Tag: interview

Warning Out in early New England, with Jonathan Beecher Field (episode 359)

In this episode, Clemson professor Jonathan Beecher Field helps us explore the history of poor support in early New England and the surprising practice known as “warning out.” In the 17th- and 18th-century, Boston and other New England towns tied public relief strictly to legal inhabitancy, a status similar to the modern concept of birthright citizenship, but on a hyperlocal level. Those without established local ties or the financial capital to post a cash bond were routinely “warned out,” given two weeks to leave, and escorted beyond town borders to prevent them from becoming a financial burden on the town and its residents.

The conversation draws parallels between early colonial policies and modern approaches to poverty, examining how historical residency restrictions rhyme with contemporary anti-homeless architecture, municipal sweeps, and broader debates over who deserves social support. From the systemic exclusion of Black and Indigenous residents to the way early New Englanders decided who was deserving of poor support and who deserved to be warned out, Professor Field’s research reveals how early New England town structures and Calvinist mindsets mirrored and continue to shape our modern attitudes toward poverty, displacement, and public responsibility.


Continue reading Warning Out in early New England, with Jonathan Beecher Field (episode 359)

Boston in 50 Maps, with Andy Woodruff (episode 358)

Andy Woodruff’s new book Boston in 50 Maps goes beyond familiar compilations of public-domain historic maps of Boston, Woodruff’s work offers an engaging, data-driven look at the Hub through 50 original, modern maps.  Andy’s maps reveal layers of Boston’s history, changing demographics, and hyper-local culture, from the myth of streets laid out by 17th century cows to the city’s long lost territories. In this conversation, we dive into fascinating corners of the area’s past and present, including what triple-deckers and houses of pizza tell us about historical immigration patterns, why residents can’t seem to agree on the boundaries of their neighborhoods, which areas had better transit access a century ago, and exactly how saturated we are in Dunkin Donuts franchises.  Together, we explore how data-driven cartography offers a whole new lens on local history, revealing the stories that both historic maps and traditional prose histories often miss. 

Continue reading Boston in 50 Maps, with Andy Woodruff (episode 358)

Rebels at Sea Revisited, with Eric Jay Dolin (episode 356)

In this episode, we mark the return of the tall ships to Boston Harbor when Sail Boston kicks off on July 11.  We’re also continuing the Revolutionary War theme that we keep coming back to in this year of 250th anniversaries.  This time, however, I’m not talking about a specific anniversary date.  Instead, I am going to play my interview with author Eric Jay Dolin about his 2022 book Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution.  Back in November, we had an episode about the schooner Lee that was commanded by the mysterious captain Manley.  It was one of the very first ships of the Continental Navy, but especially early in the war, the American cause relied on private vessels and private crews.  Some of the tall ships we see this month will be recreating these vessels, which were known as privateers.  Privateers were civilian ships that were outfitted for war by optimistic investors, with volunteer crews who were willing to risk their lives fighting for a share of the profits.  From the mouth of Boston Harbor to the very shores of Britain, these private warships sailed in search of rich English merchant vessels, while risking the lives and freedom of their crews.  While their role is mostly forgotten today, Eric will explain how central privateer crews were to the Continental cause, with a special focus on the many privateers that were crewed by New Englanders. 


Continue reading Rebels at Sea Revisited, with Eric Jay Dolin (episode 356)

Fifty Years Later: Where’s Boston? with Lauren Graves (episode 355)

In this episode, we’re turning the clocks back to 1976, when America and Boston were in the midst of a massive celebration marking the Bicentennial.  While other ideas were considered and discarded, Boston would mark the bicentennial with a series of thoughtful events around the city throughout 1976.  To highlight the living city, photographer Constantine Manos was charged with a mission “to photograph the people of the city, of all walks of life, for an exhibition and book to commemorate the 1976 bi-centenntial of American independence from England.”  The result of his effort was Where’s Boston, described as “a multi‐image, quadraphonic sound show and a graphic display of Boston today.”  Over the course of the summer of ’76, tens of thousands of Bostonians and visitors streamed into the exhibit hall at the Prudential Center to see themselves reflected in the photographer’s lens.  This summer, the Boston Athenaeum will revisit that optimistic vision of Boston in 1976 with the exhibition Where’s Boston? 50 Years Later.  In this episode, curator Lauren Graves chats with Nikki about the project.


Continue reading Fifty Years Later: Where’s Boston? with Lauren Graves (episode 355)

Revolutionary Nightlife in Boston 1776, with J.D. Dickey (episode 354)

In this week’s episode, Nikki sits down with J.D. Dickey to discuss his new book  Boston, 1776: A Rogue Tour of Revolution City. Written as a historical travel guide, Boston, 1776 positions the reader as a visitor to Boston in July 1776. You’ll navigate the turbulent streets, tub-thumping taverns, and radical strongholds of a town at war with an empire. From the harbor wharves and seedy brothels to renowned assembly halls like Old South Meetinghouse and Faneuil Hall, Boston, 1776 leads us on a vivid tour of the vital hub of the Revolutionary War. At every stop along the way, we encounter iconic names like Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, but also the forgotten men and women who bled and brawled for freedom in every corner of Boston… and still needed to get out of the house at night. We’ll follow in their footsteps into the taverns and dram shops of revolutionary Boston to learn the day’s news, strategize for survival, and of course let off some steam.


