Iron roads of the monadnock region historical society of. The construction of the boston worcester chapter vi. The bulk of the records date from 1831 until the 1867 merger. The cotton gin could process more than a thousand times as much cotton in a day as slave labor could. Thanks to the history of framingham book by herring. It became part of what is now the pan am railways network in 1983. Originally built as the boston and lowell railroad, and later operated as part of the boston and maine railroad s southern division, the line was one of the first railroads in north america and the first major one in massachusetts. The bsra published a book in the 70s, trolleys along the turnpike detaiking history of the the rail operation. Sep 02, 2009 in 1867, the boston and worcester railroad changed its name to boston and albany railroad as service was extended all the way to albany, ny.
This high quality book contains 230 photos of steam locomotoves, brand new diesels, stations, towers and yards that are richly captioned with details about the railroads operation and history. City of worcester offers additional parking at nearby open lots. Berliner, iiis courtesy page for the boston chapter. A fearful catastrophe occurred on the boston railroad this forenoon, two miles east of this city, caused by the breaking of an axle. The original station, which was located on the west side of main street, burned in 1851, and the following year it was replaced by a brick and iron, shedlike station on the same. Terry has centralized and organized more information about railroad certificates than anyone else. Fascinating history of bostons railroad stations and terminals. Boston and maine railroad new york, new haven and hartford railroad co. After 1900, the old colony railroad lines came under the control of the new york, new haven and hartford system.
They sheltered escaped slaves in the 1850s and throughout the civil war. The line approached boston through brookline, and cut across the back bay on a trestle bridge, intersecting the boston and providence line at one point the present site of the back bay train station. It merged with the western railroad corporation in 1867 to form the boston and albany railroad co. After the civil war, new lines connected south framingham to fitchburg, mansfield and lowell. Everything, audio recordings, booksprinted material, films, videos. Connecticuts early railroad history had at its core the goal of linking new york city and boston through a hybrid system of steamboats and trains. South framingham had become a railroad hub with railroad lines going off in 6 directions the sixspoked wheel of the town of framingham seal. Jan 28, 2020 this area has been the site of springfields primary railroad station since 1839, when the western railroad arrived, linking springfield with worcester and boston. Traveling the underground railroad in massachusetts. Guild, william, a chart and description of the boston and worcester and western railroads, boston, 1847. Beginning date 1832 ending date 1867 former title report of the directors of the boston and worcester railroad corporation to the stockholders together with the report of john m. The lowell line is a railroad line of the mbta commuter rail system, running north from boston to lowell, massachusetts. Nov 16, 2019 construction at norwich began november 18, 1835. Boston and worcester railroad corporation records, 18311882.
Providence and worcester railroad pw was incorporated in massachusetts on march 12, 1844 st. These three, the lowell, the providence, and the worcester, were the. Guidebook to the boston and worcester and western railroads. In 1835, the first train trip from boston to worcester was recorded. Passenger service is still operated on the line by amtrak as part of their lake shore limited service, and by the mbta commuter rail system, which owns and uses the section east of worcester as their framingham worcester line.
It is now part of amtraks highspeed northeast corridor. The trolleys were horsepowered at first but quickly became electrified. The boston and albany railroad was formed by a series of mergers beginning in 1867 that subsumed both the first commercial line in new england, the boston and worcester railroad chartered 1831 and the western railroad 1833, the. Coit and those run by the boston and providence owned by cornelius. The railroad connects from gardner in central massachusetts, south through. The boston and albany railroad line started as the boston and worcester in 1932. The early business history of four massachusetts railroads i. The economic revolution in massachusetts, 1830 chapter ii. Location of the boston and worchester railroad, 1835. There are many books on railroad history available to you, but none can give. The railroad connects from gardner in central massachusetts, south through its namesake cities of worcester and providence, rhode island, and west from rhode island through connecticut and into new york city. Apr 14, 2017 clark history professor janette greenwood also has researched the underground railroad with her 2010 book, first fruits of freedom. The boston and worcester railroad was chartered june 23, 1831 and.
Railroad extra history of the railways of massachusetts. In 1867, when railroad mergers and acquisitions were the norm, the boston and worcester and the western railroad merged to form the boston and albany railroad. Introduction this study is an exploration, on a limited scale, of the part played by businessmen in early railroad. Is the proper name of the trolley line from boston to worcester the boston and worcester street railway. These three, the lowell, the providence, and the worcester, were the pioneer railroads of the state. History for tons of information about railroad stocks, go see terry at and buy his book. Since the berkshires made construction of a canal infeasible, boston turned to the emerging railroad technology for a share of the freight to and from the midwestern united states. Coit and those run by the boston and providence owned by cornelius vanderbilt is engagingly told. Its opening jumpstarted worcesters rapid transition from agriculture to industry, and introduced the irish to town, the first of many immigrant groups that were to come in search of work and new homes. A history of bostons downtown and back railroad stations from 1834 to today richard c. Boston and albany railroad engineering department map collection. The new york, providence and boston railroad, normally called the stonington line, was a major part of the new york, new haven and hartford railroad between new london, connecticut and providence, rhode island. Massachusetts narrow the results by county barnstable berkshire bristol dukes essex franklin hampden hampshire middlesex nantucket norfolk plymouth suffolk worcester. It merged with the western railroad corporation in 1867 to form.
