Origin Of The Name

The Long Wharf was the principal technological advantage that ultimately led to the Port of Boston's recognition in the shipping world as "Hub of the Universe" during the 1800's. As a symbol of financial strength and Yankee ingenuity, Long Wharf serves as a metaphor for the firm's commitment to meeting the investment needs of its clients.

The wharf was originally constructed by Bostonians from the debris left by the great fire that engulfed the waterfront in 1710. Stretching into the deep waters of the harbor, Long Wharf quickly became a catalyst for the economic development of the city and established Boston as the preferred port of call for deep draft vessels requiring extensive support facilities.

"Boston was the largest town in the English colonies until 1755, when passed by Philadelphia, and the principal mart of trade in North America for a much longer period. Boston Pier or Long Wharf, built in 1710, extended King (now State) Street some two thousand feet into deep water. Wealthy merchants came from overseas to share the results of Puritan thrift and energy." Beginning with the Northwest fur trade in the late 1700's and continuing through the whaling period, the China East-India trade, and the age of clipper ships in the mid 1800's, Boston's Long Wharf became central to the world's shipping trade.

By the 1830's, the Port of Boston was commonly referred to as the "Hub of the Universe". It had established itself as a world leader in cargo tonnage landings and had shipping interests encircling the globe. "Boston's principal advantage for the security of vessels, wrote a New Yorker in 1844, and its one that distinguishes this port from other principal ports of our country, is her numerous docks, which are constructed with solid strength, and run far up into the city."

Today, the city's financial district is located at the head of State Street which runs down to the harbor and onto Long Wharf. The corporate logo for long Wharf Investors is likeness of the stone compass rose imbedded in the terrace at the end of the wharf.

Quotations are from Samuel Eliot Morison's Maritime History of Massachusetts.