Since Boston’s legendary Beacon Hill was first settled nearly four hundred years ago, the neighborhood’s spirited residents, generation after generation, have created and maintained a unique environment that is both timeless and forward-looking. They have responded to social, economic, and political changes over the centuries by integrating the best legacies of the Hill’s past into plans for the community’s future growth and vitality.

In this well-crafted and lavishly illustrated work, Moying takes the reader on a fascinating tour of the historic yet vibrant district of cobblestone streets, redbrick sidewalks, gas lamps, and elegant Bulfinch architecture. Weaving together the personal reminiscences of dwellers with compelling narrative, she captures the essence of this special community in the heart of Boston. Here one meets both renowned and long-forgotten Beacon Hillers—Puritans, Brahmins, bohemians, and immigrants—who have shaped and defined this culturally rich and diverse neighborhood. Here, too, one relives memorable moments in the Hill’s long and colorful saga, including the traditional candle lighting and caroling on Christmas Eve, battles to save the cherished brick sidewalks, the Charles Street Fair, the Mother’s March against Storrow Drive, and the persistent problems with traffic, parking, zoning and housing. The vital and sometimes controversial role of the Beacon Hill Civic Association, one of the nation’s oldest and most tenacious neighborhood groups, in forming the area’s living history is also thoroughly discussed.

Published on the eightieth anniversary of the Civic Association’s founding, Beacon Hill will delight Boston residents, tourists, and historians.