1-47 John Street
Drew M.
John Street was a small street connecting North and Fulton streets, it sat in a district abundant with markets and industry. It once was only three streets away from the docks, until more land was built for the Clinton and Mercantile Markets between 1867 and 1874, pushing the docks further away. John Street is a parcel that has undergone significant changes throughout its existence, including building growth, landowner transitions, and even a change in the name of the street itself before John Street was removed permanently. Explore below to delve into various maps, photographs, and discover the stories behind this parcel.
75-79 North Street and 41-47 John Street, taken May 19, 1930
John Street was a place of industry back in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and it was home to a diverse set of businesses. This street was removed in the mid-twentieth century and is now replaced by a parcel of land called Dock Square, right next to Route 93. Many of the streets that surrounded John Street still exist today, such as Blackstone, Clinton, and North, but nothing remains of what was once John Street or Barrett, which was one street north.
1861 Pinney Map
John Street was once called Shoe & Leather Street, which can be observed on the 1861 map created by Pinney. It is not until 1874 that this parcel of land was referred to on a map as John Street, a name it kept until it was removed less than a century later.
1895 Bromley Map
Click any of the topic buttons below to explore the history of this parcel.
Bibliography
Prang & Co. Lith. Plan of the City of Boston. (1861). Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, via Atlascope.
G.M. Hopkins & Co. Atlas of the County of Suffolk, Massachusetts. (1874). Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, via Atlascope.
Sanborn Map & Publishing Co. Insurance Maps of Boston. (1882). Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, via Atlascope.
Geo.W. and Walter S. Bromley. Atlas of the City of Boston. (1883). Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, via Atlascope.
G. W. Bromley & Co. Atlas of the City of Boston. (1895). Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, via Atlascope.
G. W. Bromley & Co. Atlas of the City of Boston. (1898). Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, via Atlascope.
G. W. Bromley & Co. Atlas of the City of Boston. (1928). Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, via Atlascope.
Boston City Archives. Photograph, May 19, 1930, 75-79 North Street and 41-47 John Street, via Digital Commonwealth
Boston City Archives. Photograph, May 18, 1930, 17 1/2-22 John Street and 24 John Street to 67-73 North Street, via Digital Commonwealth
Boston City Archives. Photograph, May 18, 1930, 75-79 North Street, 41-47 John Street, via Digital Commonwealth
Library of Congress. Introduction to Sanborn Map Collection.Â
US City Directories 1882-1995. Boston Directory. (1892), via HeritageQuest.
US City Directories 1882-1995. Boston Directory. (1895), via HeritageQuest.