OYSTER 

AFICIONADO

Daniel Webster

THE UNION OYSTER AND DANIEL WEBSTER – In 2011 the Union Oyster House in Boston celebrated its heritage. Union Street, for which it is named, has been a documented fact for over 250 years. The Union Oyster House is credited as being the oldest active restaurant in America.

When Boston was first settled, it was laden with salt marshes a natural habitat for oysters. The neighborhood known today as the Back Bay, was eventually filled-in to approximately create the current city footprint.

The neighborhood around the Union Oyster House has also shifted dramatically since its inception, but more recently. The new Boston City Hall was built across the street in the late 1960's. Mayor Thomas Menino personally attended the recent celebration without benefit of a motorcade.

When you belly up to the oyster bar, you notice reference to another political celebrity who was once a frequent customer - Daniel Webster.

"He daily drank his tall tumbler of brandy and water with each half-dozen oysters, seldom having less than six plates." It was about a ten minute walk from the State House to the oyster bar. One assumes that his daily consumption of oysters and brandy took place in the evening, when the meal would not affect his oratorial prowess.