Podcast
HUB History - Our Favorite Stories from Boston History
Hosted by HUB History · EN
Boston history that goes far beyond the Freedom Trail.
32episodes
Episodes
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Loyalists in the Siege and Evacuation of Boston, with Dr. Patrick G O’Brien
Mar 2201:05:21Tap to summarizeWhat does it mean to lose your home to a war you hoped would never come? In the popular imagination, the American Revolution is a black and white story of “Good Patriots” versus “Bad British,” but the reality on the streets of occupied Boston was far more gray, hungry, and heartbreaking. By the time the British fleet finally sailed out of the harbor on March 17, 1776, the city was a shell of its former self—a place where residents had been reduced to eating rats and burning their neighbors’ houses for warmth. Our last episode examined the nearly miraculous American victory at Boston that forced the occupying British troops and Massachusetts residents who sympathized with them to evacuate Boston. In this episode, co-host emerita Nikki sits down with historian Dr. Patrick G. O’Brien to explore Evacuation Day from the perspective of the Bostonians who later became known as “loyalists.” From the economic fallout of the Boston Port Act to the shocking sight of British soldiers sleeping in tattered tents on a frozen Boston Common, this conversation explores the human cost of civil war, from the 1774 arrival of thousands of Redcoats to the desperate 10-day scramble of the March 1776 evacuation. From the rocky, fog-drenched shores of Halifax to the lonely streets of London, it’s a story of divided families, broken kinship bonds, and the long, bitter road to reintegration, reminding us that for many, March 17th was not a day of liberation, but a day of profound loss. player Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/349/ Support us: http://patreon.com/HUBhistory/ Loyalists in the Evacuation of Boston Dr. Patrick G. O’Brien is a historian of the American Revolution who studies British sympathizing women and families, their experiences as exiles in Nova Scotia, and their return to the United States in the late 18th century. He is an associate professor of history at the University of Tampa. Check out Dr. O’Brien’s past talks for Old North Illuminated on Loyalist Exile and Return in Revolutionary Massachusetts and on the book Johnny Tremain. Sign up for Old North Illuminated’s upcoming talk by Lori Rogers-Stokes about the modern influence of 17th century Massachusetts Puritans The quote from General Nathanael Greene is from a letter to Gov Nicholas Cooke of Rhode Island, dated August 9, 1775. Money is scarce, provisions bad, and fuel scarce, and that there [is] no harmony among the troops. The inhabitants are now permitted to come out of town by giving in their names to the Town Major, who procures them certificates and passes. Many of the people that come out are real objects of pity ; their suffering has been exceeding severe, especially among the poorer sort. Great violence is done to the cause of humanity in that town. It has been very sickly there among the inhabitants, and troops too. Thirty a week are buried, among the troops. It’s on page 15 of this PDF J.L. Bell tracked the source of General Howe’s comment about the Continentals doing more work in one night than his army could do in three months a few days before Abigail’s letter to a British deserter. He also has a past ONI talk about Major John Pitcairn. Our header image is Henry Sandham’s The Coming of the Loyalists, which is in the public domain.
