Horse Railroad
A railway was constructed over Dorchester Avenue in 1856-1857.[1]
Dorchester and Roxbury Railroad Company
Horse railroad or streetcar line
May 30, 1857, William Swan, Charles Holbrook and William Hendry joined to form a corporation with “power to construct, maintain and use a railway or railways, with convenient single or double tracks, from a point Meeting-house Hill, in the town of Dorchester, upon and over Hancock and Stoughton Streets, so called, in said town of Dorchester to the line separating said town from the city of Roxbury; and also from a point near the Town House in said Dorchester, upon and over Washington Street, so called, in said town, to the line separating said town from the city of Roxbury, and at said line to connect with the Metropolitan Railroad Company, at such points as may be agreed upon … Said tracks or roads shall be operated and used by said corporation with horse-power only … This act shall not go into effect provided the Dorchester Avenue Railroad shall, within one year, construct a railroad from said Avenue to Upham’s Corner.”[1]
April 5, 1859, the act was extended for 9 months from this date.[2]
[1] Private and Special Statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the years 1854, ’55, ’56, ’57, ’58, ’59 … Volume 10. (Boston, 1861). 748.
[2] Private and Special Statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the years 1854, ’55, ’56, ’57, ’58, ’59 … Volume 10. (Boston, 1861). 904.
No. 24048 Map of Horse Railways 1876
Horse railways are marked in green. They connect to electric streetcars marked in red. There was a horse railroad line running from Boston to Lower Mills along Dorchester Avenue. There was one from Roxbury to Uphams Corner and another from Roxbury following Warren Street, then along Washington Street to Centre Street (Codman Square).
[1] History of the Town of Dorchester, Massachusetts. (Boston, 1859) 375.