Located in the center of the Shawmut Peninsula, the area originally had three hills, Beacon Hill and two others nearby; Pemberton Hill and Mount Vernon, which were leveled for Beacon Hill development. The name trimount later morphed into “Tremont”, as in Tremont Street. Between 1807 and 1832 Beacon Hill was reduced from 138 feet in elevation to 80 feet. The shoreline and bodies of water such as the Mill Pond had a “massive filling”, increasing Boston’s land mass by 150%. Charles Street was one of the new roads created from the project. Before the hill was reduced substantially, Beacon Hill was located just behind the current site of the Massachusetts State House.
Beacon Hill is bounded by Storrow Drive, and Cambridge, Bowdoin, Park, and Beacon Streets. It is about 1/6 of a square mile, and situated along the riverfront of the Charles River Esplanade to the west, just north of Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden. The block bound by Beacon, Tremont, and Park Street is also included. Beacon Hill has three sections: the south slope, the north slope, and the “Flat of the Hill”, which is a level neighborhood built on landfill. It is west of Charles Street and between Beacon Street and Cambridge Street.