Property Owners
Blackstone’s properties were owned mostly by landowners who seemed to have property scattered throughout Boston. There seem to be a few prominent families that were able to dominate real estate at this time. However, even though these are the people whose names appear on real estate deeds, they were often not really mentioned when the properties were being discussed in the news and other sources. So it seems that although these property owners were the names most associated with the buildings, they were not the ones who in reality were spending the most time there.
Eldredge Family:
One family where this was particularly true was the Eldredge family. The Eldredge family remained the owners of 3-4 Blackstone from the 1880s well into the 1920s. We first see the Eldredges pop up around the 1880s with both Ellen S. Eldredge in 3-4 Blackstone as well as “J.T Eldredge” coming in at 9-10 Blackstone. However, as we go into the 20th century, we see J.T disappear from this block, however, Ellen S. Eldredge remains a bit longer. This shows a clear mark this family had on this land that they retained ownership of it for so long. “J.T Eldredge” is in reference to James T. Eldredge who was a well-known real estate dealer at the time. Ellen S. Eldredge was the name of his wife, daughter, and granddaughter, therefore it is not totally clear whether the land transferred between them or if it stayed within his wife’s control all of those years. Major Edward H. Eldredge, son of Ellen S. Eldredge and James T. Eldredge, also had brief control over the 3-4 properties in the late 1900s after Ellen. Major Edward Eldredge was a well-known man within the real estate space, he started “Edward H Eldredge & Co”, a real estate firm in the city of Boston. Overall the Eldredge family was not unlike other land owners on this block, they were a family with real estate holdings all over the city who despite their name being on the property did not seem to have a lot of daily involvement with the space.
Major Edward H. Eldredge
French Family:
The French Family, much like the Eldredge family owned several parcels throughout Blackstone at various times. They also, like the Eldredge family were never really mentioned however when discussing the specific industries that were within these parcels, these are not the names being mentioned. Rather it seems they just leased this space to others. Hannah French is listed as owning 5-6 Blackstone from the 1880s to the early 1900s. “J. French” also has a part within the block as he owned 1-2 Blackstone and 9-10 Blackstone before selling this and buying the 7-8 parcel instead. They also own property across the street located on John Street. Hanna French was married to a man named John M. French, the “J French” in question. The French family once again demonstrates how families can seem involved within the landscape through these maps which show their ownership of the parcel but in reality do not seem as connected to the place.
Reuben Kimball
Unlike other landowners on the block, the Kimball family was involved in the businesses on their property. Reuben Kimball (R.H Kimball on the map), seemed to be both an owner of the space as well as someone who was involved in the actual business within the space. He is listed as a clerk for the company in the 1905 directory. Kimball was the president of a poultry and dairy products firm called “Lamson & Co.” Kimball seems to differ from other property owners who did not take part in the businesses in their buildings. He also seems to differ from other company presidents on this block as most did not own their buildings. Below is his funeral service information. He passed away in 1944, not long before his property was to be taken and destroyed in order to build the Central Artery.
"Policeman Collapses on Duty and Dies." Daily Boston Globe (1928-1960), Nov 23, 1944. https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/policeman-collapses-on-duty-dies/docview/840047388/se-2.
Other sites towards the end of the street do not cite people as their owners but rather well-known organizations. However, despite these organizations being listed within the atlases as having ownership, there is little to no information out there linking these organizations to the property. As one can see closer within the picture below, 16-17 Blackstone had ties to the Boston Asylum and Farm School which was located on Thompson Island. The other organizations listed are Mass General Hospital and the Theological Education Society. These organizations remain names on this block for many years despite there being little actual known association between these properties and these organizations.
Bromley, George Washington, and Walter Scott Bromley. Map. 1883. Atlas of the City of Boston. https://atlascope.leventhalmap.org/#view:map.