Shawmut Peninsula
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Shawmut Peninsula is the promontory of land on which Boston, Massachusetts was built. The name is derived from Mashauwomuk, an Algonquin word of uncertain meaning.
To the south was a narrow isthmus named Boston Neck.
The peninsula is most remarkable for having more than doubled in size due to land reclamation efforts throughout the 19th century.
These reclaimation projects began in 1820 and continued intermittently until 1900 and created the Boston neighborhoods of the South End, Back Bay, and Fenway-Kenmore. The Back Bay Fens, a freshwater urban wild in the latter area, is a remnant of the saltmarshes that once surrounded Shawmut Peninsula.
Although this project eliminated the wetland ecosystem that existed there at the time and would be impossible under modern environmental regulations, it was considered a great boon to the community for two reasons. Firstly, it eliminated the foul-smelling tidal flats that had become polluted with sewage. Secondly, it created what is now some of the most valuable real estate in New England.
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