Today In History

The Swan Boats are the harbinger of spring to native Bostonians. Famed in the stories Make Way for Ducklings and The Trumpet of the Swan, the Swan Boats are the only boats of their kind in the world! For over 120 years, the Swan Boats have appeared in Boston’s Public Garden, the first public botanical garden in the United States, established in 1837 This Boston tradition dates back to 1877 when Robert Paget was granted a boat for hire license by the City of Boston. He developed a catamaran which housed a paddle wheel arrangement that was foot-propelled. To cover the captain, Robert suggested a swan! The idea came to him from his familiarity with the opera Lohengrin. The opera is based on a medieval German story in which Lohengrin, a knight of the Grail crosses a river in a boat drawn by a swan to defend the innocence of his heroine, Princess Elsa. Robert lived only one year after the first Swan Boats were launched. His wife Julia, a young widow with four children, assumed full management of the new enterprise. In 1914, Julia's youngest son, John carried on the family tradition. The current fleet consists of six boats, the oldest of which was built by John in 1918. John and his wife Ella raised six children, all of whom spent many summers working on the boats. John’s son Paul took over the helm in 1969. The tradition, which began over 120 years ago, has grown to become a symbol of Boston and the city's unique blend of history and beauty.