Leaflet for auction of assets of the Nantasket Beach Steamboat Co., 1934

Historical/Biographical Note

Historical/Biographical Note

Beginning in the early 20th century, Hull Massachusetts became famous for Nantasket Beach and Paragon Park, which attracted summer vacationers from all over Greater Boston. The Nantasket Beach Steamboat Company grew a successful business by bringing passengers from Boston and Hingham via ferry across Boston Harbor.

The steamers of the Nantasket Beach Steamboat Company provided quick and easy transportation between Boston Harbor and Hull. The company also had routes to the Massachusetts South Shore and Plymouth.

On Thanksgiving Day in 1929, six of the company's steamers were docked for the winter at Nantasket's Steamboat Wharf when a large fire broke out and destroyed 5 of the steamers -- the Nantasket, Mary Chilton, Old Colony, Rose Standish and Betty Alden. Only the Mayflower was pulled to safety and survived the fire.

The company eventually went out of business and the steamship routes were taken over by other operators. The assets of the company were sold in bankruptcy proceedings in April, 1934.
Today, in 2025, the MBTA runs year-round ferry service to Hull as part of the Hingham-Hull-Logan commuter route.

Sources

Clancy, Dave. (2001). Hunting New England Shipwrecks, Mayflower. Wreckhunter.net
Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center at Boston Public Library. (2025, July 25). Historic Currents: Charting the Evolution of Boston’s Ferry Routes. leventhalmap.org/articles/highlights-from-the-vault--historic-currents-charting-the-evolution-of-bostons-ferry-routes/