Mapping the Neponset: A Project of the Neponset River Lab

Have you ever strolled along the Neponset Greenway and wondered about what stories the River could tell?

July 2025 — Check out Mapping the Neponset: A Digital Tour of the River’s History, a new project from the Neponset River Lab, a collaboration of Boston College faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates, that offers a glimpse of the past of the Lower Neponset River through short, engaging mini-histories. 

From dams and murals to the Granite Railway and beaver-gnawed trees, the stories highlight the river’s rich and varied history. We hope the project sparks curiosity and encourages new ways of seeing the Neponset.

Explore While You Walk

Next time you are along the Neponset estuary, turn on your phone’s geolocation and check out our interactive map at neponset.org/mapping-the-neponset-river 

Got Bird Photos?

As our project grows, we plan to create more mini-histories. Currently, our team is working on a new mini-history of birds of the Neponset, centered on the saltmarsh sparrow.

If you have photographs of the saltmarsh sparrow, bald eagles, or other rare birds along the Neponset that you would like to share, please send them to us at NeponsetRiverLab@bc.edu.

We also welcome other ideas or resources that will help tell the stories of Neponset!

Follow our project on Instagram: @NeponsetRiverLab

Mapping the Neponset is made possible through funding from the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society.