Transcribe →Boston's Independence Day: Evacuation Day at 250
Mar 1501:18:11Tap to summarize2026 marks the 250th anniversary of American independence, and here in Boston Independence Day comes early, on a holiday we celebrate every year on March 17 as Evacuation Day. In the early months of 1776, the American Revolution was stuck in a freezing, muddy stalemate. For nearly a year, George Washington’s fledgling Continental Army had kept the British regulars pinned inside the city of Boston, but without heavy artillery, they lacked the muscle to actually end the occupation. Washington, frustrated and desperate, even fantasized about a suicidal frontal assault across the ice of the Charles River. But the arrival of Henry Knox and his “noble train of artillery”—dozens of cannons hauled 300 miles through the winter wilderness from Fort Ticonderoga—flipped the script overnight. This episode explores the high-stakes gambit that followed: the secret, overnight fortification of Dorchester Heights. We’ll dive into the primary accounts of those who lived through it—from Abigail Adams listening to the earth-shaking roar of a diversionary bombardment, to British officers waking up to find a “miraculous” fortress staring down their throats. You’ll learn how Washington used the best tactics and technology of 18th-century military engineering, like portable bulletproof shields crafted of wicker and dirt, known as Gabions, Fascines and Chandeliers, pulling off a logistical feat that left the British commander, General Howe, stunned. It’s a story of military brinksmanship, a providential storm that changed the course of history, and the chaotic, plundering retreat of the British that we remember every March 17th as Evacuation Day. Join us as we go behind the lines of the first great American victory of the war. Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/348/ Support us: http://patreon.com/HUBhistory/ Evacuation Day View of Boston from Dorchester, 1773 View of Boston from Dorchester, 1773 Abbatis <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.hubhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/service-pnp-cph-3a40000-3a45000-3a45500-3a45553r.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-13156" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.hubhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/service-pnp-cph-3a40000-3a45000-3a45500-3a45553r.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/www.hubhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/service-pnp-cph-3a40000-3a45000-3a45500-3a45553r.jpg?resize=513%2C510&ssl=1 513w, https://i0.wp.com/www.hubhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/service-pnp-cph-3a40000-3a45000-3a45500-3a45553r.jpg?zoom=2&resize=150%2C150 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.hubhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/service-pnp-cph-3a40000-3a45000-3a45500-3a45553r.jpg?zoom=3&resize=150%2C150 450w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" data-attachment-id="13156" data-permalink="https://www.hubhistory.com/?attachment_id=13156" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.hubhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/service-pnp-cph-3a40000-3a45000-3a45500-3a45553r.jpg?fit=513%2C640&ssl=1" data-orig-size="513,640" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation&q...
Transcribe →The Original Crypto: 18th Century Burial Practices at Old North Church
Feb 2200:35:09Tap to summarizeAt a time when most Bostonians were interred at burying grounds with familiar names like Copp’s Hill and the Granary, usually under slate markers decorated with winged skulls or cherubs, the congregants at Old North and just a handful of other Boston churches preferred to be sealed up inside the basement walls of their beloved churches. In this episode, co-host emerita Nikki is going to be interviewing one of her colleagues at Old North Illuminated, education director Emily Spence. They will be visiting the nearly-300 year old crypt that lies beneath the floorboards of the historic church, and talking about why it exists, who is buried there, and what researchers learned when the tombs were opened for a restoration project three years ago. Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/347/ Support us: http://patreon.com/HUBhistory/ 18th Century Burial Practices at Old North Church Emily Spence is the Director of Education at Old North Illuminated. Emily has led the education department through an evolution that includes new research, on-site interpretive experiences, and digital programming. These efforts earned Old North Illuminated a 2024 Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History and a 2023 Preservation Achievement Award from the Boston Preservation Alliance. Emily first came to Old North as a seasonal educator while teaching history to middle school students at St. Joseph School in Needham, MA. She received the 2018 Massachusetts History Day Teacher of the Year award for her work guiding student research projects for the National History Day competition. Get your tickets to visit Old North when it opens for tourism on March 1 Take a 3D tour of the crypt at Old North Jane Lyden Rousseau’s talk about the archaeology done while the crypts were open in 2023 Jake’s talk on the lost tunnels of the North End JL Bell’s talk on the final fate of Major Pitcairn’s body
Transcribe →Religion and the Revolution at 250
Feb 800:51:36Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Nikki Stewart of Old North Illuminated and Dr. Kyle B. Roberts of the Congregational Library and Archives discuss the pivotal role of religion in the American Revolution. The conversation explores how Boston’s religious landscape—ranging from established Congregationalist churches to the Church of England—acted as a catalyst for revolutionary thought or a source of complex loyalist tension. As the 250th anniversary of independence approaches in 2026, both organizations are shifting their focus toward a more inclusive historical narrative. Initiatives like “New England’s Hidden Histories” and new educational exhibits aim to uncover the long-overlooked stories of Black and Indigenous congregants. Ultimately, the episode emphasizes that understanding these intricate ties between faith and politics is essential for interpreting modern American identity and fostering a more nuanced perspective on our shared history. Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/346/ Support us: http://patreon.com/HUBhistory/ Religion in the Revolution at 250 Old North Illuminated Congregational Library & Archives New England’s Hidden Histories Sacred Rebellion
