History

Help Rename Bussey Street Renaming: Choose 1 of the 5 Finalists

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Bussey Street is being renamed, and the community leaders behind the initiative want the community's input on which of the five finalists to rename the street after. The 5 finalists are:

Cuffe
Dick Welsh
Flora
Margaret Fuller
Shiu-ying Hu

Profiles of the five finalists are below

Bussey Street is a vehicular street that intersects the Arnold Arboretum. The street is named after Benjamin Bussey, whose legacy is complicated due to some of his wealth deriving from the profits of trade in products produced by enslaved people in the American South and the Caribbean, according to the Presidential Committee on Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery, a major initiative by Harvard University "focused on researching and day-lighting connections between Harvard and its community to both the institution and economy of slavery." A large portion of the Arnold Arboretum, land now owned by the city and leased to Harvard to operate the arboretum, was donated by Bussey, according to the Arnold Arboretum. There are numerous things named after him including Bussey Hill, Bussey Brook and Bussey Brook Meadow on the Arboretum grounds.

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History

Learn About Past & Future of Franklin Park with JP Historical Society (Virtual) Event on March 16

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Since Frederick Law Olmsted designed Franklin Park in 1885, it has been the centerpiece of the Boston park system that became known as our beloved Emerald Necklace. That's the past. Now there's a lot of talk about the future of Franklin Park. The city created a Franklin Park Action Plan. You may have also heard about the proposal to renovate White Stadium to be the home of Boston Public Schools athletics, as well as a women's professional soccer team.

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History

Shoes & Brews: Learn About an Irish Family in Jamaica Plain from 1880-1940

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This article is from the Jamaica Plain Historical Society's website, and has been republished here with permission from JPHS. It is based on a slide show presented by Susan Steele at the Loring Greenough House in Jamaica Plain on January 7, 2020.  

This article follows the Glennon family during the industrial era of 1880-1940 in Jamaica Plain and Roxbury. Employment in the Thomas G. Plant Shoe Factory and the Burton Brewery provided the family with opportunity and hardship. The article follows the transformation of the family and Hyde/Jackson Squares through the decades.

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History

Learn About The History of Slavery in Jamaica Plain on Jan. 28

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Did you know that at least 27 Africans were enslaved in Jamaica Plain in the 1700s?  Hidden Jamaica Plain will present an overview of slavery in Jamaica Plain this Sunday. The history of slavery includes land theft, enslavement first of Indigenous people and then expansion to Africans. Did you know that Massachusetts Bay was the first English colony in North America to legalize slavery in 1641? There are many different types of slavery including chattel, bonded, forcer labour and sexual slavery. Chattel slavery existed in Massachusetts at the time of the American Revolution, and several Jamaica Plain patriots were enslavers.

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History

Don’t Try to Harvest Ice from Jamaica Pond, Instead Learn About History of Harvesting Pond Ice

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Before modern refrigerators produced ice, people had to gather ice where it naturally formed -- like from Jamaica Pond. Jamaica Plain Historical Society (JPHS) member Charlie Rosenberg provided a presentation in 2023 about this fascinating industry and the over-sized role it played in Jamaica Plain’s economy. By 1880, the Jamaica Pond Ice Company had 22 icehouses on Jamaica Pond with a storage capacity of 30,000 tons, according to JPHS. It's important to keep in mind that ice was a commodity available only to the very rich and to those who could harvest it themselves. That changed as the ice harvesting industry became increasingly mechanized, and the new technologies allowed more people to enjoy the benefits of ice year-round.

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History

Who Are The Famous People Buried at Forest Hills Cemetery?

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Poets, governors, abolitionists, and a Noble Peace Prize winner -- those are some of the well-known people buried at the Forest Hills Cemetery. One of the most famous people buried at Forest Hills Cemetery has had a poem leading up to his gravesite through the years -- e.e. cummings. If you go looking for him, his gravestone says his full name Edward Estlin Cummings. Other famous writers include poet Anne Sexton and playwright Eugene O'Neill. Staying with the writing theme, Eben Jordan is buried in Forest Hills.

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History

Throwback to 1800s: Jamaica Plain’s Mary Morey, Pioneering Doctor

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On December 15, 1887, Dr. Mary Morey married Benjamin Pearson in Boston. Mary graduated from the BU School of Medicine two years earlier. They eventually moved to 45 Eliot Street. Mary Morey was born in February of 1861 in Colombo, Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Her father William  (1837-1908) was a sea captain who had been born in Hampden, Maine.

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Arts

47 Years Overdue: Someone Returned a Record to Jamaica Plain Library Due in 1976

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While not a world record, someone recently returned a vinyl record to the Jamaica Plain Branch Library that was due in 1976! The vinyl record was left in the return bin in the front of the library and the staff didn't see who returned the record that was due on October 27, 1976. Maybe the person was worried about being fined, but Boston public libraries no longer fine people for late items.

For the record -- the vinyl record was Junior Walker and The All Stars' "Anthology", which was released in 1974. The vinyl record wasn't even in the system -- maybe because the Jamaica Plain Branch Library doesn't even have vinyl records to lend anymore -- nor do other Boston branch libraries. JP's branch librarians contacted the archival department at Boston's Central Library to let them know about the record.

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History

Learn About Conducting Oral History Interview at Connolly Library Event

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The Connolly Branch Library is hosting a workshop covering the basics of oral history and how to craft an interview. The workshop will focus on the ethics of oral history, practices for crafting thoughtful questions, and active listening. The Boston Public Library also has oral history backpacks that any BPL member can check out. Attendees of the workshop will learn how to use the recording equipment in BPL's Oral History Backpacks. The event is Oct.

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History

Photos: Construction of the Southwest Corridor Rail Lines from 1980s

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The Southwest Corridor rail lines were constructed in the early 1980s. Check out these photos from back then that include construction of the rail lines, English High School, views of downtown, and more. All photos courtesy of the Jamaica Plain Historical Society/Will and Sharlene Cochrane. All photo information provide by Jamaica Plain Historical Society.  

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