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A new book to dig into â and a fresh look at Bostonâs oldest buildings
City archeologist Joe Bagley documents the antiquated Top 50, from Dorchesterâs Blake House, built in 1661, to Charlestownâs Salem Turnpike Hotel, built around 1794.
By James Sullivan Globe correspondent,Updated April 22, 2021, 1 hour ago
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A new book highlights Boston s oldest buildings, including the George Middleton House at 5 Pinckney St., BostonDavid L. Ryan/Globe Staff
Bostonâs City Archaeology Program, established in 1983, was one of the first such departments in the country. Maybe youâve heard of the excavation that was beginning around that time? It was called the Big Dig.
A new book that looks at the 50 oldest buildings in the city includes only one on Beacon Hill, which admittedly came as somewhat of a surprise to the author.
“I figured there would have been a least a couple of them, but Beacon Hill as a neighborhood kind of appeared out of nowhere around 1800,” said Joseph M. Bagley, the city’s archeologist and author of “Boston’s Oldest Buildings and Where to Find Them” (2021 Brandeis University Press). “The reality is if I had made it ‘Boston’s 100 Oldest Buildings and Where to Find Them,’ at least half of them would be in Beacon Hill or in Charlestown.”