910s17 items
Harvard Bridge postcard, 19101910Harvard Bridge postcard, 1910PostcardPie Alley Boston Massachusetts postcardc. 1910Pie Alley Boston Massachusetts postcardPostcardPostcard 1910 The style in 18321910Postcard 1910 The style in 1832PostcardRPPC 1910-08-19 Boston New York A1910RPPC 1910-08-19 Boston New York APostcardRPPC 1910-08-19 Boston New York B1910RPPC 1910-08-19 Boston New York BPostcardSouth Boston City Point1910sSouth Boston City PointPostcardThe Shopping Hour, Washington Streetc. 1910The Shopping Hour, Washington StreetPostcardBoylston Street1911Boylston StreetPostcardCleary Square postcard (2)c. 1911Cleary Square postcard (2)PostcardBridge 19121912Bridge 1912PostcardCambridge Bridge postcard1912Cambridge Bridge postcardPostcardKing Square, Boston, with streetcar - 1912 postcardc. 1912King Square, Boston, with streetcar - 1912 postcardPostcardSidewalk vendor Hanover Street Boston early 1900s1912Sidewalk vendor Hanover Street Boston early 1900sPostcardBRB&L ferry Newtown postcard, circa 1913c. 1913BRB&L ferry Newtown postcard, circa 1913PostcardHanover Street from Washington Street1915Hanover Street from Washington StreetPostcardFirewood. Location: Boston, Massachusetts1917Firewood. Location: Boston, MassachusettsFirewood. Location: Boston, Massachusetts1917Firewood. Location: Boston, Massachusetts
1920s7 items
Harvard Bridge postcard 1920ishc. 1920Harvard Bridge postcard 1920ishPostcardWolcott Square 1920 postcardc. 1920Wolcott Square 1920 postcardPostcardBoston Horticultural Society Exhibition, Horticultural Hall, Massachusetts Avenue1921Boston Horticultural Society Exhibition, Horticultura…Boston Horticultural Society Exhibition, Horticultural Hall, Massachusetts Avenue1921Boston Horticultural Society Exhibition, Horticultura…Boston Horticultural Society Exhibition, Horticultural Hall, Massachusetts Avenue1921Boston Horticultural Society Exhibition, Horticultura…Charlestown Bridge 1928 postcardc. 1928Charlestown Bridge 1928 postcardPostcardJeffries Point tunnel postcard1928–1940Jeffries Point tunnel postcardPostcard
1930s47 items
Beaver Group (74270)c. 1930Beaver Group (74270)PostcardBell Tower -- Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston, Mass (69688)c. 1930Bell Tower -- Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston, Mass (69…PostcardBlinstrub's Village. 308 Broadway, So. Boston, Mass (69562)c. 1930Blinstrub's Village. 308 Broadway, So. Boston, Mass (…PostcardBoston Light, Boston Harbor (64466)c. 1930Boston Light, Boston Harbor (64466)PostcardBraves Field -- Home of the Boston Braves, Boston, Mass (78547)c. 1930Braves Field -- Home of the Boston Braves, Boston, Ma…PostcardCompliments of Durgin-Park Market dining rooms -- Boston, Mass., east view of Faneuil Hall Market, 1827 (69841)c. 1930Compliments of Durgin-Park Market dining rooms -- Bos…PostcardCottage Farm Bridge and boats postcard1930–1945Cottage Farm Bridge and boats postcardPostcardCottage Farm Bridge postcard1930–1945Cottage Farm Bridge postcardPostcardEsplanade along Charles River, showing West Boston Bridge, Boston, Mass (64045)c. 1930Esplanade along Charles River, showing West Boston Br…PostcardFenway Park -- Home of the Boston Red Sox, Boston, Mass (78552)c. 1930Fenway Park -- Home of the Boston Red Sox, Boston, Ma…PostcardGarden of Memories, Columbarium, Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston, Mass (64692)c. 1930Garden of Memories, Columbarium, Forest Hills Cemeter…PostcardGreater Boston starts each day at Colstone Restaurants (82168)c. 1930Greater Boston starts each day at Colstone Restaurant…PostcardGreetings from Boston (64124)c. 1930Greetings from Boston (64124)PostcardGreetings from Boston, Massachusetts (71402)c. 1930Greetings from Boston, Massachusetts (71402)PostcardHarvard Bridge, showing Massachusetts Institute of Technology in background, Boston, Mass (64044)c. 1930Harvard Bridge, showing Massachusetts Institute of Te…PostcardHarvard Bridge, showing Massachusetts Institute of Technology in background, Boston, Massc. 1930Harvard Bridge, showing Massachusetts Institute of Te…PostcardJaw teasers sell And the two display units pictured here assure you of repeats - and repeats - and repeats, Gum Product…c. 1930Jaw teasers sell And the two display units pictured h…PostcardLife With Father. Civic Repertory Theatre -- Boston, Mass (69686)c. 1930Life With Father. Civic Repertory Theatre -- Boston, …PostcardMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass (87310)c. 1930Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mas…PostcardMystic River Bridge connecting Chelsea and Boston, Mass (83154)c. 1930Mystic River Bridge connecting Chelsea and Boston, Ma…PostcardOld North Church and Paul Revere Statue, Boston, Mass (87232)c. 1930Old North Church and Paul Revere Statue, Boston, Mass…PostcardPaul Revere waiting for the signal from the Old North Church Tower (64455)c. 1930Paul Revere waiting for the signal from the Old North…PostcardRed Shield Service Men's Club, 180 Federal Street, Boston 10, Mass (74878)c. 1930Red Shield Service Men's Club, 180 Federal