How Many Washington Streets Do We Need?
Adam Gaffin asks how many Washington Streets there are in Boston. I've written previously about the Washington Street which extends from downtown to the Boston boundary with Dedham. According to the 1910 List of Streets (one of the coolest Boston reference books) there have been at least twenty-eight streets, courts, avenues, squares, etc. within Boston that have had the name "Washington" at one time or another. There are currently Washington Streets in Brighton, Roxbury/Dorchester, Charlestown, and the one which starts in downtown Boston. There is also a New Washington Street in Jamaica Plain, which was created when Forest Hills Station interrupted the historic Washington Street. East Boston has a Washington Avenue, while the Washington Avenues in West Roxbury and South Boston seem to have disappeared.
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Ah! So that's why there are actually two Washington Streets in Forest Hills, one on either side of the train station. Feh. Rename the small bit that's a continuation of Hyde Park Avenue as, um, Hyde Park Avenue , I say.
Posted by: adamg | 12 October 2006 at 12:21
I actually think Washington Street runs from Government Center to Foxboro without losing the name. I've walked from Washington Street in JP/Roxbury to Government Center to see if the sign changes, and I didn't find any different names. Doesn't seem to on maps either.
In the other direction, I don't think it ends in Dedham -- at least, the sign didn't seem to change when driving, and I can't find any different name on a map. I think it goes through Dedham to Westwood, to Walpole, to Foxboro.
Posted by: eeka | 12 October 2006 at 12:30
Doesn't it go all the way to the Rhode Island line?
Posted by: Ron Newman | 12 October 2006 at 12:59
It may very well go to the Rhode Island line--I would be surprised if it didn't. As I mentioned to Eeka I was only interested in what happened to Washington Street up to the Dedham border. After that it becomes the responsibility of the City Record and Dedham News-Letter.
Posted by: The Editor | 12 October 2006 at 13:06
There's also the Washington Street in Cambridge (near Kendall Square) and Washington Avenue (near Porter Square).
Posted by: Mark Fogle | 12 October 2006 at 15:02
Not to mention Washington Street in Somerville, which becomes Kirkland Street in Cambridge, and I-forget-what for a short stretch in Charlestown.
Broadway in Bay Village used to be the same street as Broadway in South Boston.
Posted by: Ron Newman | 12 October 2006 at 16:20
Wasn't JP more recently part of the town of West Roxbury? Couldn't West Roxbury stake a claim to it?
I was born off River Street west of Mattapan Square and only recently learned that it was part of the Town of Hyde Park until it was annexed by Boston in 1912. Before then (I'm guessing)it must have been part of the town of Dorchester. I've always heard it called Mattapan and not Hyde Park.
New York doesn't have this problem because all the boroughs have definite borders.
Posted by: scott | 12 October 2006 at 18:57
Scott:
West Roxbury was part of Roxbury until it broke off in 1851 and became a separate town, only to be annexed to Boston in 1874. When the 1851 split occurred, part of Jamaica Plain remained in Roxbury, part of it was in West Roxbury.
Posted by: The Editor | 12 October 2006 at 22:01
There's yet another Washington St, North Washington St in the North End.
Posted by: sarah c | 13 October 2006 at 08:47
I once walked Washington St. from the Dedham Line to City Hall. It was a pretty cool experience. The only place it gets confusing is around Forest Hills. Anyone else done that before?
Posted by: PerfectHandle | 13 October 2006 at 09:28
Which no doubt explains why West Roxbury District Court is actually in Jamaica Plain.
Posted by: adamg | 13 October 2006 at 10:59