Mobility & Transportation
Movement on State St.
Since the founding of Long Wharf, State Street had been valued for its close proximity to means of transportation. However at the turn of the 20th Century, methods of travel and transport on State Street increased significantly as elevated railways, on grade freight trains, and novel subway lines turned the corridor into a transportation mecca.
Griffin, Arthur. "State Street (including Long Wharf & Atlantic Ave.)." Photograph. 1935. Digital Commonwealth, https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/k930f976z (accessed May 05, 2021).
LONG WHARF
State Street has strong ties to transportation and commercial development in Boston from the city’s earliest days. In 1710, Capitan Oliver Noyes built the Long Wharf pier and extended State Street (then King Street) to stretch from the city’s center into Boston Harbor. The lengthened wharf and easy street access allowed shipping merchants to load and unload cargo from large vessels onto a direct route into Boston. Soon the easternmost section of State Street was lined with rows of warehouses and shops to facilitate the manufacturing, storage, and shipping of commercial goods. With the port booming in the early 1800s, State Street became the “center of a burgeoning financial district.” However, by the early 20th century Boston’s waterfront declined in importance, as trains and subways took center stage.
Kennedy, Lawrence W. Planning the City Upon a Hill: Boston Since 1630. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 1992. p 18.
Long Wharf
t-pier,1930
View from State St. onto Long Wharf
LEFT: Jones, Leslie. "T-wharf and long wharf." Photograph. February 1930. Digital Commonwealth, https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/gx41n804x (accessed May 05, 2021).
RIGHT: Griffin, Arthur. "State Street (including Long Wharf & Atlantic Ave.)." Photograph. 1935. Digital Commonwealth, https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/k930f972v (accessed May 05, 2021).
TRAINS
Railway lines are another one of State Street’s means of mobility. During the summer of 1902, construction finished on the Atlantic elevated railway or the “El”. The soaring tracks and loading platforms brought goods and passengers to the State Street Station, located adjacent to the 298 State Street property (see detail right). The elevated rail line followed the same path as the on-grade Union Freight railway, running north-south along the Boston waterfront. These rail lines not only facilitated transportation, but also became a visual indicator of eastern State Street (see image carousel below). However, they were also critiqued for its bulky appearance and auditory disruptions
The Atlantic Elevated was demolished just 40 years later, an eerie foreshadowing of the "Big Dig" that would deconstruct the elevated “Central Artery” expressway that took its place.
Text: Finstein, Amy D. Modern Mobility Aloft. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2020. p 21 & 136-38.
Image: Bromley, George Washington and Walter S. Bromley. Atlas of the City of Boston. Philadelphia: G.W. Bromley & Co., 1898. Boston Public Library, via Atlascope.
1- Boston Elevated Railway Company, State Street Station, August 8, 1901, Photograph,Boston Elevated Railway photographs (9800.018), May 5, 2021 https://cityofboston.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_b35e3f9e-21c1-49ac-99ab-cded378a6c8d/.
2- Boston Elevated Railway Company, State Street Station, April 11, 1901, Photograph, Boston Elevated Railway photographs (9800.018), May 5, 2021 https://cityofboston.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_b94ac39f-05e2-438b-b33e-ec0ec593e07a/.
3 - Boston Elevated Railway Company, State Street Station, west side, August 8, 1901, Photograph, Boston Elevated Railway photographs (9800.018), May 5, 2021 https://cityofboston.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_487c0ef5-abc6-4f89-9bb5-35b0dccded97/.
4- Boston Elevated Railway Company, State Street Station, extension of platform, May 28, 1902, Photograph, Boston Elevated Railway photographs (9800.018), May 5, 2021 https://cityofboston.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_cb14e408-3e6a-4a4d-94b9-52271e332d37/.
5- Boston (Mass.), State Street, August 14, 1921, Photograph, Public Works Department photograph collection (5000.009), May 5, 2021 https://cityofboston.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_b35e3f9e-21c1-49ac-99ab-cded378a6c8d/.
6- Boston (Mass.). "State Street Station looking north." Photograph. September 14, 1939. Digital Commonwealth, https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth-oai:h415s457h (accessed May 05, 2021).
7- Boston (Mass.). "State Street Station looking south." Photograph. September 14, 1939. Digital Commonwealth, https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth-oai:h415s458s (accessed May 05, 2021).