Street, Bo…PostcardRed Shield Service Men's Club, Boston, Mass (74263)c. 1930Red Shield Service Men's Club, Boston, Mass (74263)PostcardSection of new highway in the Back Bay, Boston, Mass (87309)c. 1930Section of new highway in the Back Bay, Boston, Mass …PostcardShell Band Stand on the Esplanade along Charles River, Boston, Mass (78549)c. 1930Shell Band Stand on the Esplanade along Charles River…PostcardShrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, St. Cecilia's Church, Boston, Mass (75501)c. 1930Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, St. Cecil…PostcardShrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, St. Cecilia's Church, Boston, Mass (75502)c. 1930Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, St. Cecil…PostcardThe American Eagle (74271)c. 1930The American Eagle (74271)PostcardThe Milmore Memorial -- Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston, Mass (64691)c. 1930The Milmore Memorial -- Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston…PostcardTremont Street -- Boston, Mass (87225)c. 1930Tremont Street -- Boston, Mass (87225)PostcardTremont Street, Boston, Mass (60095)c. 1930Tremont Street, Boston, Mass (60095)PostcardView across Lake Hibiscus -- Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston, Mass (64690)c. 1930View across Lake Hibiscus -- Forest Hills Cemetery, B…PostcardView across Lake Hibiscus -- Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston, Mass (69689)c. 1930View across Lake Hibiscus -- Forest Hills Cemetery, B…PostcardWallco (78546)c. 1930Wallco (78546)PostcardYou don't know beans until you come to Boston (06 10 000021)c. 1930You don't know beans until you come to Boston (06 10 …PostcardYou don't know beans until you come to Boston (64116)c. 1930You don't know beans until you come to Boston (64116)PostcardHood's Ice Cream Desserts for Thanksgiving (NBY 3857)1931Hood's Ice Cream Desserts for Thanksgiving (NBY 3857)PostcardKenmore Square 1935 postcardc. 1935Kenmore Square 1935 postcardPostcardCurtis Shoe Stores, Where you buy your Enna Jettick Shoes (NBY 7055)1936Curtis Shoe Stores, Where you buy your Enna Jettick S…PostcardSweaters and Twin-Sets, Romanes & Paterson (NBY 3066)1937Sweaters and Twin-Sets, Romanes & Paterson (NBY 3066)PostcardBoston, Massachusetts1938Boston, MassachusettsBoston, Massachusetts1938Boston, MassachusettsBoston, Massachusetts1938Boston, MassachusettsHouses1938HousesStreet1938StreetStreet1938Street
1940s–1950s8 items
Boston Braves Baseball Team of 1948 (78732)c. 1948Boston Braves Baseball Team of 1948 (78732)PostcardSave this card , worth 30c for one trip in any Town Taxi if used prior to (85278)c. 1949Save this card , worth 30c for one trip in any Town T…PostcardBoston Navy Yard 1950s aerial postcard1950sBoston Navy Yard 1950s aerial postcardPostcardCentral Artery 1950s aerial postcard (1)1950Central Artery 1950s aerial postcard (1)PostcardCentral Artery 1950s aerial postcard (2)1950Central Artery 1950s aerial postcard (2)PostcardCentral Artery 1950s aerial postcard (3)1950Central Artery 1950s aerial postcard (3)PostcardKenmore Square 1950s postcard (2)1950sKenmore Square 1950s postcard (2)PostcardKenmore Square 1950s postcard1950sKenmore Square 1950s postcardPostcard
1960s–1970s5 items
Dewey Square Tunnel postcard1960sDewey Square Tunnel postcardPostcardMapparium postcard1961Mapparium postcardPostcardKenmore Square circa-1970 postcard1967–1975Kenmore Square circa-1970 postcardPostcardTremont Street 1968 postcardc. 1968Tremont Street 1968 postcardPostcardB Branch train above Warren Street - circa-1970s postcard1970sB Branch train above Warren Street - circa-1970s post…Postcard
1980s17 items
Boston Common1980Boston CommonBoston, Massachusetts1980Boston, MassachusettsMarina1980MarinaSkyline1980SkylineSkyline1980SkylineView1980ViewDowntown Boston, Massachusetts1980Downtown Boston, MassachusettsTremont Street1980Tremont StreetTrinity Church1980Trinity ChurchTrinity Church1980Trinity ChurchPublic Garden1980Public GardenHanover Street1980Hanover StreetBeacon Hill1980Beacon HillArchitectural detail1980Architectural detailElevated superhighway1980Elevated superhighwayFaneuil Hall1980Faneuil HallExterior lamp detail1980Exterior lamp detail
1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today10 recent
Greetings from Boston, Massachusetts - Large Letter Postcard2010Greetings from Boston, Massachusetts - Large Letter P…DocumentGreetings from Boston, Massachusetts - Large Letter Postcard2010Greetings from Boston, Massachusetts - Large Letter P…DocumentGreetings from Boston, Massachusetts - Large Letter Postcard2010Greetings from Boston, Massachusetts - Large Letter P…DocumentCopley Square, Boston, Massachusetts, in the future, 1910 - Postcard2010Copley Square, Boston, Massachusetts, in the future, …PostcardBoston (front)2010Boston (front)PostcardSteamship 18502009Steamship 1850PostcardDocks 1911b2009Docks 1911bPostcardDocks 19112009Docks 1911PostcardFenway Park postcard2007Fenway Park postcardPostcard1948 Boston Braves postcard20071948 Boston Braves postcardPostcard
On the National Register

