South Boston

South Boston, often called Southie, is a crowded neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. It sits south and east of the Fort Point Channel and borders Dorchester Bay. Originally farmland, the area became widely known in the twentieth century as a working-class Irish Catholic community. In the twenty-first century, it has grown increasingly popular with millennial professionals. The neighborhood includes Dorchester Heights, the site where George Washington forced British troops to evacuate during the American Revolution. Gentrification has pushed property values in South Boston among the highest in the city. The area also played a notable role in Boston’s school desegregation busing crisis. South Boston hosts the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which celebrates Irish-American culture and commemorates Evacuation Day.

Geographically, Dorchester Neck was originally an isthmus—a narrow strip of land connecting the colonial settlement of Dorchester to Dorchester Heights. Landfill has since expanded the land on the eastern side of the neck and widened the connection to the mainland, so South Boston is no longer considered separate. South Boston developed its own identity apart from Dorchester, but both were annexed by Boston in stages between 1804 and 1870. Bridges were built over Fort Point Channel linking South Boston to downtown.

During the Revolutionary War, George Washington placed a cannon on Dorchester Heights, forcing the British to evacuate Boston on March 17, 1776. The British left for Halifax, Nova Scotia, abandoning Fort William and Mary. That fort was replaced by a brick fortification called Fort Independence, which was later replaced by a granite fort of the same name before the Civil War. This granite fort still stands on Castle Island as a National Historic Landmark.

Edgar Allan Poe was stationed at Castle Island for five months in 1827 and drew inspiration for The Cask of Amontillado from an old Castle Island legend.

In the 1970s, South Boston gained national attention for its resistance to court-ordered school desegregation, which involved busing students between neighborhoods. In the early 2000s, property values in the City Point area near Castle Island—often called the “East Side” by realtors—rose to some of the highest in the city, driven by its proximity to downtown and gentrification. The “West Side,” or “lower end” to lifelong residents, gentrified more slowly but also benefited from its closeness to downtown and the popular South End. The West Side is home to Boston’s first green residence (Gold LEED certified), the Macallen Building, featured in the film The Greening of Southie. The City of Boston is investing in the West Side with projects like a roughly 150,000-square-foot mixed-use building on West Broadway, developed by the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

The Harrison Loring House, built in 1865, is a Second Empire brick mansion in South Boston. It served as a private home until 1913, when the Roman Catholic Church bought it to use as a convent. Located at 789 East Broadway, it was designated a Boston Landmark in 1981. The house is linked to Harrison Loring, who owned and operated one of the first shipyards in South Boston. St.

The parade’s origins trace back to General Henry Knox, who brought 55 cannons captured at Fort Ticonderoga. In March, troops positioned these cannons on Dorchester Heights. They cut down trees to cannon size, hollowed them out, and blackened them over fire to look real. On March 17, 1776, the password to pass through the continental lines was “St. Patrick.”

The British saw the cannons on the Heights and left Boston. Evacuation Day became a holiday in Boston in 1901, celebrated with a parade based in South Boston. The Dorchester Heights Monument, honoring the event, was completed in 1902. Major George F. H. Murray served as Chief Marshal for the 1901 parade.

Massachusetts recognized Evacuation Day as a holiday in Suffolk County in 1938. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade celebrates both Irish-American culture and the Evacuation Day victory. The City of Boston sponsored the event until 1947, when Mayor James Michael Curley gave authority to the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council. Politicians and local celebrities have participated for years.

In 1958, Senator John F. Kennedy rode with Jacqueline Kennedy in the parade. The Kennedy family became well known for marching. Robert F. Kennedy marched in 1968, and Ted and Joan Kennedy marched in 1970. The N.A.A.C.P. entered a float in 1964. Harvard’s Irish Society joined in the mid-1960s. Irish nationalists unofficially marched in the 1960s and 1970s.