Introduction South Boston today is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the U.S. As such, it played an important role in the history of the region; also, a number of important events took place here. In this paper, we will discuss the history of South Boston, starting from the very first arrival of the colonists, and ending with today; we will also stress the role that South Boston played in the history of the region and the state. The Early History of the Settlement The history of the settlement that is today known as South Boston started as early as in 1630 when some Anglo-Saxon Protestants landed at a place that was called Mattapan by the Native Americans. The newcomers called the place a new name, Dorchester, after the town in England they came from (O’Connor 7). It was one of the first places in future Massachusetts to be occupied by colonists. They built a number of crude shacks and tents in the place, as well as a fort with a few cannons in order to be able to protect the settlement. The local Native Americans were weakened by an epidemic that took place a few years earlier, so the colonists did not engage in wars with them. However, having arrived in summer 1930, they could not plant crops and thus severely lacked food during the winter. On February 5, 1631, a vessel with a supply of food arrived from England; the occasion was celebrated, and this day became the first official Thanksgiving Day in Massachusetts. In 1633, a first official organ of representatives was elected in order to “provide a permanent body of men” who enacted the settlers to be “of full force and being to ye Inhabitants” (O’Connor 8). The geographical peculiarities of the place – a peninsula was attached to Dorchester – allowed for easy grazing of animals. It was that peninsula that would later receive the name of South Boston. However, the newcomers called it the Dorchester Neck. In 1637 the access to the peninsula grazing lands was restricted to nearly 100 colonists who were the most prominent dwellers of the city; they were also made responsible for maintaining the place. During the greater part of the 17 th century, these lands were reserved for these Dorchester families (O’Connor 9). Thus, for a number of years, the contemporary South Boston was used as grazing lands for cattle (Simonds 25). It is stated that the first house was built on Dorchester Neck in 1673, by Captain Hepstill James Foster (“South Boston” n. pag.). The next residential dwelling of the contemporary South Boston was built in 1680, by James Blake (“South Boston” n. pag.). On the other hand, another author states that James Blake was the first one to build a house on Dorchester Neck and that it happened approximately in 1660 (Simonds 31). The number of residential dwellings on Dorchester Neck increased rather slowly. In 1700, three families lived on the peninsula; in 1750, five families inhabited the place, owning seven houses (“South Boston” n. pag.). In 1770, nine residences belonging to twelve families were situated on Dorchester Neck (Simonds 31). Dorchester Neck and the American Revolution One of the most noteworthy events that happened in Dorchester Neck occurred in 1776; the place played an important role durin