324 listings protect 10,668 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 56 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
324
National Historic Landmarks
56
Arnold Arboretum
historic buildings protected
10,668
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Arnold Arboretum
Dorchester Heights National Historic SiteFort Independence, built 16431767 MilestonesOlmsted Park SystemCrowninshield House, built 1870First Baptist Church, built 1872Trinity Rectory, built 1879Loring-Greenough House, built 1760Boston Common and Public GardenPaul's Bridge, built 1849Fulton-Commercial Streets DistrictOld Corner Bookstore, built 1828Cyclorama Building, built 1884John Eliot Square DistrictRoxbury High FortArlington Street Church, built 1861Alvah Kittredge House, built 1836William Brattle House, built 1727Custom House DistrictTown Hill DistrictArmory of the First Corps of Cadets, built 1897Blackstone Block Historic DistrictBack Bay Historic DistrictCopp's Hill Burial Ground, built 1660Dorchester North Burying Ground, built 1633Winthrop BuildingAmes Building, built 1889Pierce HouseJames Blake House, built 1661Park Street DistrictClapp HousesYouth's Companion Building, built 1892John Adams Courthouse, built 1885Phipps Street Burying Ground, built 1630Eliot Burying Ground, built 1635Boston National Historical Park, built 1974South Station Headhouse, built 1899St. Stephen's Church, built 1804Symphony and Horticultural HallsWashington Street Theatre DistrictEdward Everett Hale House, built 1841Bedford Building, built 1874International Trust Company Building, built 1893Dorchester-Milton Lower Mills Industrial DistrictBerger FactoryDillaway School, built 1882Garrison, William Lloyd, School, built 1910Suffolk County JailAll Saints' Church, built 1894Charles Playhouse, built 1839R. H. Stearns House, built 1909Union WharfUnited Shoe Machinery Corporation BuildingBoston African American National Historic Site, built 1980Oak Square SchoolRussia Wharf BuildingsBeach-Knapp DistrictBoston Edison Electric Illuminating Company, built 1906Boston Young Men's Christian Union, built 1875Boylston Building, built 1887Dill BuildingHayden Building, built 1875Liberty Tree DistrictMetropolitan Theatre, built 1925Piano Row DistrictShubert, Sam S., Theatre, built 1910West Street DistrictWilbur Theatre, built 1914Wirth, Jacob, Buildings, built 1868Fields Corner Municipal Building, built 1874Roughan Hall, built 1892Haffenreffer BreweryAdams-Nervine AsylumDonald McKay HouseWigglesworth Building, built 1873Gardner, Isabella Stewart, Museum, built 1903Harvard Avenue Fire Station, built 1891Codman Square District, built 1806Baker, Sarah J., School, built 1905Newspaper RowCharles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church, built 1888Harrison Loring House, built 1865Lawrence Model Lodging Houses, built 1874Codman Building, built 1873Leather DistrictMoreland Street Historic DistrictFenway-Boylston Street DistrictVermont Building, built 1904Bigelow School, built 1901Dorchester Pottery WorksHoosac Stores 1 & 2-Hoosac Stores 3, built 1875Building at 138-142 Portland Street, built 1896Peter Fuller BuildingEngine House No. 34Dudley Station Historic DistrictChrist Church, built 1893Bulfinch Triangle Historic DistrictHarriswood CrescentUS Post Office Garage, built 1941Filene's Department Store, built 1911Locke-Ober Restaurant, built 1832Second Brazer Building, built 1897Richardson Block, built 1873Sears' Crescent and Sears' BlockMonument Square Historic DistrictLong Island Head Light, built 1819New Riding ClubCongress Street Fire Station, built 1891Abbotsford, built 1875Saint Augustine Chapel and Cemetery, built 1818Bunker Hill School, built 1866Sumner Hill Historic DistrictHouse at 17 Cranston Street, built 1871Timothy Hoxie HouseWesterly Burial Ground, built 1683District 13 Police Station, built 1873Ozias Goodwin House, built 1795Greek Orthodox Cathedral of New England, built 1923Eliot HallFirst Church of Jamaica Plain, built 1854Temple Place Historic DistrictMount Pleasant Historic DistrictRoxbury Highlands Historic DistrictMassachusetts School of ArtMission Hill Triangle Historic DistrictSt. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church Complex, built 1845Bellevue Standpipe, built 1915Chestnut Hill Reservoir Historic DistrictCommonwealth Avenue Historic DistrictCopp's Hill Terrace, built 1893Calf Pasture Pumping Station ComplexBowditch School, built 1892Monument Square Historic DistrictUpham's Corner Market, built 1919Textile DistrictSears Roebuck and Company Mail Order StoreRoxbury Presbyterian Church, built 1891Roslindale Congregational ChurchTrinity Neighborhood HouseMassachusetts Mental Health CenterEliot Congregational Church, built 1873House at 1 Bay Street, built 1830Lower Roxbury Historic DistrictFaneuil, Peter, School, built 1909Riviera, TheDouglass, Frederick, Square Historic DistrictBrighton Evangelical Congregational Church, built 1922North Terminal Garage, built 1925Students HouseAllston Congregational Church, built 1890St. Luke's and St. Margaret's Church, built 1895Charlestown HeightsDorchester Temple Baptist Church, built 1889Eagle Hill Historic DistrictBoston Young Men's Christian AssociationSt. Mary's Episcopal Church, built 1888Roslindale Baptist Church, built 1884Baker Congregational Church, built 1903Congregation Adath Jeshurun, built 1906First Congregational Church of Hyde Park, built 1910Mariner's House, built 1847Church Green Buildings Historic DistrictFulton-Commercial Streets Historic DistrictHarvard Avenue Historic DistrictDearborn School, built 1905Brighton Center Historic