Description of Dorchester District 1910
Description of the “The Dorchester District” in Rand, McNally’s Guide, 1910.
To reach Dorchester via Meeting House Hill, take the blue cars marked “Meeting House Hill” and “Dorchester” on signs. These cars start from North Station and run via Washington, Northampton, Hampden, and Dudley streets. To reach Dorchester via Grove Hall, take the green car marked “Dorchester” and “Norfolk Street” on signs. These cars run via Franklin, Hawley, Summer, Washington, and Warren streets. Passengers via the elevated may also transfer at Dudley Street terminal.
Dorchester, incorporated the same day as Boston, has, like Roxbury, an interesting local history. It became a part of Boston in 1870, and, in spite of its rapid growth, it has retained many of the features which have always made it a pleasant place for suburban residences. Its picturesque hills — Savin, Jones’, Pope’s, and Meeting House, and Mount Bowdoin–command extensive water and land views and are covered with costly villas. At Upham’s Corner is the old burying ground (Dudley and Boston streets) where are the graves of Richard Mather, founder of the Mather family in this country, and others distinguished in the history of Massachusetts. At Five Corners–Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Pond, and Cottage streets–is the old Everett House where Edward Everett was born. Meeting House Hill has been since 1670 the site of the successive meeting-houses of the First Parish (now Unitarian), dating from 1630. The present house succeeds one built in 1816 and recently destroyed by fire. At Field’s Corner is the district post office and a branch of the Boston Public Library. The Lower Mills village is at the southerly bounds of the district on the Neponset River.