The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959, Part 3

Author:
Publication date: 1789
Publisher: Boston : Sampson & Murdock company
Number of Pages: 2048

USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Allston > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Brighton > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Charlestown > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Dorchester > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > East Boston > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Hyde Park > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Jamaica Plain > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Readville > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Roslindale > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Roxbury > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > South Boston > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > West Roxbury > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Allston > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury, 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury, 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Brighton > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury, 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Charlestown > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury, 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Dorchester > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury, 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > East Boston > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury, 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Hyde Park > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury, 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Jamaica Plain > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury, 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Readville > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury, 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Roslindale > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury, 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Roxbury > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury, 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > South Boston > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury, 1959 > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > West Roxbury > The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury, 1959 > Part 3

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

BOSTON . . .

ommerce

and Industry

SCENE ON WASHINGTON ST., BOSTON.

XVII

INTRODUCTION

The Boston industrial area is one of 5 leading manufacturing centers of the nation, notable particularly for the diversity of both its products and the skills of its working forces, and also for the high degree of concentra- tion in its manufacturing establishments.

The 5,627 manufacturing plants of the Boston area employ approximately 298,085 production workers who receive wages at the rate of over $1,419,598,000 annually (1958 annual survey of manufacturers).

Boston was the birthplace of American industry and it has today the largest number of manufacturing plants in proportion to size of any industrial area but one. Furthermore, approximately 100 new manufacturing com- panies are established in the Metropolitan Boston district annually. Although on an average the plants in this area are small, a considerable number are of substantial size and their products are internationally known.

About 60 % of the manufacturing establishments of Massachusetts are located in the Boston area; they em- ploy more than half of the Commonwealth's industrial wage-earners; pay well over half the wage bill, and turn out a corresponding volume of the state's industrial production.

A remarkably wide diversity of manufactured goods characterize the Boston industrial output. Of all indus- trial products listedby the United States Census Bureau, more than two-thirds are manufactured in the Boston area. This diversity of products is more notable because it is spread largely among consumer goods and does not embrace any considerable volume of heavier products. This variety in Boston's industrial output is further emphasized by the fact that the employment of no single industry group represents more than 13 % of the area's total employment.

Woolen and worsted goods, rank first in value of output in the Boston area. Fourteen other major classifica- tions are listed in the Federal Census as producing more than $25,000,000 worth of merchandise a year-food products, the rapidly-expanding apparel industries, leather tanning, footwear, meat-packing, boot and shoe cut stock and findings, newspaper-publishing, rubber products, confectionery, electrical and other machinery, trans- portation equipment, iron and steel products, chemicals and allied products, and petroleum and coal products.

Electrical and electronic equipment, which doubled in employment in the last few years, advanced products of chemical and related industries, up-to-date plastics anda fast-growing leadership in style and fashion mer- chandise are other characteristics of Boston's highly-diversified manufacturing enterprises.

Although it is listed officially as a separate industrial area, the Boston district is actually the easterly an- chor of the largest and most intensively developed manufacturing region of the country-an unbroken industrial belt embracing virtually all of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, lower New York and northern New Jersey. There is no other industrial area of such magnitude and unity in the world.

The City of Boston itself, with nearly a billion-dollar annual production volume and 94,178 production work wage-earners in 2,600 manufacturing establishments, with an annual payroll of $396,134,000, is by far the largest but not by any means the sole important industrial unit in the area.

The leading industrial cities outside Boston, each with a record of $100,000,000 or more in value of manu- factured goods, are Lynn, Cambridge, Lawrence, Quincy, Watertown, Haverhill, Waltham, Framingham, Lowell, Somerville and Everett. Other cities which have produced $50,000,000 worth of merchandise or more include Brockton, Peabody, Norwood, Walpole, Chelsea, Salem and Malden, with Newton close to that figure.

A thumb-nail summary of the latest statistics for the principal industrial cities of the Boston area is re- corded on another page.

"Boston quality" is associated the world over with the output of Boston factories. Expert craftsmanship, an unexcelled record for labor-management cooperation, proven stability of operation and resistance to eco- nomic changes-these are implicit in Boston-made merchandise. In addition, abundant power, light, fuel and transportation facilities and the nation's largest water supply in the Quabbin reservoir, provide unfailing assur- ance of adequate service and supplies for industry.

