Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston | 
 enlarge | Author: Nancy S. Seasholes
Publisher: The MIT Press
Category: Book
List Price: $52.00
Buy New: $36.63
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Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 429322
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 549
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.4
Dimensions (in): 10.2 x 9.3 x 1.5
ISBN: 0262194945
Dewey Decimal Number: 911.74461
EAN: 9780262194945
ASIN: 0262194945
Publication Date: September 28, 2003
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Product Description
Winner of the 2004 Historic Preservation Book Prize presented by the University of Mary Washington Center for Historic Preservation and Co-winner of a special 2004 Boston Authors Award for books about Boston presented by the Boston Authors Club
Fully one-sixth of Boston is built on made land. Although other waterfront cities also have substantial areas that are built on fill, Boston probably has more than any city in North America. In Gaining Ground historian Nancy Seasholes has given us the first complete account of when, why, and how this land was created.
The story of landmaking in Boston is presented geographically; each chapter traces landmaking in a different part of the city from its first permanent settlement to the present. Seasholes introduces findings from recent archaeological investigations in Boston, and relates landmaking to the major historical developments that shaped it. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, landmaking in Boston was spurred by the rapid growth that resulted from the burgeoning China trade. The influx of Irish immigrants in the mid-nineteenth century prompted several large projects to create residential landanot for the Irish, but to keep the taxpaying Yankees from fleeing to the suburbs. Many landmaking projects were undertaken to cover tidal flats that had been polluted by raw sewage discharged directly onto them, removing the "pestilential exhalations" thought to cause illness. Land was also added for port developments, public parks, and transportation facilities, including the largest landmaking project of all, the airport.
A separate chapter discusses the technology of landmaking in Boston, explaining the basic method used to make land and the changes in its various components over time. The book is copiously illustrated with maps that show the original shoreline in relation to today’s streets, details from historical maps that trace the progress of landmaking, and historical drawings and photographs.
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| Customer Reviews:
Fascinating history August 13, 2007
If one lives and Boston and was curious about what the city looked like 100, 200, 300, or 400 years ago this is the book for you. I discovered that somewhere between 1837 and 1851 the street I lived in was filled and went from being underwater to land.
An incredibly well-researched history of how people altered the landscape of Boston.
A Spectacular Work. March 31, 2007
Disclaimer: I was very fortunate to take the Harvard University class tought by the author, which uses this book as the class text.
This book is a spectacular work of research and writing. The author truly shows her passion for the subject.
The text presents a unique view of Boston history, with stunning detail and even intrigue. The historical and original maps are without equal, and the photographs and illustrations are superb selections.
Pardon the cliche, but truly I found myself unable to put this book down!
Her recent book Walking Tours of Boston's Made Land is also a must-have for anyone who wants to get close-up and personal with Boston history.
Gaining Ground August 4, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a wonderful book about how Boston changed in the last 200+ years. It is very readable, but I especially enjoyed the pictures and maps. It is an excellent book for anyone interested in the subject.
Encyclopedic, entertaining, extraordinary - simply the best! October 13, 2003
19 out of 20 found this review helpful
Seasholes must have combed every archive and walked every inch of Boston to produce this monumental book. Not only is it exhaustive, but it is entertaining as well. Although this is a handsome book it is not a cooffe table enterprise. This is a book you will want to take with you as you walk the streets of Boston. This book is destined to become dog eared and underlined. It is simply a must for anyone interested in the history of this great city.
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