The entire structure sits on filled land and is supported by 3,000 wooden piles driven through fill to bedrock. Before land reclamation was done in the middle of the 19th century, Boston's waterfront extended right to this building. Ships moored at Long Wharf almost touched the eastern face of the building. The Custom House was built at the end of the City docks, to facilitate inspection and registration of cargo. The federal government used the building to collect maritime duties in the age of Boston clipper ships.

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Size: 3600px × 4513px
Photo credit: © The Protected Art Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: boston, clippers, commerce, customs, duty, federal, house, trade