The Skinny On Boston's North End
The "Skinny House" measuring only ten feet wide, is said to have been built out of spite to block the view of the neighbors behind it. The British used this same area as a vantage point against Americans during the Battle of Bunker Hill.
The North End is famous for its bounty of Italian food. This is the place where the Prince Spaghetti Sauce commercials were filmed in the 1970s. Yet, amidst the many restaurants and the bakeries with their promise of creamy cannolis, is tragedy. In 1919 on Commercial Street, 21 people, several horses and a cat drowned in a flood of molasses when a 58-foot vat burst at the seams. As the two million gallons flowed through the streets at 35 mph the victims found themselves, dare I say, in a sticky situation. Unfortunately, there are no statues to commemorate the event.
Update 10/01
The Skinny House |