Boston Harbor has been busy causing trouble since 1630. It started as a center for trade and shipbuilding and peaked early with the Boston Tea Party in 1773, when 342 chests of tea were thrown overboard—proving that even then, Bostonians were deeply committed to making a point. The harbor went on to fuel a revolution, power an economy, and generally refuse to behave like a quiet body of water.
At one time Boston Harbor was considered the dirtiest harbor in America with her waters receiving 350 million gallons of wastewater and 70 tons of sewage each day! In 1989 they stopped dumping trash into the harbor and in 1995 the Deer Island treatment plant began cleaning wastewater for the first time. The clean up construction projects were overseen by the courts for 3 decades and in 2016, after 31 years and $4.7billion dollars a judge issue a compliance order declaring the harbor clean up construction phase complete!
Today, the harbor spans about 50 square miles and includes more than 30 islands, most of them far cleaner than they were a few decades ago thanks to that massive cleanup effort. It’s still a working harbor, now shared by ferries, fishing boats, sailors, kayakers, and the occasional retiree learning that tides, currents, and ferry schedules are far less forgiving than spreadsheets ever were. It’s history, scenery, and humility—all served with a stiff breeze