One Hundred Dollars a Month reader Heather and I were emailing back and forth about chickens and gardening recently when I told her my family would be headed to Boston for spring break. Heather lives just outside the city and suggested we check out Faneuil Hall.

For those of who don’t know, Faneuil Hall was built in 1742 by Boston’s then wealthiest merchant, Peter Faneuil.  He built it as a gift to the city.  Originally, it was used for merchants, fisherman, meat and produce sellers to peddle their wares.  It is also home to the famous protests to the Sugar Act, where colonists coined the phrase:  “No taxation without representation.”

In 1826, Quincy Market was added.  It served as an expansion to the already popular Faneuil Hall.  Both Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall were vital business hubs until the mid 1900’s, when they fell into such disrepair that most of the buildings stood empty.

By the 1970’s, plans to demolish the buildings were underway.  Luckily, a group of forward thinking Bostonians rallied to save the buildings, and by 1976, a massive renovations renewed the Faneuil Hall and revitalized downtown Boston.

There is  a grasshopper weather vane that sits on top of Faneuil Hall.  Many people consider it a symbol of Boston.  During the Revolutionary War, people suspected of being spies were asked to describe the weather vane.  If they could, they were set free–proving themselves as Bostonians.  If not, they were considered British spies.  {You can’t argue with water-tight logic like that.}

Street performers began performing in Faneuil Hall until the 1970’s–when they performed to entertain the construction workers who were revitalizing the buildings.  The street performers never left, and now are a huge part of the Faneuil Hall culture. We had no idea what this guy was doing, but the crowd sure loved him.

In addition to 14 restaurants and pubs, there are also 36 international food vendors as well. In fact the Qunicy Market has the largest food hall in New England. We bought a Boston Cream pie {of course} and it was delicious.

Call me a history nerd, but we loved Faneuil Hall.

~Mavis