DistrictPeabody, The, built 1896Boston Consumptives HospitalFrances and Isabella ApartmentsGreenwood Memorial United Methodist Church, built 1900Bennington Street Burying Ground, built 1837Paine Furniture Building, built 1913Savin Hill Historic DistrictPublicity Building, built 1916Benedict Fenwick School, built 1912Edward H. Haskell Home for NursesYWCA BostonNix's Mate Daybeacon, built 1834Nazing Court ApartmentsHibernian HallFort Point Channel Historic DistrictForest Hills Cemetery, built 1848Truman Parkway-Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston, built 1930VFW Parkway, Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston, built 1930Morton Street, Metropolitan Park System of Greater BostonNeponset Valley Parkway, Metorpolitan Park System of Greater BostonCollins Building, built 1898Home for Aged CouplesSouth Boston Boat Clubs Historic DistrictStony Brook Reservation Parkways, Metropolitan Park System of Great Boston MPSCharles River Reservation ParkwaysEast Boston High School, OldFort Banks Mortar BatteryGoldsmith Block, built 1892Boston Transit Commission Building, built 1903Dorchester ParkOld Harbor Reservation Parkways, Metropolitan Park System of Greater BostonOhabei Shalom CemeteryJoshua Bates School, built 1884Compton Building, built 1902Evergreen Cemetery, built 1850Fairview Cemetery, built 1893Mount Hope Cemetery, built 1852Highland Spring Brewery Bottling and Storage Buildings, built 1892Second Church in BostonCharles River Reservation (Speedway)-Upper Basin HeadquartersEgleston SubstationUnited State Post Office, Courthouse, and Federal Building, built 1933Fenway ParkSherman Apartments Historic DistrictRoslindale SubstationDavidson, Sarah, Apartment Block, built 1901Pilgrim Congregational Church, built 1884Blake and Amory BuildingDorchester South Burying Ground, built 1814Buildings at 825-829 Blue Hill Avenue, built 1924Lyman, Theodore, SchoolGridley Street Historic DistrictSouth End DistrictBoston Police Station Number One-Traffic Tunnel Administration BuildingI.J. Fox Building, built 1935Francis Street-Fenwood Road Historic DistrictGovernor Shirley Square Historic DistrictBoston Fish Pier Historic DistrictColumbia Road-Devon Street Historic DistrictQuincy Grammar School, built 1859Columbia Road-Bellevue Street Historic DistrictColumbia Road-Strathcona Road Historic DistrictBenjamin Silverman Apartments, built 1915Esmond Street Historic DistrictIntervale Street-Columbia Road Historic DistrictSamuel Edelman Apartments, built 1908Nathan Warnick Apartments, built 1929Theodore Parker Unitarian Universalist Church, built 1900Intervale Street-Blue Hill Avenue Historic DistrictCrawford Street Historic DistrictElm Hill Park Historic DistrictGreenville Street Historic DistrictLawrence Avenue Historic DistrictMalcolm X-Ella Little Collins House, built 1874(Second) Harrison Gray Otis House, built 1802Commonwealth Pier FiveWoodbourne Historic DistrictDorchester Heights Historic DistrictHarrison Square Historic DistrictWalton and Roslin HallsBoston National Historical ParkAscension-Caproni Historic DistrictFowler-Clark-Epstein Farmstead, built 1786Cartoof & Sherman ApartmentsThane Street Historic DistrictJohn F. Kennedy Federal BuildingHumboldt Avenue Historic DistrictWalnut Park Historic DistrictCamden Street Development Historic DistrictSouth Boston Naval Annex Historic DistrictCharlotte Street-Esmond Street Historic DistrictDudley Terrace–Dudley Street Historic DistrictElm Hill Avenue-Georgia Street-Cheney Street Historic DistrictHomestead Street Apartments Historic DistrictRepertory Theatre of BostonParker HouseUphams Corner Historic DistrictLenox Street Apartments Historic DistrictDixwell Street Apartments Historic DistrictHyde Park High SchoolArnold Arboretum, built 1872★Beacon Hill Historic District★Brook Farm, built 1841★Bunker Hill Monument, built 1843★Chester Harding House, built 1809★Ether Dome, Massachusetts General Hospital★Faneuil Hall, built 1740★Francis Parkman House, built 1824★Headquarters House, built 1808★Massachusetts Historical Society Building★Massachusetts Statehouse, built 1798★Old North Church, built 1723★Old South Meeting House, built 1729★Old State House, built 1713★Paul Revere House, built 1680★Shirley-Eustis House, built 1741★Tremont Street Subway★U.s.s. Constitution★William Lloyd Garrison House★Long Wharf and Custom House Block★Quincy Market, built 1826★Boston Naval Shipyard, built 1800★Pierce-Hichborn House, built 1711★Trinity Church, built 1877★Fort Warren, built 1833★(First) Harrison Gray Otis House, built 1795★David Sears House, built 1816★Massachusetts General Hospital★Old City Hall, built 1862★Old South Church in Boston, built 1873★St. Paul's Church, built 1819★African Meetinghouse★Boston Public Library, built 1887★Charles Sumner House★King's Chapel, built 1749★Samuel Gridley and Julia Ward Howe House, built 1805★William C. Nell House★William Monroe Trotter House, built 1890★Nathan Appleton Residence, built 1818★Fenway Studios★New England Conservatory of Music, built 1867★Dimock Community Health Center Complex★USS CASSIN YOUNG (destroyer)★Boston Common, built 1634★Boston Public Garden★Harvard Stadium, built 1903★Ellen H. Swallow Richards House★ROSEWAY (schooner), built 1925★Symphony Hall, built 1900★Gibson House, built 1860★Union Oyster House, built 1716★Frederick Ayer Mansion, built 1899★Central Congregational Church, built 1867★Boston Athenaeum, built 1807★Old West Church, built 1806★
BuildingsDistrictsSitesStructures★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Classical Revival39
Greek Revival32
Queen Anne31
Italianate28
Federal26
