where history comes alive
The air in Boston’s North End on January 15, 1919, was crisp, carrying the bite of a New England winter. Children played near the waterfront, their laughter echoing against the brick buildings. For the residents of this bustling neighborhood, dominated by the ever-present, towering storage tank of the Purity Distilling Company, life was a mix … Read more
In the heart of Boston, on a crisp January day in 1919, a disaster of sticky, sweet proportions unfolded. It wasn’t a confectionery mishap or a culinary catastrophe. It was the Great Molasses Flood, a bizarre and tragic event that remains etched in the city’s history. A Sweet Business with a Bitter Secret The Purity … Read more
The air in Boston on January 15, 1919, was unusually warm for a winter day. A crisp chill was expected, but instead, a peculiar mildness hung over the North End. Unbeknownst to the bustling city, this deceptive warmth was merely a prelude to a disaster so bizarre, so sticky, and so deadly, it would forever … Read more
The air in Boston’s North End on January 15, 1919, was thick with the usual winter chill and the salty tang of the harbor. But as the afternoon sun began its descent, a far more sinister aroma began to permeate the streets – the cloying, sweet scent of molasses. At approximately 12:30 PM, a massive … Read more
The year is 1919. Boston, a city steeped in history and industry, is about to face a disaster as bizarre as it is horrific. It wasn’t a hurricane, an earthquake, or a raging fire that would claim lives and reshape a neighborhood. It was molasses. Yes, the sweet, sticky syrup that graces our pancakes and … Read more
The air in Boston’s North End on January 15, 1919, was crisp and cold, carrying the usual briny scent of the harbor and the distant clang of industry. But as the afternoon wore on, a low rumbling began, a sound that quickly escalated into a terrifying roar. It wasn’t thunder, nor was it an approaching … Read more
The air in Boston’s North End on January 15, 1919, was thick with anticipation, but not from the usual briny sea air or the chill of a New England winter. It was a peculiar, sweet scent, a heady aroma that hinted at the industrial heart of the neighborhood. Tanks of molasses, a key ingredient in … Read more
The air in Boston’s North End on January 15, 1919, was crisp and cold, typical for a Massachusetts winter. Yet, beneath the surface of this ordinary day, a sinister force was brewing. In a massive, poorly constructed tank owned by the Purity Distilling Company, over two million gallons of molasses were held, a sweet, viscous … Read more
The winter of 1919 in Boston was already a harsh mistress, with the nation still reeling from the Great War and grappling with the impending Prohibition. Yet, on January 15th, a day of unseasonable warmth, Boston was to face a disaster of truly sticky, and horrifying, proportions. A colossal tank, holding over 2.3 million gallons … Read more
The air in Boston’s North End on January 15, 1919, was crisp and cold, the kind of winter day that usually portends a quiet stillness. But beneath the veneer of normalcy, a monstrous force was building, a silent, unseen threat seething within a colossal metal tank. A Sticky Situation Brewing This wasn’t just any tank; … Read more