Adjoining the southern border of Pittsburgh, Dormont is a small, independent borough whose name means "mountain of gold" in French. The borough developed rapidly even before its incorporation in 1909. In the early 1900s, the extension of Pittsburgh's railway system, the opening of the Liberty Tunnels, and the building of the Liberty Bridge, along with the recreational opportunities the borough has to offer, encouraged many families to settle and escape...

Within these pages, author Anthony Mitchell Sammarco brings to life the history of Boston's West End--the area of the city bound by the Charles River and Storrow Drive as well as North Station, City Hall Plaza, and Myrtle Street. Once a thriving, energetic, and diverse neighborhood, the West End was slated for complete removal following World War II. In over 200 marvelous photographs, this collection recaptures fond memories for former residents and...

West Roxbury, located along the scenic Charles River, is a community of tree-lined streets and panoramic views, which has undergone tremendous changes since its incorporation as a town in 1851. Formerly known as "Westerly" or "South Street," West Roxbury has grown from a largely rural area, accessible only by train, into a charming neighborhood of Victorian homes that still offers many of the same advantages that attracted people a century ago--the...

The Back Bay was one of Boston's premier residential neighborhoods between 1837 and 1901. From its quagmire beginnings and with the creation of the Boston Public Garden in the 1830s, the Back Bay was envisioned as an urbane and sophisticated streetscape of stone and brick row houses. The major center of the neighborhood became Art Square, now known as Copley Square, which was surrounded by Trinity Church, New Old South Church, Second Church of Boston,...

Originally called Noodle's Island, East Boston was once comprised of five islands connected by marshland. Today, many people identify East Boston as the location of Logan International Airport, but it is really much more than that. From colonial times through the late twentieth century, the neighborhood of East Boston has experienced significant developments in the fields of city planning, transportation, and urban development. Until the nineteenth...

Laid out in 1848 as a rural garden cemetery by Henry A. S. Dearborn, Forest Hills Cemetery celebrates its 160th anniversary in 2008 as Boston's premier arboretum cemetery. Since the mid-19th century, its 250 magnificent acres have been the resting place of people of all walks of life, ethnicities, religions, and races. Among these are poets Anne Sexton and E. E. Cummings, playwright Eugene O'Neill, and abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. Forest Hills's...

Referred to in its beginning as a "peculiar town," Medford was originally a town but a plantation owned by Governor Matthew Craddock. Known as Meadford at the time of its settlement in 1630, the area was a flourishing village located along the Mystic River that boasted numerous farms, fisheries, and shipbuilding. A small town for the first two centuries after it was settled, Medford was conveniently located only a few miles from Boston. Its prime...

Settled in 1630 by English Puritans seeking religious freedom, Boston has always been a city prone to significant and monumental change. Even before it was incorporated as Boston, named after the town of Boston in Lincolnshire, England, the town's name was changed from Shawmut. From that time, Boston has evolved from being the original center of town government at the Old State House to becoming the financial center of New England in the twentieth...

Nestled between the Neponset River and the Blue Hills Reservation is the postcard-perfect New England town of Milton, Massachusetts. Founded in 1640, its gentle riverbanks were soon transformed by some of the first mills in the colonies, and later an industrial boom drew tides of immigrants from across the seas. Local author and noted historian Anthony Sammarco brings together a fascinating collection of his best columns from the Milton Times to chronicle...

The streets of Boston's North End, some laid out in the seventeenth century, exude a rich history built by every generation of Boston immigrants since 1630. Home to the Paul Revere House and the famous Old North Church, the North End appeals to locals as well as visitors with its bustling Haymarket and restaurant row.