Dudley Street
Frank Storer plays piano to a crowded dance hall at the Intercolonial Club on Dudley Street in the 1950s. It was one of at least five dance halls that featured live music by Irish and Canadian bands in the mid-20th…
Anti-Asian Violence
After the Vietnam war, thousands of refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia were resettled in the greater Boston area. Many were traumatized by their experiences, only to face more hostility from white neighbors in their new homes. To help end this…
Eugenics and Restriction
The following pamphlet of the Immigration Restriction League was written by Prescott F. Hall, a Boston lawyer and co-founder of the League. This 1919 article calls for immigration restriction using arguments from eugenics, a scientific movement for genetic improvement of…
Welcoming the Diaspora: Restaurant Cesaria
Owners and staff at Restaurante Cesaria. Courtesy of Restaurante Cesaria.
The Story of 321 Norfolk Avenue
321 Norfolk Avenue in Dorchester in 2017. This triple decker was built by John Varnerin in 1894. Photo from Google Maps.
Allston-Brighton
Postcard of Harvard Avenue in Allston Village, between Commonwealth and Brighton Avenues, 1921. Courtesy of the Brighton Allston Historical Society.
Saving His Family: Faustin Kalombo
Originally from Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Faustin Kalombo moved to Bujumbura, Burundi in 1994. When ethnic violence engulfed the region, Kalombo fled to Massachusetts and applied for asylum. In this 2018 interview with Caroline Dragonetti, he describes his…
Interactive Map, 1870-2010
Click on town shapes to see foreign-born percentages; click on buttons on right to see data for different years. Source: US Decennial Census, 1870-2010; American Community Survey, 2022 5-year estimates
