Archaeological Excavations at a Brothel and Boarding House

Boston Inside Out: What Archaeological Excavations at a Brothel and Boarding House Reveal About Life in the 19th-century North End Archaeological excavations into the North End’s 19th-century past show that the neighborhood was no teeming Irish “slum,” but a thriving place with diverse residents who struggled to overcome the challenges of urban life in America. Archaeologist Alexander D. Keim will focus on two mid-19th century sites in Boston’s North End: 27-29 Endicott Street, which served as a brothel at that time, and the Paul Revere House, specifically a privy used when the building served as a boarding-house for sailors. The materials recovered from these sites were used by a colorful cast of characters ranging from doctors and merchants to servants and sex-workers.