Part 3/14:
In the 1600s, Boston wasn’t the sprawling city familiar today but a small peninsula called Smut—connected to the mainland by a narrow strip accommodating carts and foot traffic. Its growth was due mainly to its harbor, a vital hub for trade and transportation, shaping the city’s irregular, maze-like streets that bent and twisted to meet the waterfront. These early streets, often narrow and steep, made travel challenging, especially as the city expanded beyond its original boundaries.