By Coastal Angler Staff
In 1646, only sixteen years after Boston was founded, what is known today as Battery Wharf began to take shape. Originally a shoreline gun emplacement, or battery, this area was designed to protect Boston from seaborne attacks. Not long after the Revolutionary War, this property was sold and was used for other purposes. From processing whale oil, shipbuilding, home to ship auctioneers and even storage sheds, Battery Wharf was an area that was versatile and functional.
In 1855, Battery Wharf was destroyed by a fire but was rebuilt less than fifty years later by Joseph Revere. This time, featuring a seawall and trapezoid shaped pillars for businesses such as Quincy Market, Bay State Lobster and Merchant & Miners Transportation Company. The Battery Wharf story continues with visits from Paul Revere, the nearby location of the start of his famous Midnight Ride, and even the setting of historic events in the American Revolution and the Civil War.
Boston history runs deep through the ground of the location of Battery Wharf and is still an iconic location today. Now a stop on Boston’s Harbor Walk, Battery Wharf takes the rich history of the neighborhood, seen in the Battery Wharf Museum, and combines it with now contemporary and sophisticated new additions such as the Battery Wharf Hotel and The Lobby Living Room. The Harbor Walk is a public walkway that takes visitors along the edge of piers, wharves, beaches and shorelines in the Boston area and will eventually stretch 46.9 miles from Chelsea Creek to the Neponset River. Battery Wharf ’s history and waterfront location provide a taste of Boston in just one stop.