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1912 Rand Avery Map of Massachusetts and the Bay State Street Railway Company
AeroViewBayState-randavery-1912$125.00
Title
AeroView Map Showing Territory Covered by the Lines of the Bay State Street Railway Co. and Their Connections.
1912 (dated) 15.25 x 8 in (38.735 x 20.32 cm)
1912 (dated) 15.25 x 8 in (38.735 x 20.32 cm)
Description
This is a 1912 Rand Avery view and map of eastern Massachusetts illustrating the Bay State Street Railway Company's interurban trolley network. This is an ephemeral piece, the Bay State Street Railway Company existed for only 6 years before it went bankrupt and bought out. It is thus a rare record of the delcine of the New England interurban trolley.
A Closer Look
The map depicts eastern Massachusetts from Hampton Beach south to Newport and northern Martha's Vineyard and from Providence, Rhode Island to the Cape Cod Canal. Red highlights the Bay State Streetcar Company's network. Major cities and towns served by the Bay State are illustrated in red, with some buildings illustrated in the style of a view. Among these are Boston, Salem, Lynn, Marblehead, Nantasket Beach, Plymouth, and New Bedford. Thin black lines illustrate connecting streetcar lines, none of which are identified by name.The Bay State Street Railway Company
The Bay State Street Railway Company came into existence on August 8, 1911, after the merger between the Old Colony Street Railway Company and the Boston and Northern Street Railway Company was renamed. The merged network operated both north and south of Boston. The Bay State Street Railway operated until December 12, 1917, when it went into receivership. The Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Company bought the Bay State on January 15, 1919. At least some of its network is still operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).Interurban Trolleys
At the end of the 19th century, New England was serviced by an extensive network of interurban electric and steam-powered streetcars. These were not proper railroads but rather a separate system, run by various competing companies. Networks extended from New York to Boston and throughout New England as far north as Bath and Lewiston, Maine, creating an economical and practical public transit system accessible to all. By 1919, most of the interurban streetcar lines were consolidated under the Shore Line Electric Railway. The rise of the automobile ushered in the end of streetcar travel by 1940. Ironically, although trains continued to link major cities, street trolleys were never replaced, and to this day, there remains no similarly comprehensive public transit network in New England.Publication History and Census
This map was created by the Rand Avery Supply Company and published by the Bay State Street Railway Company in 1912. We note two cataloged examples, which are part of the collections at Historic New England and Yale University.Cartographer
Rand, Avery, and Company (1851 – 1886) was a Boston based book and map printer active in the late 19th century. The company was founded in 1851 by George Curtis Rand (December 13, 1819 – December 30, 1878) and his brother-in-law Abraham Avery (November 15, 1824 - April 3, 1893). George C. Rand was a brother to William H. Rand of Rand, McNally, and Company of Chicago. George C. Rand was born in Woodstock, Vermont, to Baptist minister John Rand (1781 – 1855) and his wife. Rand began working in the printing industry from at least the 1840s, wherein he mostly produced religious tracts. He married Julia Avery in 1851 and brought his brother-in-law, Abraham Avery, into the business, renaming the firm Rand, Avery, and Company. Avery was born in Wibraham, Massachusetts and studied at Wesleyan University, which his father helped to found. Rand, Avery, and Company was based in Cornhill, Boston, and was, for a time, they were the largest printers in New England. Such works as Uncle Tom's Cabin were included in their catalog. Avery retired when Rand died in 1878, but the firm continued to publish under another generation of managers, including Rand's son, Avery L. Rand, until at least 1886. They also took on a fourth partner, Orrin F. Frye, and published as Rand, Avery, and Frye. After retiring Avery moved to Los Angeles where he died in 1893. It appears that this firm also published under the name the Rand Avery Supply Company. More by this mapmaker...
Source
Bay State Street Railway Co., 'Trolley Trips' (1912).
Condition
Very good. Slight discoloration due to original staples. Bound into original pamphlet.
References
Historic New England EP001.01.117.01.02.024. Beinecke Library, Yale University Small 764gme 1912.