Back Bay, Back in the Day
History's Mysteries

History's Mysteries
Did you know 200 years ago, most of present day Boston was underwater?

Instructions:

This activity requires you to make a map on top of an existing map. Grab a cheap map of Boston (one that you don't mind marking up). As you are walking around any part of Boston, try and determine if that neighborhood would have been underwater 200 years ago. Color over the neighborhood with markers to signal whether it was underwater or above water. Use green colors to represent land that you think existed 200 years ago and use blue colors to represent the land that used to be underwater.
Here are some hints for determining whether or not that part of the city was above water. Check out the name of the neighborhood. Does the name of the neighborhood have any hints of what could have been there? What does Back Bay signify to you? Many places in Boston have the word "Hill" in their name, for example, Beacon Hill, Bunker Hill and Heartbreak Hill. Do they still look like hills now? Do you think these hills would have been above water? Finally, see how old the buildings are in the neighborhood you are visiting. Which area has mostly short, brick buildings? Which area has tall steel and glass buildings? Usually, older buildings are mad of brick and wood, while newer buildings are made of glass and steel. Are these newer buildings built on new land?
How do you think they expanded Boston? Try and pick up a map at local store that outlines "Old Boston" and see how you did determining what old Boston looked like!

Conclusion:

Present day Boston was built from the dirt excavated from local hills of towns near Boston. It was also built from the trash of our forefathers!

Supplies & Materials

A map showing old and present day Boston.


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My Trip

est. visit time: 0.0 hrs

Best Audience

Age: Children (4-8yrs), Pre-teen (9-12yrs), Teen
Duration: All day
Cognitive Level: 1-3 Grade, 4-6 Grade
Activity Level: Med
Attention Span: Med
When to do it: During Your Trip, On Location