Colonial Revival24
★ Landmark
Arnold ArboretumBuilt 1872
★ Landmark
Beacon Hill Historic DistrictAdamesque
★ Landmark
Brook FarmBuilt 1841
★ Landmark
Bunker Hill MonumentBuilt 1843
★ Landmark
Chester Harding HouseFederal · Built 1809
★ Landmark
Ether Dome, Massachusetts General HospitalGreek Revival
★ Landmark
Faneuil HallEarly Georgian · Built 1740
★ Landmark
Francis Parkman HouseBuilt 1824
All 324 listings
Headquarters HouseBuilding · listed 1966Massachusetts Historical Society BuildingBuilding · listed 1966Massachusetts StatehouseBuilding · listed 1966Old North ChurchBuilding · listed 1966Old South Meeting HouseBuilding · listed 1966Old State HouseBuilding · listed 1966Paul Revere HouseBuilding · listed 1966Shirley-Eustis HouseBuilding · listed 1966Tremont Street SubwayStructure · listed 1966U.s.s. ConstitutionStructure · listed 1966William Lloyd Garrison HouseBuilding · listed 1966Long Wharf and Custom House BlockStructure · listed 1966Quincy MarketBuilding · listed 1966Boston Naval ShipyardDistrict · listed 1966Pierce-Hichborn HouseBuilding · listed 1968Trinity ChurchBuilding · listed 1970Fort WarrenDistrict · listed 1970(First) Harrison Gray Otis HouseBuilding · listed 1970David Sears HouseBuilding · listed 1970Massachusetts General HospitalBuilding · listed 1970Old City HallBuilding · listed 1970Old South Church in BostonBuilding · listed 1970St. Paul's ChurchBuilding · listed 1970African MeetinghouseBuilding · listed 1971Boston Public LibraryBuilding · listed 1973Charles Sumner HouseBuilding · listed 1973King's ChapelBuilding · listed 1974Samuel Gridley and Julia Ward Howe HouseBuilding · listed 1974William C. Nell HouseBuilding · listed 1976William Monroe Trotter HouseBuilding · listed 1976Nathan Appleton ResidenceBuilding · listed 1977Fenway StudiosBuilding · listed 1978New England Conservatory of MusicBuilding · listed 1980Dimock Community Health Center ComplexBuilding · listed 1985USS CASSIN YOUNG (destroyer)Structure · listed 1986Boston CommonDistrict · listed 1987Boston Public GardenDistrict · listed 1987Harvard StadiumStructure · listed 1987Ellen H. Swallow Richards HouseBuilding · listed 1992ROSEWAY (schooner)Site · listed 1997Symphony HallBuilding · listed 1999Gibson HouseBuilding · listed 2001Union Oyster HouseBuilding · listed 2003Frederick Ayer MansionBuilding · listed 2005Central Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 2012Dorchester Heights National Historic SiteStructure · listed 1966Fort IndependenceSite · listed 19701767 MilestonesDistrict · listed 1971Olmsted Park SystemDistrict · listed 1971Crowninshield HouseBuilding · listed 1972First Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 1972Trinity RectoryBuilding · listed 1972Loring-Greenough HouseBuilding · listed 1972Boston Common and Public GardenDistrict · listed 1972Paul's BridgeStructure · listed 1972Fulton-Commercial Streets DistrictDistrict · listed 1973Old Corner BookstoreBuilding · listed 1973Cyclorama BuildingBuilding · listed 1973John Eliot Square DistrictDistrict · listed 1973Roxbury High FortSite · listed 1973Arlington Street ChurchBuilding · listed 1973Alvah Kittredge HouseBuilding · listed 1973William Brattle HouseBuilding · listed 1973Custom House DistrictDistrict · listed 1973Town Hill DistrictDistrict · listed 1973Armory of the First Corps of CadetsBuilding · listed 1973Blackstone Block Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1973Back Bay Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1973Copp's Hill Burial GroundSite · listed 1974Dorchester North Burying GroundDistrict · listed 1974Winthrop BuildingBuilding · listed 1974Ames BuildingBuilding · listed 1974Pierce HouseBuilding · listed 1974James Blake HouseBuilding · listed 1974Park Street DistrictDistrict · listed 1974Clapp HousesBuilding · listed 1974Youth's Companion BuildingBuilding · listed 1974John Adams CourthouseBuilding · listed 1974Phipps Street Burying GroundSite · listed 1974Eliot Burying GroundSite · listed 1974Boston National Historical ParkDistrict · listed 1974South Station HeadhouseBuilding · listed 1975St. Stephen's ChurchBuilding · listed 1975Symphony and Horticultural HallsBuilding · listed 1975Washington Street Theatre DistrictDistrict · listed 1979Edward Everett Hale HouseBuilding · listed 1979Bedford BuildingBuilding · listed 1979International Trust Company BuildingBuilding · listed 1979Dorchester-Milton Lower Mills Industrial DistrictDistrict · listed 1980Berger FactoryBuilding · listed 1980Dillaway SchoolBuilding · listed 1980Garrison, William Lloyd, SchoolBuilding · listed 1980Suffolk County JailBuilding · listed 1980All Saints' ChurchBuilding · listed 1980Charles PlayhouseBuilding · listed 1980R. H. Stearns HouseBuilding · listed 1980Union WharfBuilding · listed 1980United Shoe Machinery Corporation BuildingBuilding · listed 1980Boston African American National Historic SiteDistrict · listed 1980Oak Square SchoolBuilding · listed 1980Russia Wharf BuildingsBuilding · listed 1980Beach-Knapp DistrictDistrict · listed 1980Boston Edison Electric Illuminating CompanyBuilding · listed 1980Boston Young Men's Christian UnionBuilding · listed 1980Boylston BuildingBuilding · listed 1980Dill BuildingBuilding · listed 1980Hayden BuildingBuilding · listed 1980Liberty Tree DistrictDistrict · listed 1980Metropolitan TheatreBuilding · listed 1980Piano Row DistrictDistrict · listed 1980Shubert, Sam S., TheatreBuilding · listed 1980West Street DistrictDistrict · listed 1980Wilbur TheatreBuilding · listed 1980Wirth, Jacob, BuildingsBuilding · listed 1980Fields Corner Municipal BuildingBuilding · listed 1981Roughan