Union Oyster House in Boston, sometime in the 19th century. Photo courtesy of Boston Public Library:
The historic building around 1898. Photo courtesy of Boston Public Library:
In 1930, courtesy of Boston Public Library:
Sometime between 1934 and 1956. Photo courtesy of Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection.
The Union Oyster House in 2010:
The above four photos show over 100 years of the history of the oldest restaurant in the United States, the Union Oyster House in Boston. Although the restaurant opened in 1826, the building itself is far older, having been built around 1704. The second floor was once used as the publishing office of the Massachusetts Spy in the 1770’s, and in 1796 the future King Louis Philippe of France lived in exile, also on the second floor. Since becoming a restaurant, the Union Oyster House (originally Atwood & Bacon Oyster House, as seen in the 1898 photo) has served many notable patrons, including Daniel Webster, John F. Kennedy, and other members of the Kennedy family.