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This is archived material
from eastboston.com. The event took place
in 1996.
The Penny Ferry
Hugh O'Brien...Maverick ...
Daniel Webster...Noddle Island... The People's Ferry.
The history of both Boston proper and East
Boston are reflected in the names of the ferry boats that from 1834 to 1952
provided transportation for this island community.
The exhibition, which opened last September,
corresponds to the re-establishment of last year's water transport service to
East Boston by the MBTA and the City of Boston. "The Penny Ferry" exhibition
uses the story of the East Boston ferries to examine the residential and
commercial growth of the district and puts the current restored water transport
into historical perspective. Photographic images, documents, early prints,
artifacts and graphics illustrate the historical role of the ferries in lives of
its residents.
The ferries, their passengers and their crews
are the centerpiece of the exhibition. Beyond the historical perspective, the
exhibition explores the rich lore and powerful meaning of the ferries in the
everyday life and imagination of the East Boston community, even to this day.
The last East Boston ferry ceased operation in 1952.
Yet the ferries remained a significant part of
East Boston lore, fondly remembered and lamented by many members of the
community. East Bostonians remember riding the ferry to escape sweltering summer
days in the city. In the days when sea air was believed to be recuperative,
mothers took their children to ride out a childhood illness. Others recall the
dog who delivered a picnic lunch to his master every day by ferry boat and the
horse who delivered her foal on board!
The Old State House Museum is open daily from
9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is located at the corner of State and Washington
Streets in downtown Boston. "The Penny Ferry" exhibition runs through July 1996.
Admission is $3 for adults; $2.00 for older adults; $1.50 for children (6-18)
and free for Massachusetts schoolchildren and Boston older adults. For
information, please call 617/720-3290.
The Old State is operated as a museum of Boston
history by The Bostonian Society, Boston's famous historical society.
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