Aerial view of Fort Hill Square, Boston, Mass., ca. 1868

Description

Aerial view of Fort Hill Square in Boston, Massachusetts with commercial and domestic facades. Fort Hill was one of the three peaks of the city, extending from Pearl Street, Batterymarch Street, Broad Street, and the harbor, and was eighty feet high. The hill was originally called Corn Hill because of the cultivation of that crop. The first fort in Boston was built there, beginning on May 24, 1632. The fort protected the city from sea attacks through the late eighteenth century. In the 1800s, the area was developed into a residential square with brick row houses. In the mid-1860s, the section became very congested and was redeveloped as a commercial district. In 1869, the city was authorized to level the hill, and the work was completed by July of 1872. The park between Oliver Street and High Street was named Fort Hill Square on December 15, 1875.