At first a remote fishing village, Hull later became a military outpost, the first line of defense for the city of Boston during the American Revolution. After the Civil War, the residents of that city flocked to Nantasket Beach by the thousands each summer to partake of its health-giving ocean breezes and rejuvenating waters, helping to turn Hull into one of the most popular seasonal resorts in New England. Today, fishermen and summer thrill seekers alike can connect with the town's past at its many historic sites, where the past is brought up to the present day. Then & Now: Hull and Nantasket Beach carries us through nearly four centuries of change in one of America's oldest communities, where smoke-belching cannon once roared atop the empty ramparts that now form Fort Revere Park on Telegraph Hill, and Boss John Smith once ran his ""Old Ring"" political machine from the Old Town Hall that now serves as the Hull Historical Society Museum.