HallBuilding · listed 1982Haffenreffer BreweryBuilding · listed 1982Adams-Nervine AsylumBuilding · listed 1982Donald McKay HouseBuilding · listed 1982Wigglesworth BuildingBuilding · listed 1982Gardner, Isabella Stewart, MuseumBuilding · listed 1983Harvard Avenue Fire StationBuilding · listed 1983Codman Square DistrictDistrict · listed 1983Baker, Sarah J., SchoolBuilding · listed 1983Newspaper RowBuilding · listed 1983Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1983Harrison Loring HouseBuilding · listed 1983Lawrence Model Lodging HousesBuilding · listed 1983Codman BuildingBuilding · listed 1983Leather DistrictDistrict · listed 1983Moreland Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984Fenway-Boylston Street DistrictDistrict · listed 1984Vermont BuildingBuilding · listed 1984Bigelow SchoolBuilding · listed 1985Dorchester Pottery WorksBuilding · listed 1985Hoosac Stores 1 & 2-Hoosac Stores 3District · listed 1985Building at 138-142 Portland StreetBuilding · listed 1985Peter Fuller BuildingBuilding · listed 1985Engine House No. 34Building · listed 1985Dudley Station Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985Christ ChurchBuilding · listed 1986Bulfinch Triangle Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986Harriswood CrescentBuilding · listed 1986US Post Office GarageBuilding · listed 1986Filene's Department StoreBuilding · listed 1986Locke-Ober RestaurantBuilding · listed 1986Second Brazer BuildingBuilding · listed 1986Richardson BlockBuilding · listed 1986Sears' Crescent and Sears' BlockBuilding · listed 1986Monument Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987Long Island Head LightStructure · listed 1987New Riding ClubBuilding · listed 1987Congress Street Fire StationBuilding · listed 1987AbbotsfordBuilding · listed 1987Saint Augustine Chapel and CemeteryDistrict · listed 1987Bunker Hill SchoolBuilding · listed 1987Sumner Hill Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987House at 17 Cranston StreetBuilding · listed 1987Timothy Hoxie HouseBuilding · listed 1987Westerly Burial GroundSite · listed 1987District 13 Police StationBuilding · listed 1988Ozias Goodwin HouseBuilding · listed 1988Greek Orthodox Cathedral of New EnglandBuilding · listed 1988Eliot HallBuilding · listed 1988First Church of Jamaica PlainBuilding · listed 1988Temple Place Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988Mount Pleasant Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989Roxbury Highlands Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989Massachusetts School of ArtBuilding · listed 1989Mission Hill Triangle Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church ComplexDistrict · listed 1989Bellevue StandpipeStructure · listed 1990Chestnut Hill Reservoir Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990Commonwealth Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990Copp's Hill TerraceSite · listed 1990Calf Pasture Pumping Station ComplexBuilding · listed 1990Bowditch SchoolBuilding · listed 1990Monument Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990Upham's Corner MarketBuilding · listed 1990Textile DistrictDistrict · listed 1990Sears Roebuck and Company Mail Order StoreBuilding · listed 1991Roxbury Presbyterian ChurchBuilding · listed 1991Roslindale Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1991Trinity Neighborhood HouseBuilding · listed 1992Massachusetts Mental Health CenterDistrict · listed 1994Eliot Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1994House at 1 Bay StreetBuilding · listed 1994Lower Roxbury Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1994Faneuil, Peter, SchoolBuilding · listed 1994Riviera, TheBuilding · listed 1995Douglass, Frederick, Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1996Brighton Evangelical Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1997North Terminal GarageBuilding · listed 1997Students HouseBuilding · listed 1997Allston Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1997St. Luke's and St. Margaret's ChurchDistrict · listed 1997Charlestown HeightsSite · listed 1998Dorchester Temple Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 1998Eagle Hill Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1998Boston Young Men's Christian AssociationBuilding · listed 1998St. Mary's Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1998Roslindale Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 1998Baker Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1998Congregation Adath JeshurunBuilding · listed 1999First Congregational Church of Hyde ParkBuilding · listed 1999Mariner's HouseBuilding · listed 1999Church Green Buildings Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1999Fulton-Commercial Streets Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2000Harvard Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2000Dearborn SchoolBuilding · listed 2000Brighton Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2001Peabody, TheBuilding · listed 2001Boston Consumptives HospitalDistrict · listed 2002Frances and Isabella ApartmentsBuilding · listed 2002Greenwood Memorial United Methodist ChurchBuilding · listed 2002Bennington Street Burying GroundSite · listed 2002Paine Furniture BuildingBuilding · listed 2002Savin Hill Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2003Publicity BuildingBuilding · listed 2003Benedict Fenwick SchoolBuilding · listed 2004Edward H. Haskell Home for NursesBuilding · listed 2004YWCA BostonBuilding · listed 2004Nix's Mate DaybeaconStructure · listed 2004Nazing Court ApartmentsBuilding · listed 2004Hibernian