WALKING TOUR! To vax or not to vax: smallpox in early Boston

Smallpox tore through early Massachusetts, devastating Indigenous communities. How did early English Bostonians cope? Did they vax - or not?

The subject of our newly revised walking tour is smallpox, one of the great killers of the 17th century. This European disease found fertile ground in the growing colonies in New England, with the most devastating effects suffered by Native Americans who had no immunity. Up to 90% of Indigenous people, including the Massachusett Tribe whose land included Boston and Charlestown, perished, their villages lying empty and providing English colonists with unoccupied land for reasons that Puritans saw as providential.

English colonists had some immunity but, even so, successive generations suffered wave after wave of deadly smallpox outbreaks.

This walking tour, tracing the landmarks of smallpox and the early debate over vaccination, explores both the cost to Indigenous people and how English settlers wrestled with the disease in the first century of colonization.

During the tour, we will investigate how the colonists saw smallpox and tried to contain it, and how smallpox roiled their society in a number of ways. Had God handed the Shawmut peninsula over to them by clearing out the Native population, or was he punishing them with the same pestilence for not sufficiently following His word? Could smallpox be successfully treated by medical methods practiced since the time of the Romans, or would new, more radical methods (some employed by Africans, including Cotton Mather’s enslaved African Onesimus, and Turks) prove more effective?

A number of familiar local figures feature in our story, though in perhaps unfamiliar roles. For instance, Cotton Mather is generally known as a significant minister and for his role in the Salem witch trials and in drafting rules for enslaved people, but here he appears as an Enlightenment scientist who would get blood boiling of certain politicians today. Come along with us for this and other fascinating surprises.

This tour is led by Michael Prochilo, a student of history whose expert research has revealed new links to early Boston’s smallpox epidemics and how its society coped, argued over treatment, and survived.

The tour lasts approximate 1½ hours.

Due to ongoing construction by the city, the tour route is sadly not wheelchair-friendly.

Meet at Park St. Station Plaza, at the corner of Park and Tremont streets, downtown Boston. Nearest T stop: Park Street Station

Don't forget to bring water and wear comfy shoes!

If you need to cancel, please let us know ASAP at phbostons@gmail.com so that we can let someone on the waitlist take your place.

Meeting place: Park Street Plaza, next to Park Street T station, corner of Tremont and Park Streets, downtown Boston

The Partnership of Historic Bostons is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to telling the story of everyone in early New England, from rebellious women to Native people enslaved during King Philip's War to English Puritans. We believe the 17th century is the foundational moment in American history.

FAQs

What are my transport/parking options? Parking in Boston is difficult, so we recommend public transportation to Park Street, either by T or bus. If you need to drive, there is a parking lot under the Boston Common.

What should I bring? We advise that you wear comfortable clothing and sturdy shoes for Boston’s uneven pavements. And bring some water to make sure you stay hydrated!

How can I contact the organizer with any questions? Email Andy or Michael at phbostons@gmail.com

Image: Watercolor of a smallpox patient by Sir Carswell, Robert, 1793-1857. Wellcome Collection