Continue reading Revolutionary Nightlife in Boston 1776, with J.D. Dickey (episode 354)

The Duke: Weekly Conversations With The Last Honest Politician, with Scott Kerman (episode 350)

This week, we chat with Scott Kerman, whose new book about Governor Mike Dukakis is The Duke: Weekly Conversations With The Last Honest Politician: A Political Giant and a Comedian Walk Into a Kitchen. This book is very different from the typical political biography, and I think we could have a serious conversation about whether it “counts” as history, but the fact remains that Michael Dukakis was a major party presidential candidate and remains the longest serving governor of the Commonwealth.  When The Duke dropped almost a year ago, I was shocked to learn that it’s the first book about Governor Dukakis in decades, and the only one to include a wider focus than the 1988 presidential race.  As you will hear in a few moments, as a humorist and comedian, Scott approaches this book very differently from most biographers, but if you have any interest in Governor Dukakis, you will want to tune in. 


Continue reading The Duke: Weekly Conversations With The Last Honest Politician, with Scott Kerman (episode 350)

Loyalists in the Siege and Evacuation of Boston, with Dr. Patrick G O’Brien (episode 349)

What does it mean to lose your home to a war you hoped would never come? In the popular imagination, the American Revolution is a black and white story of “Good Patriots” versus “Bad British,” but the reality on the streets of occupied Boston was far more gray, hungry, and heartbreaking. By the time the British fleet finally sailed out of the harbor on March 17, 1776, the city was a shell of its former self—a place where residents had been reduced to eating rats and burning their neighbors’ houses for warmth.

Our last episode examined the nearly miraculous American victory at Boston that forced the occupying British troops and Massachusetts residents who sympathized with them to evacuate Boston.  In this episode, co-host emerita Nikki sits down with historian Dr. Patrick G. O’Brien to explore Evacuation Day from the perspective of the Bostonians who later became known as “loyalists.”

From the economic fallout of the Boston Port Act to the shocking sight of British soldiers sleeping in tattered tents on a frozen Boston Common, this conversation explores the human cost of civil war, from the 1774 arrival of thousands of Redcoats to the desperate 10-day scramble of the March 1776 evacuation. From the rocky, fog-drenched shores of Halifax to the lonely streets of London, it’s a story of divided families, broken kinship bonds, and the long, bitter road to reintegration, reminding us that for many, March 17th was not a day of liberation, but a day of profound loss.


Continue reading Loyalists in the Siege and Evacuation of Boston, with Dr. Patrick G O’Brien (episode 349)

The Original Crypto: 18th Century Burial Practices at Old North Church (episode 347)

At a time when most Bostonians were interred at burying grounds with familiar names like Copp’s Hill and the Granary, usually under slate markers decorated with winged skulls or cherubs, the congregants at Old North and just a handful of other Boston churches preferred to be sealed up inside the basement walls of their beloved churches.  In this episode, co-host emerita Nikki is going to be interviewing one of her colleagues at Old North Illuminated, education director Emily Spence.  They will be visiting the nearly-300 year old crypt that lies beneath the floorboards of the historic church, and talking about why it exists, who is buried there, and what researchers learned when the tombs were opened for a restoration project three years ago.  


Continue reading The Original Crypto: 18th Century Burial Practices at Old North Church (episode 347)

Religion and the Revolution at 250, with Nikki Stewart and Dr. Kyle B Roberts (episode 346)

In this episode, Nikki Stewart of Old North Illuminated and Dr. Kyle B. Roberts of the Congregational Library and Archives discuss the pivotal role of religion in the American Revolution. The conversation explores how Boston’s religious landscape—ranging from established Congregationalist churches to the Church of England—acted as a catalyst for revolutionary thought or a source of complex loyalist tension. As the 250th anniversary of independence approaches in 2026, both organizations are shifting their focus toward a more inclusive historical narrative. Initiatives like “New England’s Hidden Histories” and new educational exhibits aim to uncover the long-overlooked stories of Black and Indigenous congregants. Ultimately, the episode emphasizes that understanding these intricate ties between faith and politics is essential for interpreting modern American identity and fostering a more nuanced perspective on our shared history.


Continue reading Religion and the Revolution at 250, with Nikki Stewart and Dr. Kyle B Roberts (episode 346)

The Noble Train Arrives

January 1776 was a dark and scary time in Boston.  By this time, the city had been on a wartime footing for nine months following the battles at Lexington and Concord the preceding April.  The redcoats had transformed the city into an armed garrison, but they were outnumbered and cut off by the patriots who surrounded them in Roxbury and Cambridge.  The Americans had the numbers, but the British had artillery regiments and the guns of the Royal Navy to dissuade a frontal assault on the city.  Those Navy ships were a lifeline for the British troops, bringing in enough food and supplies to keep them alive, but only barely.  Even though many residents had fled the town, leaving mostly loyalists behind, there was not enough food or firewood to go around.  Things weren’t much better on the other side of the lines.  The patriots had enough to eat, though they were usually gouged on the prices that winter.  But they were spending the winter shivering in hastily-built barracks with no insulation and little firewood.  They must have watched with some jealousy as the redcoats across the river tore down the meetinghouse in North Square to use the timber as firewood.  On January 24, George Washington seethed in a letter to John Hancock, “no man upon Earth wishes more ardently to destroy the Nest in Boston, than I do—no person would be willing to goe greater lengths than I shall to accomplish It, If it shall be thought advisable—But If we have neither Powder to Bombard with, nor Ice to pass on, we shall be in no better situation than we have been in all the year.”  Little did the general know that Boston’s salvation was just a day away.  The next day, 25-year-old Henry Knox arrived in Cambridge with 60 tons of artillery in tow.  Against all odds, he had managed to float, cart, and sled 59 cannons and mortars from Fort Ticonderoga, on the icy shores of Lake Champlain in upstate New York, over the Berkshire mountains, to the Continental headquarters in Cambridge.  This week, we are going to revisit an interview that first aired in May 2020 with author William Hazelgrove about his book Henry Knox’s Noble Train and the audacious expedition that saved Boston 250 years ago this week.


Continue reading The Noble Train Arrives