Category Archives: Buildings-and-architecture

Why Allston? A Neighborhood’s Namesake

1863 print depicting American artist Washington Allston

I have lived in Allston, a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, for about three years. For most of that time, I never gave the area’s name much thought. I assumed that it was either the name of a town back in..

Continue reading

Locating My Family’s Irish Pub

A few years ago I was researching my Duff line in Ireland, and I came across an interesting occupation for one of my ancestors. My third great-grandfather, Bernard Duff, was listed as a publican and farmer in the 1901 census.1 Despite the heavy demands of agriculture,..

Continue reading

Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride—Which Old North Church?

View of Old North Church, Boston. Photo by Ajay Suresh via Wikimedia Commons.

A few months ago, I chaperoned my daughter’s school field trip to the Paul Revere House in Boston’s North End. I had previously visited this house several times over the course of five..

Continue reading