HallBuilding · listed 2004Fort Point Channel Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2004Forest Hills CemeterySite · listed 2004Truman Parkway-Metropolitan Park System of Greater BostonDistrict · listed 2005VFW Parkway, Metropolitan Park System of Greater BostonDistrict · listed 2005Morton Street, Metropolitan Park System of Greater BostonDistrict · listed 2005Neponset Valley Parkway, Metorpolitan Park System of Greater BostonDistrict · listed 2005Collins BuildingBuilding · listed 2005Home for Aged CouplesBuilding · listed 2005South Boston Boat Clubs Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2005Stony Brook Reservation Parkways, Metropolitan Park System of Great Boston MPSDistrict · listed 2006Charles River Reservation ParkwaysDistrict · listed 2006East Boston High School, OldBuilding · listed 2006Fort Banks Mortar BatterySite · listed 2007Goldsmith BlockBuilding · listed 2007Boston Transit Commission BuildingBuilding · listed 2007Dorchester ParkSite · listed 2008Old Harbor Reservation Parkways, Metropolitan Park System of Greater BostonDistrict · listed 2008Ohabei Shalom CemeterySite · listed 2008Joshua Bates SchoolBuilding · listed 2008Compton BuildingBuilding · listed 2008Evergreen CemeterySite · listed 2009Fairview CemeterySite · listed 2009Mount Hope CemeterySite · listed 2009Highland Spring Brewery Bottling and Storage BuildingsBuilding · listed 2010Second Church in BostonBuilding · listed 2010Charles River Reservation (Speedway)-Upper Basin HeadquartersBuilding · listed 2010Egleston SubstationBuilding · listed 2010United State Post Office, Courthouse, and Federal BuildingBuilding · listed 2011Fenway ParkBuilding · listed 2012Terminal Storage Warehouse DistrictDistrict · listed 2012Sherman Apartments Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2012Roslindale SubstationBuilding · listed 2013Davidson, Sarah, Apartment BlockBuilding · listed 2013Pilgrim Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 2013Blake and Amory BuildingBuilding · listed 2014Dorchester South Burying GroundSite · listed 2014Saint Mark's Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 2014Buildings at 825-829 Blue Hill AvenueBuilding · listed 2014Lyman, Theodore, SchoolBuilding · listed 2014Gridley Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2014South End DistrictDistrict · listed 2014Boston Police Station Number One-Traffic Tunnel Administration BuildingBuilding · listed 2015I.J. Fox BuildingBuilding · listed 2015Francis Street-Fenwood Road Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2016Governor Shirley Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2016Boston Fish Pier Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2017Columbia Road-Devon Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2017Quincy Grammar SchoolBuilding · listed 2017Columbia Road-Bellevue Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2017Columbia Road-Strathcona Road Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2018Benjamin Silverman ApartmentsBuilding · listed 2018Esmond Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2018Intervale Street-Columbia Road Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2019Samuel Edelman ApartmentsBuilding · listed 2019Nathan Warnick ApartmentsBuilding · listed 2019Theodore Parker Unitarian Universalist ChurchBuilding · listed 2020Intervale Street-Blue Hill Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2020Crawford Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2020Elm Hill Park Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2021Greenville Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2021Lawrence Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2021Malcolm X-Ella Little Collins HouseBuilding · listed 2021Boston AthenaeumBuilding · listed 1966Old West ChurchBuilding · listed 1970(Second) Harrison Gray Otis HouseBuilding · listed 1973Commonwealth Pier FiveBuilding · listed 1979Woodbourne Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1999Dorchester Heights Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2001Harrison Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2002Walton and Roslin HallsBuilding · listed 2013Boston National Historical ParkDistrict · listed 2015Ascension-Caproni Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2019Fowler-Clark-Epstein FarmsteadBuilding · listed 2020Cartoof & Sherman ApartmentsBuilding · listed 2020Thane Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2020John F. Kennedy Federal BuildingBuilding · listed 2021Humboldt Avenue Historic DistrictBuilding · listed 2021Walnut Park Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2022Camden Street Development Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2022South Boston Naval Annex Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2022Charlotte Street-Esmond Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2022Dudley Terrace–Dudley Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2022Elm Hill Avenue-Georgia Street-Cheney Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2023Homestead Street Apartments Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2023Repertory Theatre of BostonBuilding · listed 2023Parker HouseBuilding · listed 2023Uphams Corner Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2024Lenox Street Apartments Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2024Columbus Avenue and Bragdon Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2024Dixwell Street Apartments Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2024Hyde Park High SchoolBuilding · listed 2024

