Category Archives: Boston History

The Recollections of Edward Hartwell Savage

Posted on March 30, 2020 by

This week’s blog post is guest written by one of our research fellows, Nicole Breault, who was able to travel to Burns Library and conduct research earlier this year as part of the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium With the … Continue reading →

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John Louis Bonn, the Bard, and Boston College Theater in the 1940s

Posted on March 16, 2020 by

      John Louis Bonn, SJ, who taught theater at Boston College between 1930-1949 and directed the School of Dramatic Arts from 1937-1943, made a lasting impression on Boston College’s theater culture. Bonn directed many student plays and documented … Continue reading →

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The Changing 20th Century: A Look into the Margaret M. Fitzgerald Papers

Posted on January 27, 2020 by

While Burns Library has papers from notable figures such as Tip O’Neill and W.B. Yeats, there is still much to discover in the collections about those who may not be in history textbooks or literary canons. Margaret Mary Fitzgerald is one … Continue reading →

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Digging into Funeral Home Records: The Ledgers of J.D. Fallon & Son, Jamaica Plain

Posted on October 7, 2019 by

Funeral practices in the United States moved from personal residences to funeral homes in the late 19th century. Until that period, families laid out their own dead, wakes were held in houses, and burials — by necessity — swiftly followed … Continue reading →

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The Avatar and Fort Hill Community

Posted on September 30, 2019 by

When we think about the history of cults and communes in the United States, we often jump to the big names: The Manson Family, Jim Jones’ People’s Temple, the Branch Davidians, the Ragjneeshpurams. What we may not consider is that … Continue reading →

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Sounds of Mid-20th Century Irish America: Irish Traditional Music in Boston and New York

Posted on November 12, 2018 by

Two collections of open-reel tapes of Irish traditional music in Boston and New York (1950s-1960s) have been digitized by Boston College Libraries. Continue reading →

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In His Own Grave: Undertaker Thomas Murray’s Record of St. Augustine Cemetery Burials, 1833-1839

Posted on February 12, 2018 by

1840 Janury 7 Thomas Murray 59 yrs in his own grave Buried from South Boston ~~ Final entry in Thomas Murray’s record ~~ In 21 pages of closely written entries in a slim 8″ x 10” notebook, undertaker Thomas Murray … Continue reading →

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