Interview with Patricia Harrington conducted by Wendy Gillenson. Harrington was born in Mission Hill and continued to live in her family home. She describes the rural nature of Mission Hill and the existence of farms at the top of the Hill while she was growing up. Harrington talks about the increase in break-ins in the neighborhood and residents protesting to bring police into the neighborhood to address the crime rate. Harrington also talks about attending Mission High School which was a co-ed school, but had different buildings for boys and girls. Other topics include the positive impact of hospitals such as the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Mission Grammar School, the Mission Hill Housing Projects, the use of eminent domain to take property, the closure of stores such as Woolsworth’s and Wisenberg’s Store, Xaverian Brothers, Dedham Mall, Irish immigrants, Italian immigrants, Puerto Rican immigrants, and African Americans.