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Boston came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Boston.

Read it all →

Before European colonization, the region surrounding present-day Boston was inhabited by the Massachusett people, who established small, seasonal communities in present-day Boston. In 1630, settlers led by John Winthrop arrived and found Shawmut Peninsula nearly empty of Native people. Most had died of European diseases borne by earlier settlers and traders. Archaeological excavations have unearthed one of the oldest fishweirs in New England, located on Boylston Street, which Native people constructed as early as 7,000 years before European arrival in the Western Hemisphere.

ChaptersIndigenous eraEuropean settlementAmerican Revolution and Siege of BostonPost-revolution and the War of 181219th century20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Boston, 1630 to 1893

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 17th century
  2. 1630
    FoundingBoston is established
  3. 18th century
  4. 1706Born hereBenjamin Franklin is born here
  5. 19th century
  6. 1803Born hereRalph Waldo Emerson is born here
  7. 1809BuiltChester Harding House is built
  8. 1809Born hereEdgar Allan Poe is born here
  9. 1816Post officeThe Charlestown post office opens
  10. 1817Post officeThe Brighton post office opens
  11. 1823Post officeThe Roxbury post office opens
  12. 1841BuiltBrook Farm is built
  13. 1843BuiltBunker Hill Monument is built
  14. 1860In the archiveSchool
  15. 1868Post officeThe Roxbury post office closes
  16. 1872BuiltArnold Arboretum is built
  17. 1873Post officeThe Charlestown post office closes
  18. 1874In the archiveWashington Street
  19. 1875Post officeThe Brighton post office closes
  20. 1881In the archiveBoston One-Price Clothing Store
  21. 1893On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
On the map

Boston on the map, 1893 to 1987

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Boston. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Boston on the 1893 USGS mapBoston on the 1903 USGS mapBoston on the 1944 USGS mapBoston on the 1956 USGS mapBoston on the 1970 USGS mapBoston on the 1987 USGS map1893Boston sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Boston.

Every building

Boston, building by building, 1885–1898

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Boston fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 21885Sheet 2 of 58
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

School
Retake this viewSchool, 1860

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Boston’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Boston, census by census

050,000100,000150,000200,000250,000300,000350,000400,000450,000500,000550,000600,000650,000700,000750,000800,000850,00018001850190019502000Peak: 801,444

Between 18,320 and 801,444 people in every census since 1790.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Boston’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

48 famous people were born in Boston

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Edgar Allan PoeAmerican writer and literary critic · b. 1809
Benjamin FranklinAmerican polymath and statesman · b. 1706
Ralph Waldo EmersonAmerican philosopher · b. 1803
Sylvia PlathAmerican poet and writer · b. 1932
Uma ThurmanAmerican actress and model · b. 1970
E
Edward NortonAmerican actor · b. 1969
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

15 other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Charlestown
1816–1873
Brighton
1817–1875
Roxbury
1823–1868
Dorchester
1826–1873
Jamaica Plain
1829–1875
West Roxbury
1834–1875
Commercial Point
1836–1839
Harrison Square
1849–1873
East Boston
1850–1860
Mattapan
1856–1873
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AberdeenAllstonAshmontBack BayBay VillageBeacon HillBellevueBrightonCedar GroveCharlestownCity PointClarendon HillsDock SquareDorchesterDorchester CenterDorchester HeightsDowntown CrossingEast BostonFairmountFaneuilFields CornerForest HillsFort DawesFort Independence
Gone or out of use
Allston StationlocaleBack Bay Post Officepost officeBaker Memorial HospitalhospitalBarricadolocaleBaxters BridgebridgeBeacon Street StationlocaleBeacon Trotting ParkparkBird Street StationlocaleBoston GardenbuildingBoston Post Officepost officeBrighton StationlocaleBrowns WharflocaleBulls WharflocaleCedar Grove StationlocaleCentral StationlocaleCharles River BridgebridgeCobbs WharflocaleCommercial Wharflocale
29family graveyards and cemeteries inside Boston
Adath JeshurunBennington StreetBunker HillCedar GroveCentralCopps HillDorchester South Burying GroundEvergreenFairviewGethsemaneGranaryGrove Street Jewish CemeteriesKings ChapelMarket StreetMount BenedictMount HopeMount LebanonNew CalvaryPhipps StreetRest HavenSaint AugustineSaint JosephsSaint JosephsSaint JosephsSaint Mary'sSaint MarysSouth EndThompson IslandWesterly
See all 29

Adath Jeshurun Cemetery · Bennington Street Cemetery · Bunker Hill Burying Ground · Cedar Grove Cemetery · Central Burying Ground · Copps Hill Burial Ground · Dorchester South Burying Ground Cemetery · Evergreen Cemetery · Fairview Cemetery · Gethsemane Cemetery · Granary Burying Ground · Grove Street Jewish Cemeteries · Kings Chapel Burying Ground · Market Street Burying Ground · Mount Benedict Cemetery · Mount Hope Cemetery · Mount Lebanon Cemetery · New Calvary Cemetery · Phipps Street Burying Ground · Rest Haven Cemetery · Saint Augustine Burying Ground · Saint Josephs Cemetery · Saint Josephs Cemetery · Saint Josephs Cemetery · Saint Mary's Cemetery · Saint Marys Cemetery · South End Burying Ground · Thompson Island Cemetery · Westerly Burying Ground

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Boston’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
9 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSchool: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Milton24 historic placesA+Brookline95 historic placesA+Cambridge204 historic placesA+Winthrop Town5 historic placesA+Dedham8 historic placesA+Revere9 historic placesAQuincy106 historic placesANewton177 historic placesA+Chelsea9 historic placesA+Watertown12 historic placesA

Questions about Boston’s history

What year was Boston founded?

In 1630, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Boston’s post office opened in 1816, and the first U.S. census counted 18,320 people here in 1790.

How does Boston rank for history?

Boston is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #13 of 283 in Massachusetts. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Boston?

324 listings, 56 of them National Historic Landmarks: 196 buildings, 97 historic districts with 10,240 contributing buildings, 20 sites, and 11 structures. 10,668 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Boston?

47% of Boston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1947.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (120), the Library of Congress (40), Wikidata (54), the National Register of Historic Places (324), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.