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Along the Freedom Trail, directly across from the front gate of
Copp's Hill Burying Ground on Hull Street, is The Skinny House. The building is more than
100 years
old, just over 10 feet wide, and so narrow that the front door is located in the side alley.
Boston folklore over the years is that the house was originally built to deliberately block the view from another house. Boston's ancient North End is
geographically small, densely populated, and saturated with row houses; it is
therefore safe
to assume a few neighborly disputes have occurred in its history. The true reason why the house was built is lost to history of course.
In 1920, the story was that a Tory had built the house to
deliberately obstruct the light to his neighbor's house. Today, the
story is that a Civil War soldier had returned home and discovered his
brother had built a large home on his deceased father's lot. The soldier
then built Skinny House on the remaining sliver of land to block the
view of his brother's house.
An owner in modern times summarized what it was like
living in
Skinny House: "Instead of doors, we have floors between each living
space." The owner also described curious tourists that falsely believed some
famous revolutionary hero had once lived there due to the home's proximity to the
Freedom Trail.
Skinny House is easy to miss. When entering the front gate of the cemetery on Hull Street, just turn around to see the
building.
Trivia: What is the other nickname for the Skinny House?
Answer: Spite House, as it was supposedly built to spite a neighbor and block their view of the waterfront.
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