Union Oyster House
- Late 1800s to 1916: Atwood and Bacon
- c 1842 to 1860: Atwood and Hawes
- Address: 41 - 43 Union St
- Urban District of Government Center, Boston in Boston
| Y/M/D | Person | Association | Description | Composition | Food | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y/M/D | Person | Association | Description | Composition | Food | Event |
| 1710/00/00 | Oyster House is built prior to 1714, possibly as early as 1704. No municipal records document the Oyster House's date of construction. | |||||
| 1742/00/00 | Hopestill Capen operates a fancy dress goods business, Also known as "At the Sign of the Cornfields", Capen can receive imports from Europe directly as the Boston waterfront extends to the back door of his dry goods establishment. | |||||
| 1771/00/00 | Isaiah Thomas (publisher) | Publisher | Isaiah Thomas begins publishing the "The Massachusetts Spy" from the upper floor of the Capen's Dry Goods Store. The Spy tabloid sized newspaper is designed to appeal to "mechanics and other classes of people who had not much time to spare from business." | |||
| 1775/03/09 | Isaiah Thomas (publisher) | Publisher | Col Nesbit leads British Regulars parading Thomas Ditson, tarred and feathered, through the streets as they play the Rogue's March. Halting in front of the Spy office, the soldiers threaten Isaiah Thomas he will be next. | |||
| 1775/04/06 | Isaiah Thomas (publisher) | Publisher | Isaiah Thomas publishes the "Spy" from Hopestill Capen's building. Popular along the eastern seaboard, the Spy has the largest circulation of all of Boston's patriot newspapers. | |||
| 1775/04/16 | Dr Joseph Warren | Patriot | With the help of Dr Joseph Warren and Timothy Bigelow, Isaiah Thomas abandons his "sedition foundry". The press is ferried across the river to Charlestown and then carried by wagon to Worcester. | |||
| 1777/00/00 | Ebenezer Hancock | Work | Continental Army soldiers pickup their pay from Ebenezer Hancock at Capen's silk and dry goods store. | |||
| 1796/00/00 | Louis Philippe I | Home | Exiled from France, Louis Phillippe I earns his living by teaching French to many of Boston's fashionable young ladies from his lodgings. | |||
| 1826/00/00 | Hawes Atwood opens "Atwood and Bacon's Oyster House". The new owners installed the current semi-circular the soapstone oyster bar. The bar and stall-type booths are the only known survivors in the United States. Much of the interior dates from this time. | Oyster | ||||
| 1830/00/00 | Atwood and Bacon's Oyster House menu includes a variety of oyster, scallop and clam dishes. | Littleneck Clam | ||||
| 1836/05/00 | Boston's Union Oyster House begins serving Clam Chowder. | New England Clam Chowder | ||||
| 1840/00/00 | Daniel Webster | Life | Daniel Webster often enjoys lunch in Atwood and Bacon: a tall tumbler of brandy and water with each half-dozen oysters, rarely having less than six plates. | Oyster | ||
| 1950/00/00 | John F Kennedy | Guest | On his weekly return to Boston, JFK is a Sunday afternoon regular at the Union Oyster House. At Booth 18 on the 2nd floor, he sits alone and orders the usual: Lobster stew - a simple dish of milk, butter and lobster. | American lobster |
| Particulars for Union Oyster House: | |
|---|---|
| Area of Significance | Architecture |
| Criteria | Architecture-Engineering |
| Sight Category | Building |
| Area of Significance | Commerce |
| Criteria | Exemplar |
| Architectural Style | Georgian Architecture |
| Area of Significance | Maritime |
| Level of Significance | National |
| Owner | Private |
| Historic Use | Restaurant |
| Historic Use | Single dwelling |
| Historic Use | Specialty Store |
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