Joseph Clash: A 19th century gangster/entrepreneur – The Bay State Banner

Joseph Clash: A 19th century gangster/entrepreneur – The Bay State Banner

When two white men entered Joseph Clash’s North End barbershop on Feb. 2, 1863, he probably thought little of their arrival. A well-known figure in the neighborhood where most Blacks lived in Boston at the time, Clash had made a career of catering to the needs of whites in his various enterprises, which included a restaurant, a dance hall, a catering business and, for a short time, a brothel.