Show oyster shells provide back bay sound footing boston mass evidence of oysters popularity here in the 1850 was revealed by discovery of a three foot seam of shells in the back bay prom from the public gardens to cornmon commonwealth mon wealth avenue and berkeley street two blocks away shells were found by workmen digging ditches for irrigation pipes city records of 1857 showed that at that time the back bay smelled smelt ed like a dump which indeed it is and declared that oyster shells were to blame when laborers began to fill in the tidal mud flat known as the back bay that year they apparently spread a foot of soil over the shells shelli and considered their job well done |