A Brief History of Dorchester
1600’s
- Settled in 1630 by Puritan farmers
- Hills & surrounding valleys define villages
- Roads built, the oldest along an Indian trail
- Colonial English growth & aggression force Native American relocation, although…
- … “King Phillips’s War” takes huge toll in 1675
- Millworks develop along the Neponset
1700’s
- “Southern Grants” result in spinoff towns
- Prosperous farmers & millers hate British taxes
- Sons of Liberty organize Dorchester patriots
- Dorchester’s fortified hills defend the harbor
- Washington slept here, Evacuation Day is born
1800’s
- Town meetings established, with limited voting
- USA’s 1st tax supported public school (for boys)
- Future landmarks start appearing
- Light industry makes the scene, with more “1st’s”
- Yankees prevail ‘til mid-century, until…
- … Railroad lines open Dorchester as a suburb
- Successful “new” immigrants migrate, although looking back to Boston for political power
- Dorchester annexes itself to Boston in 1869
- Olmsted designs Franklin Park (in 1879)
- Streetcar suburbs take hold
- Catholic presence increases
- Housing diversifies, population density increases, market districts evolve
- Wonderful architecture, especially homes
1900’s
- More wonderful architecture
- Settlement houses develop
- Catholic parish system is firmly rooted
- Jewish presence increases to 90,000
- Ward politics thrive
- Civic associations appear
- African Americans become a presence
- B-BURG, redlining, blockbusting in 1960’s
- Massive & rapid neighborhood turnover
- Riots, civil disturbances, abandonment
- Political clout narrows
- School system collapses, busing is mayem
- Civic renewal begins in 1970’s, 1980’s
- Enter: Haitian, Jamaican, Caribbean, Southeast Asian, Hispanic, Cape Verdean