Transcribe →The Noble Train Arrives
Jan 2501:35:48Tap to summarizeJanuary 1776 was a dark and scary time in Boston. By this time, the city had been on a wartime footing for nine months following the battles at Lexington and Concord the preceding April. The redcoats had transformed the city into an armed garrison, but they were outnumbered and cut off by the patriots who surrounded them in Roxbury and Cambridge. The Americans had the numbers, but the British had artillery regiments and the guns of the Royal Navy to dissuade a frontal assault on the city. Those Navy ships were a lifeline for the British troops, bringing in enough food and supplies to keep them alive, but only barely. Even though many residents had fled the town, leaving mostly loyalists behind, there was not enough food or firewood to go around. Things weren’t much better on the other side of the lines. The patriots had enough to eat, though they were usually gouged on the prices that winter. But they were spending the winter shivering in hastily-built barracks with no insulation and little firewood. They must have watched with some jealousy as the redcoats across the river tore down the meetinghouse in North Square to use the timber as firewood. On January 24, George Washington seethed in a letter to John Hancock, “no man upon Earth wishes more ardently to destroy the Nest in Boston, than I do—no person would be willing to goe greater lengths than I shall to accomplish It, If it shall be thought advisable—But If we have neither Powder to Bombard with, nor Ice to pass on, we shall be in no better situation than we have been in all the year.” Little did the general know that Boston’s salvation was just a day away. The next day, 25-year-old Henry Knox arrived in Cambridge with 60 tons of artillery in tow. Against all odds, he had managed to float, cart, and sled 59 cannons and mortars from Fort Ticonderoga, on the icy shores of Lake Champlain in upstate New York, over the Berkshire mountains, to the Continental headquarters in Cambridge. This week, we are going to revisit an interview that first aired in May 2020 with author William Hazelgrove about his book Henry Knox’s Noble Train and the audacious expedition that saved Boston 250 years ago this week. Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/345/ Support us: http://patreon.com/HUBhistory/ Photos from a 2021 Event at Fort Ticonderoga recreating the start of the Noble Train <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.hubhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_0541-01-scaled.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.hubhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_0541-01-scaled.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/www.hubhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_0541-01-scaled.jpeg?zoom=2&resize=150%2C150 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.hubhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_0541-01-scaled.jpeg?zoom=3&resize=150%2C150 450w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" data-attachment-id="12654" data-permalink="https://www.hubhistory.com/?attachment_id=12654" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.hubhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_0541-01-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"8","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS 70D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1638620302","copyright":"","focal_length":"47","iso":"200","shutter_speed":"0.01","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="IMG_0541-01" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i...
Transcribe →Burgoyne’s Thespians and Boston’s First Theater Season, with Susan Lester
Jan 1101:11:40Tap to summarizeWith the British military occupying Boston and patriots laying siege to the city, conditions in Boston deteriorated in the early weeks of 1776, with shortages of food, firewood, insulation, and almost everything leading to desperate circumstances. Against this grim background, audiences flocked to a makeshift playhouse to watch Boston’s first season of theater, including a play called “The Blockade of Boston” that premiered 250 years ago this week, only to be interrupted by a real life attack on the British lines in Charlestown. Our first listener-guest, Dr. Susan Lester, joins us this week to describe what her research has revealed about the legality of theater in colonial Boston, the format of a typical 18th century performance, and even the identities of a few of the actors who tread the boards at Faneuil Hall in January 1776. Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/344/ Support us: http://patreon.com/HUBhistory/ Notes on Burgoyne’s Thespians David Garrick The stage at Faneuil Hall Faneuil Hall Vrtis, Catherine Ann Peckinpaugh, Gentleman Johnny Plays War: John Burgoyne and The Blockade of Boston, Master’s Thesis, 2007, Virginia Commonwealth University. Rowe, J. (1903). Letters and diary of John Rowe, Boston merchant, 1759-1762, 1764-1779. Boston: W. B. Clarke company. “February Meeting. Gifts to the Society; Andrew Jackson in New England, 1833; Prologue to Zara, 1776.” Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, vol. 56, 1922 An advertisement for Zara at Faneuil Hall Norton, Elliot. Broadway Down East: An Informal Account of the Plays, Players and Playhouses of Boston from Puritan Times to the Present. Boston: Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston, 1978. [Amazon link] Manning, Jack, General John Burgoyne’s play The Blockade of Boston is interrupted. America 250 SAR Daily History, California Society, Sons of the American Revolution Klimasmith, Betsy. “Early American Drama Beyond the Script: The Blockade of Boston and the Ancillary Archive.” American Literary History, Vol 34, Issue 2, Summer 2022, pages 427-448 Hunter, Martin. The Journal of Gen.Sir Martin Hunter, G.C.M.G., G. C. H. And Some Letters of His Wife, Lady Hunter. Edinburgh Press, 1894 <a href="https:...