Compiled from locations filed in 18378 at the office of the county clerk, worcester, mass. The original station, which was located on the west side of main street, burned in 1851, and the following year it was replaced by a brick and iron, shedlike station on the same spot. Fascinating history of the norwich and worcester railroad which ran between norwich, connecticut and worcester, massachusetts as well as the steamboats that connected norwich to new york city. The state, the investor, and the railroad the boston. The boston and albany railroad was formed between 1867 and 1870 from the merger of three existing lines, the boston and worcester chartered 1831, the western 1833, and the castleton and west stockbridge 1834. Lessee as of 1956 0429, from employee timetable no. The railroad stations of worcester the history of the various stations which served worcester, ma, culminating in union station. This area has been the site of springfields primary railroad station since 1839, when the western railroad arrived, linking springfield with worcester and boston. This type of publication, imitated in the united states by christopher colles in 1789 and matthew carey in 1802 was applied to railroad routes by the london publisher james wyld in 1837, when he began a series of guides for passengers on the various railways radiating out of london. Framingham junction at the intersection of the boston to worcester line and the south framingham to saxonville line. The norwich and worcester was chartered in 1833, and opened april 1st, 1840.
Boston and worcester street railway post by luigia. The national park service set up a program in 1998 dedicated to identifying and preserving underground railroad sites and has identified 23 locations in new england alone. Its opening jumpstarted worcester s rapid transition from agriculture to industry, and introduced the irish to town, the first of many immigrant groups that were to come in search of work and new homes. His book is as close to a standard catalog as we have in scripophily. This boston home is one of the most welldocumented stops on the underground railroad. The boston and worcester railroad was chartered june 23, 1831 and construction began in august 1832. The boston and worcester railroad was chartered june 23, 1831 and construction began in. The boston and albany railroad was formed by a series of mergers beginning in 1867 that subsumed both the first commercial line in new england, the boston and worcester railroad chartered 1831 and the western railroad 1833, the most important line in western massachusetts. Portland and rochester, and worcester and nashua railroads, most of which themselves were. Boston and worcester railroad corporation records, 1831. In the early 1800s, there was nothing fundamentally different. The providence and worcester railroad reporting mark pw nasdaq.
The railroad system in and around framingham ca 1910. While the collection is of great interest in regard to railroad history, it also holds value as a resource. Railroad scripophily collection certificate collector. Boston and worcester street railway page 2 railroad. Includes many beforeandafter photos comparing scenes along the westchester yesterday and today. The early business history of four massachusetts railroads. Underground railroad ran through worcester news telegram. Boston and albany railroad engineering department map. After graduating from the worcester public schools, he received his ba, with a major in biology at clark university and later earned an ms in wildlife biology at the university of. Running the boston worcester, 18341842 chapter vii. These images constitute a record of the companys construction activities, rolling stock, stations, and specialized equipment from the late 1890s until approximately 1920. A chart and description of the boston and worcester and. Boston and worcester station, beach street, 1852 bpl.
Franchise history of the new york, westchester, and boston railway 1912 an account of the franchise history of this new singlephase suburban railway, of the territory which it serves, of its relation to previously established transit lines, of the character of train service which it gives and of the method of fare collection. Just look a few miles north and south to our neighbors weston and needham. The most surefire way to find the lowestpriced train tickets from worcester to boston is to plan ahead and book your train travel earlier. By 1870, the albany and west stockbridge and the hudson and boston railroad were also brought under the boston and albany railroad umbrella. Boston and albany railroad wikipedia republished wiki 2. Deed and location lines of the western railroad in worcester county, mass.
Railroad maps, 1828 to 1900, available online, massachusetts. There are 121 volumes and several boxes of unbound materials dating from 1831 to 1882. New york, providence and boston railroad wikipedia. County and township map showing drainage, cities and towns, distances between post stations, post routes, and the railroad network with named lines. In 1794 eli whitney, born in westborough, patented the cotton gin while he was a tutor in savannah georgia. Providence, and boston railroad that was cancelled three years later in favor of a 99year lease with the new york, new haven, and hartford railroad the new haven. Our society has published several books about the boston and maine railroad. During that lease term, many railroads in new england and throughout the region, including the new haven, experienced. This lease passed to the new york central railroad in 1914. The main line, built by the boston and worcester street railway, was an interurban streetcar line partly on the old boston and worcester turnpike now route 9 and partly on private rightofway. The boston and worcester railroad corporation was incorporated in massachusetts in 1831.
Within a year, massachusetts interests had secured approval for the necessary rail link from worcester to boston. He acquired the train symbol nickname wx1 for his frequent research trips between worcester, keene, and bellows falls, vt. Lines in east boston and of the building of stations in framingham, worcester. Annual report of the directors of the boston and worcester. Massachusetts railroads date all of the way back to 1826 when the granite railway was chartered on march 4th of that year. Sep 03, 2011 due to the need for secrecy on the underground railroad, not much is known about these safe houses and written records on the locations are hard to come by. From court house to round house perspectives on worcester. Boston and lowell railroad mcgill university school of. Background on boston and albany railroad the boston and albany railroad was formed by a series of mergers beginning in 1867 that subsumed both the first commercial line in new england, the boston and worcester railroad chartered 1831 and the western railroad 1833, the most important line in western massachusetts.
The urgency of building the three lines simultaneously was primarily due to the immediate success of the blackstone river canal as. The boston chapter of the national railway historical society is a group of dedicated railroad enthusiasts who gather regularly for companionship and fun to preserve and enjoy the boston areas significant contribution to railroad history, as well as all other aspects of railroading. Manchesters railroads 1965 1990 by rick kfoury 2019. This little system ran from a connection at franklin to bristol, new hampshire. The charter of the boston and providence was granted june 22nd, 1831, and that of the boston and worcester, june 23rd, 1831, with several others about the same time, which were never used.
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