Modern methods and modern tools make Boston peculiarly adaptable for the production of modern merchan- dise. "No single area of the country is so renowned for tool-making and precision manufacturing," describes, in the words of a representative of the nation's largest manufacturer, the key position in the country's industry occupied by the multi-skilled workmen and the factories of Boston and New England.

In another key field, too, the Boston area is not only currently pre-eminent, but is gaining by leaps and bounds over the rest of industrial America. This is the field of modern industrial and technical research, where- in the educational and scientific institutions and laboratories which abound here are leading the way toward continued development, improvement and cost-saving in the nation's industrial products and techniques.

As a reservoir and fountain-head of technical and engineering knowledge, this region offers unrivalled at- tractions to industries, particularly those involving specialized methods and the desirability of locating near high-grade research facilities. Many companies have decided to choose a location here chiefly because of prox- imity to the superior facilities and collateral services. The latest acknowledgement of the Boston area's ad- vantages in this respect comes from the United States military services, which are erecting their $43,000,000 major research laboratory in nearby Bedford. In Natick, they have completed a $12,000,000 facility to house the various Quartermaster research activities, which is of special advantage to numerous industries that furnish supplies to the Army, such as plastics, rubber goods, leather, shoes, clothing and textiles, among others.

The vigor and resilience of this area's industrial activity was emphasized strikingly in its reconversion experience following World War II. Studies of the Federal Security Agency revealed that Massachusetts gained a greater percentage of employed wage-earners than any other of the large industrial states after the war and well into the post-war years. Compilations reported by the State Planning Board nearly a year after the war showed that the employment of wage-earners had increased in four-fifths of the state's leading industries rang- ing from 14 % in rubber goods to 27 % in textile machinery.

XVIII

INTRODUCTION

RICH WHOLESALE MARKET

Boston is the heart of one of our largest and most highly concentrated merchandise distribution centers.

Boston's dominant position as the marketing center of New England is indicated by the fact that sales in this city alone represent 67 % of all wholesale sales in Massachusetts and 45 % of all sales in the New England States.

Other cities within the Boston district distribute a substantial volume of merchandise at wholesale.

Boston, which has always been the largest wool market in the United States, became the wool center of the world as a result of the second World War, and now handles two-thirds of the total trade volume in this com- modity. Prior to the war, London was the world's leading wool market.

Boston is one of the leaders in the sale of shoes and other footwear and also of fish and sea foods and is the sixth largest furniture market and one of the country's leading food distributors.

Boston is also first in sale of leather and shoe findings, is the first Northern cotton market, has one of the largest sales volumes in coal and coke, and is well to the fore in volume of meats and provisions, hides, skins, raw furs, women's and children's clothing, yarns, cotton piece goods, men's andboys' clothing, and in numerous other lines.

In many of the characteristics that make great markets, Boston is outstanding in proportion to its popula- tion. It has the largest volume of bank deposits, has one of the largest per capita family incomes, and enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the nation. Not alone is this true of the highly-concentrated area in or near Boston. The small towns and rural areas of Massachusetts also have, according to a survey conducted by the authoritative Sales Management Magazine, the highest per capita effective buying income of similar groups in any state. Possession of this high purchasing power also is true of the small towns and rural areas of New England as a whole.

The excellent buying power of Boston families is shown by favorable comparison of the statistics published in Sales Management for the 10 leading cities of the United States. Taking the latest available figures for the counties which embrace these cities, it is found that Boston has a per family effective buying income of $6,887 and that family income in the other 9 leading cities is: New York, $7,500; Chicago, $6,392; Philadelphia, $6,936; Detroit, $7,355; Los Angeles, $7,541; Cleveland, $7,572; Baltimore, $6,469; St Louis, $6,371; and Pittsburgh, $6,417.

The unsurpassed buying capacity of New England invites careful study on the part of manufacturers and dis- tributors who are seeking highly absorptive and readily accessible market areas.

HIGH RETAIL BUYING POWER

The Boston district is one of America's foremost retail distributing centers-close to the top in family buy- ing power, a leader in total sales volume, and one of the first style centers of the nation.

