539-575 Atlantic Avenue &
164-188 Purchase Street
Sydney F.
Introduction
From the 1860s to the 1940s, these plots on Atlantic Avenue and Purchase Street were marked by three distinct yet intrinsically connected components. These included:
1) Intergenerational properties owned by the Phillips family
2) Industries that flourished due to their location, primarily the fish-oil industry as this plot was located in close proximity to multiple wharves and piers that collected a plethora of fish daily
3) Atlantic Avenue as constructed land and the ways that this man-made land shifted with time, particularly in terms of widening these streets
Explore the historical narratives of 539 Atlantic Avenue and 164-188 Purchase Street! Begin the journey here:
ReferenceS
“Atlantic Avenue: The Reasons Urged for its Widening- State of the Project at Present.” Newspaper Archive, Boston Daily Globe, Jan 28, 1874.
Boston Elevated Railway Company. "Atlantic Avenue at Rowes Wharf." Photograph. June 24, 1942. Digital Commonwealth.
"Boston, Massachusetts. Commercial Wharf, Atlantic Ave." Photograph. 1860. Digital Commonwealth.
Bromley, George W. and Walter S. Atlas of the City of Boston. Philadelphia: G.W. Bromley & Co., 1883-1912. Boston Public Library, via Atlascope.
“Buried Under Falling Roof.” Proquest Historical Newspapers, Boston Daily Globe, Dec 25, 1914.
“David K. Phillips Found Drowned: Thought to be a Case of Suicide, but Some Hint at Foul Play.” Proquest Historical Newspapers, Boston Daily Globe, April 07, 1905.
“Four Divorce Suits Latest Denouement in Sensational Chapter of Phillips Family.” Newspaper Archive, Boston Daily Globe, July 24, 1910.
“George H. Morrill Company (The Inkworks).” Norwood Historical Society, 8 June 2019.
Grant, Spencer. "Winter on the Boston Fish Pier, Atlantic Avenue waterfront." Photograph. 1972. Digital Commonwealth.
Jones, Leslie. "Atlantic Ave. towards Rowe's Wharf from Appraisers' Stores." Photograph. July 21, 1932. Digital Commonwealth.
Jones, Leslie. "Lobster wharf. (Mercantile Wharf) commercial building (rear) Atlantic Ave." Photograph. 1928. Digital Commonwealth.
Jones, Leslie. "T-wharf, Atlantic Ave. oblique view." Photograph. February 1930. Digital Commonwealth.
Kennedy, Lawrence W. Planning the City Upon a Hill: Boston since 1630. Boston: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1992.
“L.H. Phillips Left Estate of $857,320.61: Swampscott Man Owned Boston Real Estate.” Newspaper Archive, Boston Daily Globe, Feb 08, 1916.
“On Boston’s Wharves.” Newspaper Archive, Boston Daily Globe, May 11, 1872.
Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Boston. New York: Sanborn Map & Publishing Co., 1882. Boston Public Library, via Atlascope.
Seasholes, Nancy S. Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston. Boston: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003.
“Widening Atlantic Avenue.” Newspaper Archive, Boston Daily Globe, May 11, 1872.