by Susan Martin, Senior Processing Archivist

This will be my eighth and final post about the Perry-Clarke additions, and in the hot seat today is Susan Cabot (Lowell) Sohier (1823-1868). Her daughter Alice married into the Clarke family, which is how Susan’s papers became part of this collection.

The oldest child of John Amory Lowell, Susan was a scion of the famous Lowell family of Boston. She and her husband, William Sohier, had six children, three of whom tragically pre-deceased them. Susan herself died of tuberculosis at the age of 45.

But I’d like to end this blog series on a fun note. Susan’s papers include a manuscript volume entitled “Preferences,” a kind of guest book filled out by her friends and family members beginning in 1862. Among the contributors were noted Unitarian clergymen Edward Everett Hale, Henry Wilder Foote, and Robert Collyer.

Rather than just sign, individuals were asked to name a preference in each of 24 categories. The categories were: poet, prose writer, occupation, amusement, vacation destination, method of travel, “time of rising,” study, language, character in history, character in fiction, living preacher, animal, musical instrument, flower, system of government, name, dish, drink, extravagance, economy, proverb or quotation, novel, and “year of life to live over if forced to – this not penitentially.” (If there were a category for favorite question, the last one would be mine.)

Rules for the game included “You must tell the truth” and “Answer as if you had unlimited power of choice, and were in no fear of criticism or punishment.” Many contributors had fun with their responses. Here’s a selection:

Method of travel: “Cars when I’m not upset”; “Driving a 2 seated vehicle with 2 agreeable companions who shall do the talking”; “Balloon”

Time of rising: “After my second morning nap”; “I heartily enjoy getting up early in summer but dont do it”; “Just before breakfast”

Study: “The faults of others”

Language: “The language I speak, Yankee”

Character in history: “I hate history & all the characters in it”

Living preacher: “Anyone who can keep me awake”

Animal: “Almost all animals at a respectful distance”

System of government: “I haven’t any choice really” (from a woman); “Absolute Monarchy myself the Queen”; “Petticoat Government”

Names: “Clarissa Jane, for a boy decidedly Hezekiah”

Extravagance: “Gas bill”

Year of life to live over: “15 years ago” (from a 15-year-old); “25 as seen from 45”; “The year I fell in love”

There were a few consistent favorites. Popular authors included Sir Walter Scott, Baron Macaulay, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Dickens, Shakespeare, and Charlotte M. Yonge. Horses, dogs, and cats topped the animal category. A few people listed the human voice as their preferred musical instrument.

This volume definitely reminds me of the early days of email and those questionnaires our friends forwarded to us. What would your answers be?

by Brandon McGrath-Neely, Library Assistant

When family and friends come to visit Boston, there are a few places we always visit. We wind through the North End’s narrow streets, grabbing treats at Bova’s Bakery. We stand at the site of the Boston Massacre and look up at the Old State House, with modern buildings soaring behind it. And in between those two stops, we always visit the Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

The Marketplace, which includes Faneuil Hall and its younger siblings—Quincy Market, North Market, and South Market—began when merchant and slave trader Peter Faneuil constructed Faneuil Hall in 1742. Over the next 283 years, the building would change in size, style and substance (and a name change is currently under discussion). The collections of the MHS were actually stored in its attic from 1793 to 1794! Luckily, our materials had moved elsewhere before a series of fires and expansions changed the building—especially an 1806 expansion by famed architect Charles Bulfinch. The three market buildings were added between 1826 and 1827.

As both the Faneuil Hall Marketplace and the city of Boston grew, the Marketplace fell into disrepair. In drastic need of revitalization, the architectural design firm Benjamin Thompson and Associates was selected in 1971 to breathe new life into the iconic landmark. When the project was completed in 1978, the Marketplace was closed to vehicles and instead emphasized foot traffic. Travelers from all over the world can now wander through everything the site has to offer. According to Newsweek, it is the 10^th most popular tourist attraction in the country. Each year, around 18 million visitors come to explore its food, stores, and attractions.

The records of this redesign project are held by the Massachusetts Historical Society in the Ben and Jane Thompson Faneuil Hall Marketplace Records. The rich set of materials help show how the older versions of the Marketplace have changed to become the gathering place we know and love today. Whether Faneuil Hall is on your bucket list, or you’ve been a thousand times, the records offer new ways to experience the market.

If you’re interested in architecture, you can browse the many designs and planning documents, including elevations, floorplans, and images of scale models. If you want to learn about advertising and marketing, you can explore the large number of press materials and see how Faneuil Hall Marketplace became the most visited location in Massachusetts. And if you just like looking at old photos of Boston, the rare images of Quincy Market under construction are a delightful peek behind the scenes.

The Faneuil Hall Marketplace Records are some of my favorite materials at the MHS, because they allow you to experience the iconic landmark in so many ways. They were also processed using the More Product, Less Process approach, described in this Beehive post, which makes the whole collection feel like finding hidden treasures tucked away for decades. So next time you bring a friend to Faneuil Hall, bring them by the MHS to see how it grew up!