South Boston, Massachusetts

South Boston, formerly an isthmus known as Dorchester Neck, is a densely-populated neighborhood of Boston. "Southie," as it is familiarly known, occupies the area south and east of the Fort Point Channel, with Dorchester Bay along its eastern edge. The Boston Harborwalk pedestrian trail skirts the South Boston waterfront, winding from the federal courthouse at Fan Pier to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library at Columbia Point. Along the way, walkers pass through the Fort Point Channel Landmark District, a unified 55-acres neighborhood of historic industrial buildings and working industrial waterfront, the pre-Civil War era Fort Independence at Castle Island, and the L Street Beach, where the L Street Brownies host their annual New Year's Day plunge.

South Boston was primarily grazing land until it was annexed by Boston in 1804 and began to be developed and expanded through landfill. The Fort Point Channel area was developed by the Boston Wharf Company from 1836 to 1882. The company laid out streets and built warehouses and factories, employing their own architects and designers. Sugar, molasses and wool were important commodities stored and processed here, but many other goods came through the busy port. The Boston Fish Pier, established in 1914, is the oldest continuously operating fish pier in the United States, and the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal is a regular port-of-call for major cruise ship line. Today, many of the loft-style buildings have been converted to artists' studios. The Civil War brought an increase in manufacturing and population, as immigrants, particularly the Irish, flowed in to work in Southie's machine shops, shipyards, refineries and foundries, including the South Boston Iron Works, once the largest in the country. More workers meant more housing, and the late 19th century introduced rowhouses and "triple-deckers" to the existing single-family homes. The L Street Station Powerhouse, built by the Boston Electric Light Company in 1898, remained in service into the 21st century.

South Boston has a long history of industrial activity, residential construction and redevelopment which may have exposed workers to asbestos-containing materials, putting them at risk for diseases such as mesothelioma. If you were exposed to asbestos in South Boston and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you should also consider contacting an asbestos law firm.

Jobsites in South Boston where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

A number of jobsites in South Boston, MA have been identified as harboring asbestos containing materials. These sites, at one point in their history, were known to have exposed a variety of tradesmen to asbestos. We will be documenting in more detail how asbestos exposure occurred at these sites in the future on this web site.