Environmental History of the Lower Neponset River

Abstract

This project will research the environmental history of the lower Neponset River in partnership with the Neponset River Watershed Association (NepRWA) and the Institute for New England Native American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The specific outcome will be a map-based historical timeline hosted on the NepRWA website. A broader aim is further collaboration about New England’s industrial rivers with community partners and across academic disciplines. 

The Neponset River empties into Boston Harbor at Dorchester. Thousands of Massachusetts commuters cross the lower Neponset daily on the MBTA Red Line and Interstate 93. Some may know it was declared a federal Superfund site in March 2022. Few recognize that its watermills provided weapons of war between Natives and English settlers and powered American industry, or that its chocolate manufacturing tied New England to Southern slavery. Few know of the factories that dumped pollutants in the river, and fewer still know that its golden salt marshes are endangered by the rising seawaters of our changing climate. 

Making the history of the lower Neponset River publicly available will call attention to this troubled but rich local resource and provide a basis for understanding climate-driven challenges to the river and the communities through which it flows.

Presentations

• The Neponset River Lab attended the February 2024 “King Tides Walk and Talk” hosted by the Neponset River Watershed Association, and NepRWA staffers made project a feature of the day 
• “Mapping the Neponset” Neponset River Lab, Boston College History Department Lecture Series

Students Trained 

• 2 Undergraduate Students
  • Sam Ouellette
  • Brigid Christ
    
• 2 Graduate Students
  • Stephen de Riel
  • Laura Clerx
    
• 2 Postdoctoral Students