Total retail sales in Boston amounted to an estimated $1,266,953,000 in 1958, and in a recent year in the five counties represented in Metropolitan Boston the total sales volume was over $3,944,000. This nearby five-county area has approximately one-fourth of the total retail business of Massachusetts.

OLD STATE HOUSE.

OLD SOUTH CHURCH - WASHINGTON AND MILK STREETS.

XIX

INTRODUCTION

STATUE OF PAUL REVERE.

Boston has the largest volume of sales at retail in the nation inproportion to its size, according to the latest available United States Census statistics. This is currently confirmed in a separate analysis of retail business made by Sales Management Magazine, which shows that the Boston district has the second highest per capita sales at retail among all the largest places in the country.

As compared with Boston's per capita buying income of $1,987, the corresponding figure for the United States is $1,734.

Similarly, this national study shows that the per family income or purchasing ability in the Boston area is $6,887-higher than many of the other large communities in the country.

The records likewise show that the effective purchasing power of the smaller communities near Boston and elsewhere in Massachusetts is higher than that of similar places in any other state.

Due to the attractions of this city as a shopping center for most of New England, Boston has more high-grade department and specialty stores than any other American city except New York.

Department store sales havebeen increasedby the establishment of beautiful ultra modern branch shops in strategically selected suburban areas, easily accessible to residential shoppers and lavishly equipped with spa- cious parking areas.

In other respects also, the retail business of Boston and surrounding area is notable. Boston is one of the great food centers. It ranks near the top in sales of furs, jewelry, apparel, drugs and general merchandise.

Many of the other cities in the Metropolitan District do a large volume of retail business despite their prox- imity to downtown Boston. Cambridge has a retail volume estimated at over $203,461,000 annually; and the re- tail business of the other larger cities is estimated as follows; Lynn, $125,616, 000; Quincy, $1 27,667,000; Brock- ton, $91,126,000; Somerville, $81,570,000; Brookline, $85,689,000; Newton, $119,448,000; Malden, $78,107,000; Waltham, $76,289,000; and Salem, $77,728,000 (latest available figures).

INTRODUCTION

BOSTON'S FISHING INDUSTRY

BOSTON FISH PIER.

FISHING BOATS ALONGSIDE BOSTON FISH PIER.

Surrounded by one of the most widely diversified manufacturing areas in the country, Boston continued to be one of the most important fishing centers in the country.

Possessing the world's largest fish-freezing plant, located in the world's largest fish pier devoted exclusive- ly to this commodity, Boston long has demonstrated true Yankee ingenuity in making the most of New England's principal natural resource.

When earlier Boston schooner fishermen turned from hook and line fishing to launching dories overside in order to increase the number of available hooks, the industry began to find new frontiers for marketing the prod- uct through salting. And when, about 40 years ago, the trawlers began to use huge cordage nets that scooped up thousands of fish without the use of biat, still more markets were opened up, and modern transportation made it possible to extend the marketing frontiers.

THEN CAME FILLETING

Filleting, a process that originated here, made possible even more widespread distribution of fresh fish. Filleting, now known the country over, consists of cutting or stripping the meaty sides, or fillets, of haddock, cod, pollock and other varieties after the fish has been cleaned and scaled. Originally, these fillets were wrap- ped in especially prepared vegetable parchment paper and packed in tin boxes, which in turn were packed in ice in a second container. This excellent development greatly extended the market for fresh fish, but other methods to serve new possibilities were sought. Laboratory experiments showed that certain species of fish could be frozen alive and later thawed to swim away, apparently unharmed, thus proving that freezing protein foods, if properly done, need not result in deterioration. From this beginning was developed a new frozen-food industry that has spread to other commodities.

XXI

INTRODUCTION

The flavor, food value and general excellence of fish taken from the cold waters of the Atlantic have long been recognized. With quick freezing of fillets, and even whole fish, the Boston fish market frontier was extend- ed to inland cities where fish fresh from the sea had been a scarce luxury.

