Hey, there! Log in / Register
When kids just used to hang out in the street
By adamg on Thu, 01/26/2023 - 10:34am
The folks at the Boston City Archives wonder if you can place this scene. See it larger.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Lexington Street in East Boston?
Based on the look of the buildings, I'm guessing East Boston. The single trolley track is a big clue for narrowing down the location. BERY operated a loop line running one way each on Lexington and Bennington streets. This looks too narrow for Bennington. The building at the end of the street indicates that either the street is turning to the left, or is ending at another street as a T intersection. If I'm right that it's Lexington St., then the end of the block is where it hits E. Eagle St.
Time Frame
Likely mid to late 1930s. Lots of pics of my MIL dressed like that as a kid, and the woman walking is wearing a fairly short dress for it to be much earlier.
Probably not a BERY line
It was probably a street running railroad track, due the lack of an overhead trolley wire. I recall there being railroad tracks on East First Street in South Boston into the 1990s, so maybe it's somewhere in that area.
Good catch
Certainly doesn't appear to be overhead, although it's possible that the line was abandoned at some point although the single-track lines (Lexington, and Webster/Sumner in Eastie) survived into the '30s as car lines. But there wasn't a lot of street-running, either. It's not the OG NSRL (Union Freight Railroad) nor does it appear to be the First Street railroad in Southie. Not sure where else there was street-running.
It’s in the area of 65
It’s in the area of 65 Lexington street look at street view
and not a tree in sight
it's first thing i notice whenever i visit a new city... or even a neighborhood in boston that i've never visited before. (it happened just last week!)
Trees Are Missing in Low-Income Neighborhoods
We should extend
Sidewalks into the exiting, unused bike lanes and plant trees. Bike lanes are used and demanded by upper income white people. The rest of us have no need for them.
See American Legion Highway.
"Unused"
"upper income white people"
Please supply count data and demographic data to support this just-so story.
Just because you believe it and repeat it, doesn't make it true.
Paint a stripe in the road
Paint a stripe in the road that wasn't there before and some people lose their minds. Then some even start parroting conspiracy theories about social engineering.
Street lights only on one side
Not a comfortable night time walk...
1920's South Boston? The
1920's South Boston? The girls resemble a photo of my grandmother and her sister, I had to look twice. Possibly somewhere in the between Dorchester Street and D Street? There was a streetcar service back then, if I am recalling their stories correctly.
My first guess is….
*somewhere* in East Boston. Street too narrow for JP
curb cuts ; hydrant ; sign in
curb cuts ; hydrant ; sign in window at corner ; curve at end of street; level straight street; many hints here
Bayview Route?
My best guess is somewhere along "The Bayview Route" (now MBTA Route 11) in Southie during the 1930s after conversion to buses on November 22, 1930. The line dates back to at least 1866 and featured mostly single track operations between Broadway and Dorchester Street. Inbound and outbound routings varied slightly over the years. These could be the tenements that predated the D Street Projects.
The Answer
Thanks for playing, folks! FINALLY, we stumped most of you. This one is particularly tricky because these homes no longer exist.
This photo was taken opposite 191 West 8th Street in South Boston on July 20, 1933 at 3 pm.
The cladding on the buildings
The cladding on the buildings and the large front stoops made me think 1930's but I had no idea where in the city that street may have been.
Good one @Boston City Archive!