Winter Dawn at Boston T Wharf

As first light streaks the eastern horizon, T Wharf is already stirring. It is a cold morning and a light snowfall during the night has left a white blanket and a certain quiet stillness to the dawn. In the foreground, an Italian boat fisherman prepares for the day. To the right are the carts used to land fish and behind them are the lights of the fish dealer's store. The schooner just arriving is the "Flora Nickerson" pulling alongside the big clipper, "Regina." The origins of Boston's T Wharf trace back to the 1720s. As a spur of Long Wharf, it was then known as Minot's T, the "T" being formed by the connection between the two wharves. It was known as the center of Boston Fisheries until 1914 when overcrowding and limited water rights necessitated the building of a new wharf known as the South Boston Fish Pier.