Some Boston Harbor History...

    Even before the 1600's when John Winthrop and the Puritans began settling the area near the Boston Harbor, it had always been an important natural resource for local Native Americans.  With the 30 islands that surround the Harbor, fish and crops were plentiful.  The Harbor began to grow rapidly after the settlement of the Massachusetts Bay Company and soon became a well-known trading port.  By the late 1600's, all English imports to New England states arrived through the waters of the Harbor, greatly contributing to Boston's growth and also helping to pave the way of the American Revolution.

    In 1774, angry and frustrated colonists dumped crates of imported English tea into the Harbor in response to the high taxes that were being placed on such imports.  This historical protest is known as the Boston Tea Party.   A few years later in 1776, as the Revolutionary War began, Boston Harbor was again, a crucial resource for New England soldiers.  The Harbor continued to play its role in civil defense in the War of 1812 where the fort on Castle Island, Fort Independence, protected Boston from the British.  Years later, well into the 20th century, the Harbor remained such a crucial resource for New England soldiers that during World War II its entrance was protected with mines and an underwater torpedo net. (www.savetheharbor.org)