But getting their fish to market was only half the battle for Boston's fishermen. They faced also the problem of cultivating the nation's taste to enjoy more than just a limited variety of deep sea food. The "sacred cod" that hangs in the Massachusetts State House in Boston is a symbol of the great fishing industry that once was confined to marketing cod and herring. Other fish were either thrown overside or cut up for cod bait. For years, redfish or rosefish, was used merely as dressing in fish market windows because of its unusual color, and no one ever dreamed of eating it. Filleting, however, demonstrated that redfish was another tasty dish to grace the country's tables and in less than 10 years the annual landings of this product jumped from a mere 3,000, - 000 to 160,000,000 pounds. Boston fish market men continued their efforts to develop new tastes in fish, until haddock, pollock and other varieties also attained a place with the leaders.

BOSTON TAKES THE LEAD

Following the development of new products and better methods, the United States fishing industry grew from fifth rank among the nations before the first World War to thirdplace at the beginning of the next great conflict. And it was Boston's progressiveness, in a large measure, that made that advancement possible. Not even the war made much of a dent in the Boston fishing industry, even though many of its best trawlers were taken over by the Navy and Coast Guard as auxiliary and patrol craft. The remaining vessels continued to sail out into sub- marine infested waters and bring home the catch. Designs were drawn and plans were laid in the midst of the conflict for laying new keels as soon as the shipyards could spare the space and time from building warships.

The annual total of fresh fish landed here continued to exceed 300,000,000 pounds, with almost as much being brought into other important New England fishing ports, such as Gloucester, New Bedford, Providence and Port- land.

STILL GREATER POSSIBILITIES

Yet Boston and New England have by no means fully developed the possibilities of the industry, as witness the discovery of an abundance of shrimp in nearby grounds, when that delicacy supposedly was the almost ex- clusive product of Gulf and South Atlantic regions.

And as the meat-packing industry learned to develop uses for waste material, so, too, have the fishermen opened a by-product industry of such items as cod and halibut liver oil and fish meal. This latter by-product has demonstrated its value as a source of vitamins, animal proteins, iodine and other elements necessary to a balanced ration for poultry and livestock. Thousands of tons of fish meal are now available to farmers and live- stock growers to aid them in their important industry.

And so New England and Boston continue to value fish as a great natural resource and plan for still greater development of the fishing industry, which means so much to this region and to the nation.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS.

XXII

NEW ENGLAND HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

INCORPORATED 1845 9 Ashburton Place, Boston, Mass.

NEW ENGLAND HISTORIE CENTRALEICAL SOCIETY

Its object is to collect, preserve and publish historical, biographical and genealogical data. Rich in books and manuscripts relating to every State in the Union, its Library is visited annually by thousands of readers who come from all parts of the country.

LIBRARY HOURS - OPEN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 9 TO 5 (With The Exception of Holidays ) - CLOSED DURING THE MONTH OF JULY

XXIII

INTRODUCTION

BOSTON ... A Cultural Center

Side by side with the forward march of commerce and industry in the Boston area has developed a rich va- riety of cultural pursuits, in many of which this community holds first rank.

In music, drama and the fine arts, in education, religion, literature, science and statesmanship, Boston has contributed much to the development of America's unique civilization.

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts has had for 70 years one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of art works, both modern and ancient. It possesses, for example, the finest collection of Oriental art outside of the Orient; the foremost Indian collection outside of India; and its collection of Egyptian pieces surpasses in quality any to be found outside of Cairo itself. Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, modelled after a Venetian palace, contains some outstanding sculpture and Medieval stained glass, as well as superb painting ranging from the Italian Renaissance masters to the French Impressionists. Several of the musuems at Har- vard hold highest rank, such as the Fogg Art Museum and the Agassiz Museum, which houses probably the fore- most collection of glass flowers in the world.

In both traditional and modern art expression, Boston holds a leading place. Many art clubs flourish in this area. Art magazines commonly list a larger number of exhibitions of paintings in Boston, virtually all without admission charge, than any city outside of New York. Boston's year-around art schools and the summer art colonies along the North Shore, Cape Cod and at many inland and mountain points are famous throughout the world.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra, reputed to be the finest musical organization of its kind in the world, is a successor to America's first philharmonic orchestra, which was founded in Boston in 1810. The Boston sym- phony's offspring, the famous Boston Pops Concerts, and the more-recently established Esplanade Summer Con- certs, rank with the finest musical presentations. The Handel and Haydn Society of Boston is one of the leading singing groups and the nation's oldest oratorio association.

