History

Jamaica Plain Historical Society Neighborhood Walking Tours Begin May 14

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Ever wonder about the history of Hyde Square, Green Street, or Stony Brook? Learn about those neighborhoods and other JP areas through the Jamaica Plain Historical Society's history walking tours series. This is 27th season of JPHS' historic walking tours. All tours are free to the public, and the series kicks of May 14 with a tour Monument Square. The tours are mostly on Saturdays at 11 am, although there are a few Sunday tours this summer.

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History

History of 30 Carolina Avenue and 52 South Street

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At the corner of South Street and Carolina Avenue in Jamaica Plain is a colorful court that hosts lively tennis, pickleball and basketball games throughout the week. Next door, at 30 Carolina Avenue, is a unique brick building and wooden stable that has housed the Penshorn Roofing Company since 1960 (figure 1). If we stand on that corner and turn back the clock over 170 years, we would visit a time of great transformation and growth for the city of Boston and a family that played a significant role in those changes. We would also learn the story of an entrepreneurial immigrant family and the tragedy they endured. Architecture of 30 Carolina Ave
30 Carolina Avenue is a one-and-a-half story Second Empire-style building.

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History

Learn About The Industrial History of Green Street on Jan. 23

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How many times have you walked down Green Street in Jamaica Plain? What was on Green Street 100 years ago? What was on Green Street in further back than a century ago? Learn about the industrial history of Green Street during a Jamaica Plain Historical Society virtual presentation on Jan. 23.

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Arts

JP Artist Hinçman Discussing His New Public Art Installed Outside Library on Jan. 13

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Do you want to know more about the new public art installation outside of Curtis Hall and the JP Branch Library? Jamaica Plain artist Matthew Hinçman will discuss his latest work commissioned for the city in a virtual January 13 presentation. Hinçman's newest public art installation is Wythe & Web, and has stirred up discussion in online groups. If you haven't seen it, or walked up to it yet, it appears like there are several beach chairs sitting in front of brick-based benches. But get closer, and those "beach chairs" or solid and permanently stuck in the ground.

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History

The Greenough Family and the Boston Tea Party

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The Boston Tea Party happened on December 16, 1773, and brothers David and John Greenough were embroiled in the controversy, and boycott of tea imported by the East India Company that led to the Boston Tea Party. Learn more about how the Boston Tea Party affected the Greenough family from a lecture by historian Peter Drummey. Drummey is a Jamaica Plain resident and Librarian of the Massachusetts Historical Society where the Greenough family papers are housed. The lecture was originally held at the Loring-Greenough House, 12 South Street, and was sponsored by the Jamaica Plain Tuesday Club and the Jamaica Plain Historical Society. The following article is the text of the lecture, was originally published on Jamaica Plain Historical Society's website.

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History

Jamaica Plain Has Been Called ‘Home’ By Five Boston Mayors

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With Michelle Wu being elected as Boston mayor, we thought it would be interesting to look back at the mayors who called Jamaica Plain home. For the record, Wu currently lives one neighborhood over, in Roslindale. James Michael Curley
Many residents have stories about the house in the Curley era: clients who came to the door in the morning for help (as seen in the Curley novel, The Last Hurrah), the long line of mourners at the double funerals of his children, Mary and Leo, in 1950, and the famous people who visited 350 Jamaicaway over the years. The sale of the shamrock-shuttered home of James Michael Curley rightly drew the attention of a new generation to this legendary mayor’s long residence in our area. Though His Honor lived in the house from 1915 onwards, the second longest-serving mayor of Boston (16 years in all) did not die there.

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History

Video: City’s Archaeologist Talks About Boston’s Oldest Buildings

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Boston's Archaeologist Joe Bagley recently spoke at a Jamaica Plain Historical Society sponsored event about his new book Boston’s Oldest Houses and Where To Find Them. Bagley's talk included the two houses in Jamaica Plain that are featured in the book, as well as several others that have interesting connections to JP. Bagley also spoke about the need to landmark historic structures to preserve and protect them. This event was originally held on May 25, 2021.

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History

Jamaica Plain Historical Society Historic Walking Tours Start May 22

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The 26th season of the free Jamaica Plain Historical Society neighborhood tours are kicking off May 22. The tours are a great way to learn more about Monument Square, the Woodbourne neighborhood, Jamaica Pond, and more. "I like helping people discover more about the history of the places they visit each day. People pass by the colonial milestones in JP zillions of times without knowing they are there and what they are," said JPHS President Gretchen Grozier. "But once someone takes a tour they learn more, and hopefully, are curious to continue learning more about the rich and wonderful history of Jamaica Plain."

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History

Jamaica Plain’s Connections to the History of Baseball

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The beginnings of baseball in Boston and its first connection to Jamaica Plain are found with Harry Wright and his brother George. Harry was born in England. George, 13 years his junior, was born in New York City. Their father, Samuel, was a professional cricket player in New York and both boys started with that sport before switching to baseball. Harry played and managed the Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first professional baseball team, to a run of 76 consecutive victories during the 1869 and 1870 seasons.

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History

Walking Tour of Woodbourne

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Come walk with us through this well-known corner of JP. This neighborhood developed from 19th-century summer estates into a model suburban enclave. It contains examples representative of New England architecture with designs by local architects and builders. It also contains an unusual garden city model housing development by the Boston Dwelling House Company which was founded in 1912. Please note: tours will be given based on the current COVID 19 directives from the City of Boston and the Commonwealth.