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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Neighborhood Life

My Ten Favorite Streets to Walk in Jamaica Plain

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Alex Cox recently accomplished an amazing feat -- he walked every single street in Boston.  

Cox is currently a Master in Urban Planning candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He recently achieved his long-term goal to visit every street in Boston by foot or by bike, and holds the Guinness World Record for fastest time to travel to every MBTA station. A long-time resident of the Fenway-Kenmore area, he now lives in Somerville. Here are his 10 favorite streets to walk in Jamaica Plain:

Jamaica Plain has always held a special place in my heart, because it was the first neighborhood of Boston that I ever lived in.

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History

The History of 101 Carolina Avenue

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At the corner of Carolina Avenue and Lee Street in Jamaica Plain sits a charming cottage on an unusually large parcel of land for the surrounding neighborhood. This house, at 101 Carolina Avenue, was the first to be built on the street. Though significant for its age, also important is the role it played in the history of Jamaica Plain and the development of the field of social work. Between 1853, when the house was constructed, and 1913, most of the owners and occupants of 101 Carolina Avenue were related by marriage, blood, or business ties. In 1913, the house transformed from a single-family home into the home of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood House Association, a settlement house that served the working people of Jamaica Plain and the influx of immigrants moving into the neighborhood.

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Neighborhood Life

Get Your Tix Now: Jamaica Plan Garden Tour on Saturday

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The 1st Annual Jamaica Plain Garden Tour by the Trustees of Boston Community Gardens is this Saturday, and will feature more than 20 privately owned gardens. This is a self-guided tour through 24 private and two public gardens. A garden owner or Trustees' volunteer will be at each garden to greet and check people at gardens in the Sumner Hill and Central neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain. "There are some really wonderful gardens on the tour this year, everything from smaller but well-designed patio gardens to expansive perennial gardens with trees and shrubs," said Michelle de Lima, engagement manager for Boston Community Gardens, via email to Jamaica Plain News. The gardens are varied, including creatively using urban spaces, formal English style gardens, rambling woodland landscapes and more.

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History

JP Historical Society Launches Walking Neighborhood Tour Series

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Twenty-three years ago the then president of the Jamaica Plain Historical Society, Rhea Becker, had an idea. Why not conduct a series of walking tours during the summer months as a way to highlight the rich history of JP for people? The JPHS has been conducting historic walking tours of Jamaica Plain tours ever since. From the four tours that debuted on the schedule in 1995, the offerings have now expanded to include seven different tours. Each tour lasts between 60 and 90 minutes.

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Animals

Newest Sumner Hill Residents: Turkeys Moving In?

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Turkeys are not a common sight in Jamaica Plain. They're more of a Brookline thing. But several turkeys were seen the other day in Sumner Hill. Jamaica Plain News reader Karla Vallance shared the above photo from neighbor Rita Lee on JP News' Facebook page on August 8. It looks like there were two adults and one baby, also known as a poult or chick.

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From the Community

Lost Cat — Sumner Hill Area

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Louis  has  been  missing  since  Sunday, June 7.  He  is  a  long-­haired,   skinny,  Maine  Coon, wearing  a  purple  collar  with  a   pink  tag  that  says  the  name  “spaghetti”  on  it. Louis  is   the  world’s  sweetest  cat.  He  usually  comes  when  called   but  may  be  very scared. Please  call  if  you  see  him:  617-­791-­9154

   

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Detail from poster for missing JP dog Taupaw
Animals

Hyde Square Man Says ‘Coyote’ Seen on Ice By Coast Guard Was His Wolfhound

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UPDATE: Animal Control found Taupaw. ~~~~~

A Jamaica Plain man's search for his missing dog-wolf hybrid has him at odds with the Coast Guard. Taupaw, a Dutch Wolfhound, went missing Thursday night and, according to owner Alexander Humphreys, has been making tracks all over Boston and Brookline. Here's a poster about the missing dog:

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));Post by Missing Dogs Massachusetts. The poster says the dog was "photographed on the ice in Quincy Bay" on Feb.

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Neighborhood Life

Power Outages Hit Jamaica Plain

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Several parts of JP lost power Thursday, including Sumner Hill, Brookside Avenue and Amory Street. Eversource, the new name for NStar, reports 537 outages across Boston as of 2:30 p.m. on their handy outage map. The map, however, doesn't pinpoint how many of those are in JP. You can report your outage via phone using this link: https://nstar.mobi/nst_mobile/index.htm. You can also just call 1-800-592-2000.

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