No community has provided so rich and fertile an environment for spiritual growth. Here the Christian Science Church was born, the headquarters of the Unitarian and Universalist churches and of the World Chris- tian Endeavor were established, the First American Young Men's and Young Women's Christian Associations were founded and the widespread missionary activities of the Congregational Church were organized. Boston has given to the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States its presiding bishop; and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is the second largest in the country.

Boston always has been one of the leading supporters of the drama. Today this city has more first-class theatres and presents more first performances of important theatrical offerings than any other city outside of New York. The Little Theatre movement and summer theatrical presentations throughout the Massachusetts countryside are not excelled anywhere.

In literature, the contribution of Massachusetts authors to the development of American culture are known to every reader.

One of the foremost schools of architecture in the country, that of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and others in and around Boston are notable examples of architectural beauty. Boston also is famed among A- merican cities for the exceptional number and character of its monuments and sculptures.

Truly, this is a community richly endowed with opportunities for cultural expression and activity.

EDUCATION

Metropolitan Boston, where American education began, is today one of the world's foremost cultural and educational centers.

This section is the home of the oldest American university. Here, too, started the American public school system, and here was adopted the first legislation covering public education.

Public instruction in America began in Boston in 1635, 15 years after the advent of the Pilgrims. In that year the Boston Latin School, the first free public school, came into existence. This school antedates the foun- dation of Harvard, oldest American University, by one year. In 1644 the first school built and wholly supported by public taxation was established in Dedham, a suburb of Boston.

In 1642 the first school law was adopted, providing for education in the homes of Boston; and in 1647 was enacted the first general school law, the "mother of all school laws," and the foundation of many present school systems. Similarly, the first training school for teachers was established here.

It is a far step from these humble beginnings of organized educational effort to the vast system of American education in operation now. Today there are more than 700,000 students in the public schools of Massachusetts alone. In addition, 175,000 pupils are enrolled inprivate and parochial schools of pre-college grade, and in this respect, too, Massachusetts is one of the leaders.

Yet, despite this enormous growth, Boston and Massachusetts have maintained the spirit of the pioneer in education, and today with no superiors in educational standing, are as alert to opportunities for sound educa- tional progress as they were at the beginning.

XXIV

INTRODUCTION

Every modern facility is provided for the proper training of youth, and educational methods are of a high standard of excellence. Inkeeping with the needs of a great industrial community, the public school systems of the Metropolitan District are equipped for training in vocational, trade, technical, commercial and mechanical activities; and fullest opportunities are available as well for development in cultural pursuits.

But it is not alone in free public instruction that this section excels. Here also are some of the world's fore- most institutions of higher learning, including many of America's leading professional, technical, business, music and art schools.

Massachusetts has 93 institutions authorized to confer degrees, a larger number than any other state. More than half of these are in Metropolitan Boston. Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts, Boston University, Brandeis University, Boston College, Jackson, Radcliffe, Wellesley, Northeastern, Simmons, Em- manuel. Regis, Emerson, Calvin Coolidge and Suffolk are among the educational institutions located in Metro- politan Boston. In addition, there are literally hundreds of specialized schools such as the New England Con- servatory of Music, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Massachusetts School of Art, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Forsythe Dental Clinic, Babson Institute, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, and a long list of other professional and training schools, making the city a notable leader in education.

Of outstanding interest is the world-famous Boston Public Library, the oldest free public library in the United States. With 2,000,000 books and a 5,000,000 annual circulation, 33 branch libraries plus a bookmobile and a special addition at the Boston City Hospital, the library holds an unsurpassed position culturally. The main building, opened in 1898, was designed by McKim, Mead & White and is an excellent example of Italian Renais- sance architecture. In October, 1953, the library celebrated its centennial.

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The Boston directory : including . . . Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, West Roxbury 1959, Part 3

Author: Publication date: 1789 Publisher: Boston : Sampson & Murdock company Number of Pages: 2048

Author:
Publication date: 1789
Publisher: Boston : Sampson & Murdock company
Number of Pages: 2048