Cornhill, Boston

42°21′34.58″N 71°3′27.81″W

Cornhill, Boston, 1962
This article is about the Boston street named in 1829. For the Cornhill section of Washington Street, see Washington Street (Boston).

Cornhill was a street in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, located on the site of the current City Hall Plaza in Government Center. It was named in 1829; previously it was known as Market Street (1807–1828).[1][2] In its time, it comprised a busy part of the city near Brattle Street, Court Street and Scollay Square. In the 19th century, it was the home of many bookstores and publishing companies.[3] As of 1969, Cornhill exists as 144 feet along the edge of City Hall Plaza.[4]

  • Detail of 1826 map of Boston, showing Market Street (renamed Cornhill in 1828)
    Detail of 1826 map of Boston, showing Market Street (renamed Cornhill in 1828)
  • Detail of 1832 map of Boston, showing Cornhill and vicinity
    Detail of 1832 map of Boston, showing Cornhill and vicinity
  • Cornhill, c. 1836. Shows shops of Light & Horton; Gerry & Burt; George W. Light; Peck & Co.; William Peirce; etc.
    Cornhill, c. 1836. Shows shops of Light & Horton; Gerry & Burt; George W. Light; Peck & Co.; William Peirce; etc.
  • Advertising for the Prisoner's Friend published on Cornhill, c. 1840s. "Devoted to the abolition of capitol punishment, and the improvement of prison discipline"
    Advertising for the Prisoner's Friend published on Cornhill, c. 1840s. "Devoted to the abolition of capitol punishment, and the improvement of prison discipline"
  • Advertisement for George C. Rand & Co. printers, 1849
    Advertisement for George C. Rand & Co. printers, 1849
  • Advertisement for Stephen Smith's Desk Warehouse, 1854
    Advertisement for Stephen Smith's Desk Warehouse, 1854
  • Whig Headquarters, 1856
    Whig Headquarters, 1856
  • Ad for James Campbell, antiquarian bookshop, c. 1860s
    Ad for James Campbell, antiquarian bookshop, c. 1860s[5]
  • c. 1897
    c. 1897
  • Cornhill, Boston, c. 1905
    Cornhill, Boston, c. 1905
  • Overview of Brattle St. (left), Cornhill (right), and Faneuil Hall (upper right), c. 1920
    Overview of Brattle St. (left), Cornhill (right), and Faneuil Hall (upper right), c. 1920

See also

Previous tenants of Cornhill

References
  1. Edward Hartwell Savage (1886), Boston events, Boston: Mutual News Co.
  2. From 1708 to 1824, a portion of Washington Street was known as "Cornhill;" cf. Boston (Mass.). Street laying-out Dept. (1910), A record of the streets, alleys, places, etc. in the city of Boston (2 ed.), Boston: City of Boston Printing Dept., OL 16574538M
  3. "Cornhill – Once Boston's Literary Center, Today Replaced by Government Center". Forgotten New England. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  4. "Public way. Open from Franklin Ave to approximately 144 feet easterly." cf. "Street Book". City of Boston. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  5. Boston Directory. 1861
  6. "National Register of Historic Places". U.S. Dept. of the Interior. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  7. Susan Southworth; Michael Southworth (2008), AIA guide to Boston (3 ed.), Guilford, Conn: Globe Pequot, OCLC 175057014, OL 22549621M
  8. Boston Directory. 1832
  9. Boston Directory. 1857
  10. American Broadsides and Ephemera, Series 1, no. 5153

Further reading
  • "Old Boston Booksellers: The Three Burnham Brothers and Their Antecedents". The New York Times, July 21, 1893. p. 6, col. 3. (Mentions Samuel B. Drake and Burnham Brothers, booksellers.)
  • "Booksellers of Cornhill: 1828-1865" by Alan Seaburg. Published by The Anne Miniver Press (2017). On-line Dropbox edition can be accessed at: anneminiverpress.com
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