Join us in Story Chapel as social historian Dee Morris shares the tales of some very proper Bostonians and their love to be astonished. When Thomas Handysd Perkins (1764-1854) caught a glimpse of a sea serpent cavorting in the waters off Nahant (then Lynn) in 1817, he became a firm believer in His Royal Snakeship. Perkins, a merchant and philanthropist, was famous for his no-nonsense business acumen rather than any flights of fancy. Samuel Cabot (1784-1863), his brother-in-law and partner in the China Trade, also weighed in on the monster’s appearance and intent. Newspapers were sprinkled with first-hand testimonials from members of genteel society who were convinced they saw “something.” Sightings were still being reported in 1877. Moses Kimball (1809-1895) followed up on the public’s thirst for the spectacular when he established the Boston Museum, a gallery of curiosities, in 1841. Within a few years the Tremont Street entertainment palace was offering legitimate stage productions but still housed some “lifelike wax figures.” Whether gawking at supposed mermaids or thrilling to anything improbable, there was always a willing Victorian audience.