Transcribe →Allan Rohan Crite: Griot of Boston and Urban Glory, with Michelle LeBlanc
Dec 2800:41:54Tap to summarizeAllan Rohan Crite was a world renowned artist who grew up in Boston’s South End in the early part of the 20th century. After enrolling in the Children’s Art Center and graduating from English High, he attended the MFA School and graduated in 1936. His work was first shown at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1936 and his first solo show at the Boston Athaneaum was in 1948. He went on to work at the Charlestown Navy Yard for over thirty years, while his paintings drew local and then national and international attention. During this time, he attended Harvard Extension School, where he earned an ALB degree in 1968. Looking at all of these experiences together, Allan Rohan Crite truly was a son of Boston, his work opening a window on the experience of Black Bostonians in the 30s, 40s, and beyond. If you are a lover of Boston history, you won’t want to miss the special exhibition of his work on view at the Boston Athenaeum through January 24 and at the Isabella Stuart Gardener Museum through January 19th. In this episode, Michelle Leblanc from the Athenaeum joins us to discuss the two wonderful exhibitions Crite’s work that are on display in Boston right now and what we can learn about Boston history from them. Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/343/ Support us: http://patreon.com/HUBhistory/ Allan Rohan Crite: Griot of Boston and Urban Glory Michelle LeBlanc is the Director of Education at the Boston Athenaeum. She previously served as Director of Education for a decade at the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library. She has over 20 years of experience in museums, libraries and classrooms, teaching history and designing collaborative programming for varied audiences, and she has worked across a variety of historical sites, from Old South Meeting House and the Paul Revere House to Historic New England. Griot of Boston at the Athenaeum Urban Glory at the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum Allan Rohan Crite: Neighborhood Liturgy, the companion book Our past episode about the Children’s Art Center Our public domain header image is Allan Rohan Crite’s, “School’s Out,” 1936, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from General Services Administration, 1971
Transcribe →Interpreting Christmas, with Ken Turino
Dec 1400:48:09Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Nikki is joined by Ken Turino, a public history career professional and expert on the interpretation of Christmas at historic sites. This week, they’ll be talking about the Boston origins of some of our favorite Christmas traditions, like Christmas cards and Christmas trees. They will also be talking about Ken’s new book Interpreting Christmas at Museums and Historic Sites, which offers practical guidance on how to use holiday cheer to engage interested visitors without alienating those who don’t celebrate. Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/342/ Support us: http://patreon.com/HUBhistory/ Interpreting Christmas Ken Turino is a Senior Search Consultant for Museum Search and Reference. Ken is a nationally recognized leader in exhibition development, community engagement, and historic site interpretation. For over two decades, Ken served as the Manager of Community Partnerships and Resource Development at Historic New EnglandHis award-winning work includes exhibitions like Yankee Remix (with Mass MoCA) and The Importance of Being Furnished, and community projects such as At the River’s Edge, which aired on public television and his Haymarket Project, celebrating Boston’s immigrant history which earned the American Association of State and Local History’s Award of Excellence. Ken is also an adjunct professor in the Tufts University Museum Studies Program where he teaches courses on the future of historic houses and exhibition planning. His past books include Reimagining Historic House Museums and a chapter titled “The Varied Telling of Queer History at Historic New England Sites” in the book Interpreting LGBT History at Museums and Historic Sites. His latest work is Interpreting Christmas at Museums and Historic Sites. For more context on Christmas cards and the early Puritan prohibition on Christmas, check out our classic podcasts: America’s First Christmas Cards The Original War on Christmas
Transcribe →December 2025 Programming Notes
