Acorn Street, Beacon Hill In Autumn
This is Acorn Street in the center of Boston's Beacon Hill section. The section is named for the Massachusetes State House which is situated.
Like many similarly named areas, the neighborhood is named for the location of a former beacon atop the highest point in central Boston. The beacon was used to warn the residents of an invasion.
The area is bounded by the Charles River to the west and originally consisted of three hills, two of which were excavated away for development. Today, Beacon Hill retains it's quaint early American arcetecture with row houses selling for $3.5 million and up. Yet, there is a problem. According to the Boston Globe:
" ... in recent years what had been a steady trickle of visitors has grown into something like a flood — a surge residents say seems largely fueled by social media.
When Nonnie Burnes moved to the neighborhood, Instagram was still almost a decade away. Now, Burnes is a spokeswoman for a group of residents called the Acorn Street Association – “And it is dramatically different.”
The group first formed in the 1980s to prevent the city from paving over the river stones, she said. But decades later, the stones are a big part of what draws so many — too many — to Acorn Street.
“Little did we know what we were bringing down upon us,” Burnes said. At times, she said with a laugh, she’s fantasized about paving the street."
