Today in the CBO
The View from the BMU
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
16 August 2298 – Postal Square
On certain Tuesdays for the 2297 and 2298 seasons, we will feature one of the settlements where teams in the Boston Minor Union play.
In our twenty-second trip around the BMU, we are going to Downtown Boston to the home of one of the most popular restaurants in the Commonwealth, Joe's Spuckies.
A Station by Any Other Name
Postal Square Station makes the center of the area, thus the attachment to it by Nate Howard. This is a settlement that is not centralized nor does it have a local government like most other settlements, though that could change. Like Nate points out, many of the settlements will eventually be a part of larger local governments. For now, Nate compares each settlement to something like a housing authority.
Postal Square Station, the center of the area
Postal Square is east of Goodneighbor, which acts as its own settlement. To the north there is Faneuil Hall, to the northeast the Custom House Tower and Christopher Columbus Park where the Postal Square Action Boys play, to the east the Shamrock Taphouse, and to the southeast the Harbormaster Hotel where visitors to Postal Square typically stay, including visiting baseball teams.
A Sandwich to Remember
Vault dwellers may have the opportunity to enjoy sandwiches on the regular, but we top-siders never had that luxury. It wasn't until a former Gunner took over the shop that the topsiders got to have these delicious delicacies known as the spuckie. Now, Joe's Spuckies is open for business, but get there early or you will remain hungry!
Joe's Spuckies before brooms and mops entered the location. It's pretty now, and the Radstag Spuckie is worth the wait!
Ryder, now known as Joe Ryder, left the Gunners after a falling out with Gunners leadership at the former Gunners Plaza. Not known for his great leadership, he was very good at his hobby of turning the yuck that are the Commonwealth food choices into delicious offerings.
After he started turning powdered razorgrain into dough, Ryder started created a baked bread that he used for sandwiches. He would make simple sandwiches like putting canned Cram on his "spuccadella" bread. In time, he started to use brahmin milk to create a cheese that became a popular edition to his sandwiches.
Joe Ryder happy people enjoy his spuckies
Ryder later made deals with Commonwealth hunters, buying any meats he could. The most popular by far was radstag meat that he cured into a radstag roast. Soon, the Radstag Spuckie became so popular that the sandwiches would sell out before 1 PM.
Christopher Columbus Park
The Postal Square settlement uses that area as its central base for identifying where it is, but most of the people living here have occupied buildings in the area.
Christopher Columbus Park - now the home of Shamrock Taphouse Stadium of the Square
The ballpark location for the Postal Square Action Boys is the place formerly known as Christopher Columbus Park in pre-War Boston. According to a terminal, "The Christopher Columbus Park is [a] . . . location in the Commonwealth. . . . It is just east of Faneuil Hall, and just behind the Custom House Tower.
"Named after Christopher Columbus, this small, harborside park is home to some radstags. A monument . . . once stood in the park. . . .There are also some mutfruit plants and lounge chairs around the location. There is a boat anchored just outside of the park."
Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall is the major housing complex in the Postal Square area. It is a historic building with quite the story.
Faneuil Hall - It has been converted to apartments where most Postal Square settlers live
According to a terminal entry, "After the project of erecting a public market house in Boston had been discussed for some years, French merchant Peter Faneuil offered at a public meeting in 1740 to build a suitable edifice at his own cost as a gift to the town. There was strong opposition to market houses, and although a vote of thanks was passed unanimously, his offer was accepted by a majority of seven. Funded in part by profits from slave trading, the building was begun in Dock Square in September 1740. It was built by artist John Smybert from 1740 to 1742 in the style of an English country market, with an open ground floor serving as the market house, and an assembly room above. Topping the cupola was the gilded grasshopper weather vane created by Deacon Shem Drowne.
"Donated to the city of Boston in 1742, Faneuil Hall fulfilled its role as a commercial hub in colonial Massachusetts. The structure received damage in the 1755 Cape Ann earthquake, which was repaired along with the weather vane. In 1761 the hall was destroyed by fire, leaving nothing but the brick walls; it was rebuilt by the town in 1762.
"Faneuil Hall also played a notable role in the American Revolution. Protests against the British Sugar and Stamp Acts that began here led to the doctrine of 'no taxation without representation.' Later, meetings were held here that culminated in the Boston Tea Party. Many of the Founding Fathers met or gave speeches here (notably Samuel Adams), leading to the building's nickname, 'the Cradle of Liberty.' In 1775, during the British occupation of Boston, it was used for a theater.
"In 1806, the hall was greatly expanded by Charles Bulfinch, doubling its height and width and adding a third floor. Four new bays were added to make seven in all, the open arcades were enclosed, several galleries were added around the assembly hall, and the cupola was moved to the opposite end of the building. Faneuil Hall was later entirely rebuilt of noncombustible materials in 1898–1899.
"As time marched on, Faneuil Hall had become the civic heart of Boston for the next three centuries. The meeting hall had hosted speakers and debates from the first patriots to modern presidents, and Faneuil Marketplace was an oasis of commerce in the center of Boston's Financial District. This historic landmark became part of the Freedom Trail, and governed over by the Freedom Society.
"At the Freedom Society's September 2077 meeting, they discussed the motion to consider merchants' proposals for Protectrons to secure the Faneuil Hall marketplace from petty thieves. Objections were raised on historic preservation grounds and the motion failed unanimously. However, sales noticeably dropped the week of August 8 and the shoplifting continued. They all agreed to take a more detailed approach to their inventory to verify the thefts. It was the week of August 15 that their real problems surfaced. Despite sales being up by 11% due to the Columbus Day holiday, the merchants' inventory report showed net losses of $2,294 for the week, with twelve confirmed shoplifting incidents. Several merchants threatened to sue for breach of contract over security issues, and Fallon's prepared to withdraw immediately. With the pressure building, the mayor of Boston insisted that the Protectron installation proceeds despite objections. By this time the society, whose representatives shrank from fourteen to eleven, also had to allocate funds for roof repairs.
"As the week moved forward, a massacre occurred at the building. The Protectrons that were installed killed seven people, including five alleged shoplifters, one bystander, and one Fallon's cashier. A public relations nightmare followed, and sales dropped 81%. To avoid further media scrutiny, the Society canceled further weekly merchants' meetings.
"The Great War saw to it that the roof repairs were never completed, and the building remained relatively intact for the next two centuries. By October 2287, however, the place became a super mutant encampment. They tore the place apart and burned most of the meeting hall chairs in two bonfires: one in the center of the hall, the other around the remains of the Samuel Adams statue. However, this did not dissuade detective and treasure hunter Marty Bullfinch from braving the dangers in an attempt to solve the case of The Gilded Grasshopper. His former partner, Nick Valentine, and Nick's new partner, [Nate Howard chose] to track him down and solve the case."