The Great Boston Fire of 1872 and the Construction of Historical Memory
Published online on May 04, 2026
Abstract
Journal of Urban History, Ahead of Print.
In November 1872, a fire devastated sixty-five acres of Boston’s commercial district. Much of the existing scholarship has perpetuated a false narrative that the disaster was an unlikely event, a “perfect storm” that overcame supposedly fireproof ...
In November 1872, a fire devastated sixty-five acres of Boston’s commercial district. Much of the existing scholarship has perpetuated a false narrative that the disaster was an unlikely event, a “perfect storm” that overcame supposedly fireproof ...