Boston - Waterfront

Today, Boston's waterfront is fringed by many wharfs and is a reminder of the city's past as a key trading port.

The 19th century wharfs are now apartments, restaurants and hotels.

What a transformation of the coast line of Boston from the 18th century to the 20th century: most of Boston’s coastline is man-made land.

Structures built on the landfill are supported by dozens of 30 to 40-foot-long wood pilings, similar to telephone poles, that reach down through the landfill to a harder layer of clay. These pilings sit entirely below the water table, which protects them from rotting.

The extent of land filling is hard to visualize, but the two pictures provide a glimpse of the changes.Read more