1865 Chase Railroad Map of Boston, Massachusetts, and Vicinity

This is an 1865 Josiah G. Chase railroad map of Boston, Massachusetts, and vicinity. Illustrating the Boston region's streetcar railway and railroad network, the map provides an illuminating view of transportation around Boston just after the American Civil War.

Streetcar Railways

Red lines trace the horse and steam powered streetcar railway network. The network around Boston includes the Metropolitan Railroad, the Middlesex Railroad, and the Cambridge Railroad, three of the four major street railways at the time. These railways proved quite popular. The Middlesex Railroad had a ridership of 2.8 million passengers in 1865, which grew to 4.4 million by 1875.

Railroads

Black and white dashed lines illustrate the area's railroad network including the Boston and Lowell Railroad, the Eastern Railroad and its extensions, the Providence Railroad, and the Boston, Hartford, and Erie Railroad.

A Closer Look at the Map

Cities and towns throughout the region are illustrated and labeled, with street grids and identified streets marking Boston, Cambridge, Melrose, and Charlestown, along with numerous others. Major streets along which interurban streetcar railways operate are identified, along with bridges across the Mystic and Charles Rivers.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by Josiah G. Chase and printed by J. H. Bufford in Boston in 1865. We note two examples cataloged in OCLC which are part of the collections at Harvard University and the State Library of Massachusetts.