Dec 800:04:06Tap to summarizeFor the next few months, from December 2025 to about July of 2026, HUB History listeners are going to hear a lot less of host Jake. I will be stepping away temporarily to produce a six-episode podcast series for Queer History Boston. You may not recognize that name, because the organization was known as The History Project until a recent rebranding. Queer History Boston is a community archive that has been documenting, preserving, and sharing the LGBTQ+ histories of Boston and New England for over 45 years. A few months ago, we teamed up to apply for a grant from Mass Humanities and the Mass Cultural Council called “Expand Massachusetts Stories – Promises of the Revolution.” The grant program is meant to highlight stories of the American Revolution that usually go untold and highlight how marginalized groups have seized on the core promises made by the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the fundamental equality of all people, your basic promise of America. Our yet-to-be-named show will start with stories of queer and gender nonconforming veterans of the Revolutionary War itself, then follow subsequent generations of queer revolutionaries, right up to the first Pride parade in 1970. I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity, but it means I’m not going to have as much time for HUB History for a while. Luckily, you are going to be in incredibly capable hands while I am gone. Cohost emerita Nikki is going to rejoin the show for a while. If you listened to our show many years ago, back when HUB History was weekly, you’ll remember that Nikki used to anchor the podcast with me every week. Since leaving the show a few years ago, she has gone on to an enviable career at Old North Illuminated, where she has developed an broad network of Boston history people. While I’m away, Nikki is going to interview authors, curators, rangers, and all kinds of interesting guests. The first of these conversations is coming up on December 14, when Nikki will interview Ken Turino about the history of Christmas in Boston and how historic sites in Boston and around the country can engage with Christmas in historically appropriate ways. Jake will be back to host a few episodes when time allows, and I’ll share updates about how my work with Queer History Boston is going when I do. If you have any questions or comments about these next few months, don’t hesitate to contact us!
Transcribe →How the Nascent Navy’s Nancy Armed the Army
Nov 3000:29:20Tap to summarizeBy late November 1775, George Washington and the Continental Army encircling Boston faced a crisis: their soldiers were facing a frigid New England winter, their enlistments were expiring, and they were critically short of guns and gunpowder and essential supplies. General Washington was desperate to strike the British before his army melted away, even contemplating the use of spears as a last resort against the world’s most powerful military. The Continentals’ luck began to change when Washington commissioned a small squadron of six lightly armed schooners, the first American Navy, and ordered them to patrol New England waters. One of these schooners, the Lee, was commanded by a Captain John Manley of Marblehead. Operating under Washington’s directive to harass enemy shipping, Captain Manley cleverly tricked and captured the British ordnance brigantine Nancy near Boston Harbor on November 29, 1775. This single ship that had strayed from the safety of a larger convoy proved to be an “immense acquisition” for the patriots, yielding a treasure trove of military stores: cannons, thousands of muskets, and perhaps most importantly, a cache of ammunition and gunpowder that, paired with Henry Knox’s noble train of artillery, would provide the Continentals with enough firepower to finally drive the British out of Boston. Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/341/ Support us: http://patreon.com/HUBhistory/ Capturing the Nancy “George Washington to Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Reed, 27 November 1775,” Founders Online, National Archives “George Washington to John Hancock, 30 November 1775,” Founders Online, National Archives “George Washington to Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Reed, 30 November 1775,” Founders Online, National Archives “Lieutenant Colonel Loammi Baldwin to George Washington, 26 November 1775,” Founders Online, National Archives “George Washington to John Hancock, 7–9 March 1776,” Founders Online, National Archives “General Orders, 14 July 1775,” Founders Online, National Archives “William Tudor to John Adams, 3 December 1775,” Adams Papers Digital Edition, Massachusetts Historical Society “Abigail Adams to John Adams, 10 December 1775,” Adams Papers Digital Edition, Massachusetts Historical Society Barker, J., Dana, E. Ellery. (1924). The British in Boston: being the diary of Lieutenant John Barker of the King’s own regiment from November 15, 1774 to May 31, 1776. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. The New-England Chronicle: or, the Essex Gazette, 7 December 1775 United States. Naval History Division., Crawford, M. J., Morgan, W. James., Clark, W. Bell. (19642005). Naval documents of the American Revolution. Washington: Naval History Division, Dept. of the Navy “Captain John Manley of the Continental Navy.” U.S. Naval Institute, Aug. 1926 Dacus, Jeff. “Armed and Equipped at Continental Expense: The Birth of the Continental Navy – Journal of the American Revolution.” Journal of the American Revolution, 23 July 2018 United States. Naval History Division. (1959). Dictionary of American naval fighting ships.
Transcribe →