Fort Point Channel: a dredged, man-made shipping channel

Fort Point Channel is a constructed and dredged channel separating South Boston/Seaport from the Fort Point neighborhood; it was deepened and straightened during the 19th century to improve maritime access and industrial shipping. The channel's existence and configuration are the result of human alteration of Boston's shoreline and tidal flats rather than a purely natural watercourse. The Boston Children's Museum sits on Congress Street along the channel and overlooks this engineered portion of Boston Harbor.