Union Oyster House
Walking along the Freedom Trail in Boston, it is easy to miss the plaque outside the Union Oyster House. But if you pass it by, you are missing not only a good meal, but an extraordinary chapter in American history.
The Union Oyster House is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States, serving diners since 1826. But the building itself reaches even deeper into Boston’s past. In the years leading up to the American Revolution, the building housed the shop of Ebenezer Hancock, the brother of John Hancock. It is here that local patriots exchanged news as tensions grew with Britain. Members of the Sons of Liberty frequented this area and the walls of the Oyster House witnessed the revolutionary spirit that shaped the city.
When the Union Oyster House opened as a restaurant in 1826, it helped popularize the American oyster bar. Fresh oysters are still served on the wooden counter that still stands today.
Over the centuries, countless public figures have passed through the doors of the Oyster House. John F. Kennedy, as a senator, would slip upstairs to a booth that is now known as the “Kennedy Booth.”
Today, the Union Oyster House is a living piece of the Freedom Trail and a place that holds nearly 300 years of stories.
Read More From Nancy
Thomas Eames Sign – Framingham
Driving along a road in Framingham is this roadside sign that marks the location where the home of Thomas Eames once stood. There is no remaining structure, only the sign indicating that this was the site of a 17th century homestead. On February 1, 1676, during the King Philip’s War, the Eames house was attacked. At […]
The Flag That Sparked Curiosity: Discovering History Hidden in Plain Sight
It was curiosity that led me there. Every day, on my drive to Wellesley Chiropractic Office, I noticed a small British flag beside a marker in the middle of an island. What was a British flag doing in the suburbs of MA? My first assumption was a simple one: perhaps it marked a site from colonial […]
Odd Fellows – Lancaster County, PA
As we traveled through Lancaster County, PA, a simple bench caught my attention. I took this photo to remind myself to explore the Odd Fellows. Who were the Odd Fellows, why such an unusual name? My curiosity led me to explore more. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is one of the oldest fraternal benefit […]