Subways
EAST BOSTON LINE
In July of 1902, construction began on the East Boston Tunnel, which connected State Street to both existing subway rails and to street level access points. Considerable demolition took place to excavate the State Street subway line, as existing granite street paving and buckets of earth had to be removed by hand. The finalized route stretched from the Exchange Building to the Station across from 290 State Street. An elevator then connected the subway line to the elevated railroad on Atlantic Ave. On December 30th, 1904, a celebratory banquet fit with roses, fireworks, and a tour through the tunnel celebrated the opening of the line. Governor Bates championed the line for its efficiency and ability to save Bostonians precious time, noting how in the financial district especially, “time is money.” The first passengers traveled through the East Boston Tunnel on the 5:30am transfer the next morning, for a 1 cent toll fare.
TEXT Bibliography
"CONSTRUCTION WORK IN STATE STREET.: EAST BOSTON TUNNEL AND OTHER OPERATIONS MAKE HAVOC IN BOSTON'S FINANCIAL THOROUGHFARE." Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922), Jul 10, 1902. https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=https://www-proquest-com.holycross.idm.oclc.org/historical-newspapers/construction-work-state-street/docview/499704342/se-2?accountid=11456.
"EAST BOSTON IN A JOYFUL MOOD.: IIIUMINATION, PARADE AND BANQUET MARK OPENING OF ITS BIG TUNNEL. TOLL AND TRANSFER SYSTEM FOR THE EAST BOSTON TUNNEL. EAST BOUND. REVATION FOR GOV BATES. LIEUT GOV GUILD AND OTHERS. EAST BOSTON'S NIGHT. FOUR OF TUNNEL FOR ITS ESPECIAL BEN- EFIT ATTENDED BY IILUMINATION, FIRE. WORKS AND CHEERING OF CROWDS. TRIP THROUGH TUNNEL. BETWEEN 250 AND 300 REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS AND OFFICIALS MAKE JOUR- NEY AS GUESTS OF THE ELEVATED." Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922), Dec 30, 1904. https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=https://www-proquest-com.holycross.idm.oclc.org/historical-newspapers/east-boston-joyful-mood/docview/500247229/se-2?accountid=11456.
"LAST SECTION BEGUN.: PROGRESS OF WORK ON EAST BOSTON TUNNEL. FROM EAST SIDE OF WASHINGTON ST AT STATE TO SCOLLAY SQ. CONTRACT CALLS FOR ITS FINISH NEXT DECEMBER." Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922), Jul 19, 1903. https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=https://www-proquest-com.holycross.idm.oclc.org/historical-newspapers/last-section-begun/docview/499908087/se-2?accountid=11456.
IMAGE CITATION
Boston (Mass.), Looking southerly in State Street Station, Washington Street subway, November 1908, Photograph, May 5, 2021
https://cityofboston.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_f718397a-a1d8-4594-a82b-6152ab2f1ff9/
Street construction on State Street looking towards Old State House, 1898
The map details above show representations of the East Boston Subway Line as they appear on the Bromley Atlases of Boston
LEFT: Boston (Mass.). Engineering Department, Street construction on State Street looking towards Old State House,1898, Photograph, Public Works Department scrapbooks (5000.005) May 5, 2021 https://cityofboston.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_73539b6d-d4be-4551-8c62-4f4b0bb8d620/.
RIGHT: Atlascope MapsBromley, George Washington and Walter S. Bromley. Atlas of the City of Boston. Philadelphia: G.W. Bromley & Co., 1902. Boston Public Library, via Atlascope.
Effects of Modernized Transportation
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
The increasingly modern modes of transportation seen on State Street made travel and trade more efficient for those working in the area; however, their presence speaks to larger narratives about mobility and industrialization during the 20th Century. With the advent of new ways to navigate around Boston came new patterns of movement for both humans and products. In some cases, modern means of transportation streamlined travel time and effort, as with the subway. In other instances, such as the Atlantic Elevated Railway, new transportation disrupted daily life, as the bulky, elevated structure created a loud and even dangerous environment for neighboring businesses and pedestrians. The evolution of modes of transportation as seen on State Street provides a snapshot of larger issues of urban infrastructure, industrialization, and mobility facing Boston at the turn of the 19th century.