Over the holidays I picked up a copy of Boston’s Orange Line, another in the series of local history books that Arcadia Publishing has been issuing for the last decade or so. This one is a collection of photographs detailing the history of our neighborhood’s train line from its earliest days, including a long-forgotten spur through downtown along Atlantic Avenue. From its early days as the Main Line Elevated running from Sullivan Square to Dudley to its current incarnation, the authors (a Globe reporter and UMass Boston archivist) have done a fantastic job of detailing the line’s history. This one belongs on every Roxbury historian’s shelf.
If you’re interested in picking up a copy, why not do it in person at the upcoming book talk they’ll be hosting at Doyle’s? Here are the details, courtesy of the JP Historical Society:
'Boston's Orange Line' Book Talk
Sunday, January 26, 2013 from 3pm-5pm
at Doyle’s, 3484 Washington Street, JP
The story of the Orange Line is the story of Boston: always in flux but trailed by its long history. Since 1901, this rail line’s configuration has evolved in response to changes in the city, society, and technology. Hazardous sections have been eliminated, ownership has transitioned from private to public, and the line has been rerouted to serve growing suburbs and to use land cleared for the failed Inner Belt. Both its northern terminus, which shifted from Everett to Malden, and the southern route, realigned from Washington Street to the Southwest Corridor, have seen dramatic transformations that have in turn changed riders’ lives. Today, the line’s 10 miles of track curve through many Greater Boston communities, serving thousands along the way.
The authors Jeremy C. Fox and Andrew Elder are JP residents and will have copies of the book for sale.
Sponsored by the Jamaica Plain Historical Society. Free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served (but cash bar).