1882 Rand Avery Map of the Eastern Railroad, New England and Eastern Canada

A scarce 1882 map of the Eastern Railroad and its connections in New England and Eastern Canada, printed by Rand Avery. At the time of publication, rail infrastructure was being built at an incredible pace, facilitating a burgeoning tourist industry by allowing people from coastal cities to access the White Mountains and Maine.

A Closer Look

Covering from Quebec to New York City and as far east as Nova Scotia, the map highlights the route of the Eastern Railroad between Boston and Portland, Maine, with the all-important branch line to North Conway, New Hampshire (formerly the Portsmouth, Great Falls and Conway Railroad, which was leased to the Eastern in 1870). Connecting rail lines are also traced in bold black lines and labelled, including the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad, which cut a path through the White Mountains via Crawford Notch. Lines not directly connecting with the Eastern are traced in thinner black lines and not labeled. Cities and towns, ferry lines, waterways, and mountains are indicated. A text block at bottom promotes the line and its connections, including to the summer resorts of the White Mountains and destinations in Maine, such as Mt. Desert Island, the Rangeley Lakes, and Moosehead Lake.

The Eastern Railroad

Chartered in April 1836, the Eastern Railroad was one of several that emerged during the 1830s Massachusetts railway boom. The railroad's main competition was the Boston and Maine Railroad (drawn but not labelled here, either due to space constraints or as a slight), into which it was eventually subsumed. Whereas the Boston and Maine traced an inland route between the Boston area and Portland, Maine, through Andover and Haverhill, the Eastern followed the coastline, starting in East Boston (with ferry service to Boston proper, which became a significant disincentive to potential customers) and reaching coastal cities and towns such as Lynn, Salem, Beverly, and Newburyport. The Eastern also operated branch lines to Rockport on Cape Ann, Essex, Lowell, and Wakefield, among others (some allowing for connections with the 'Boston and Maine' despite their being competitors). In 1840, the Eastern leased the 'Eastern Railroad of New Hampshire' to establish service to Portsmouth, and in 1843, entered into an agreement with the 'Portland, Saco, and Portsmouth Railroad' (which it later leased and then bought outright), allowing for service between Boston and Portland, Maine, directly challenging the 'Boston and Maine'. In 1855, the Eastern leased the 'Grand Junction Railroad'. This short line swung around from East Boston to Somerville, including a railroad bridge and a terminal in Boston (near today's North Station), allowing the Eastern to provide direct service into the city.

The Eastern held its own for several decades, but eventually was forced to lease to its rival, the 'Boston and Maine', in 1883. In 1890, the 'Eastern Railroad' was dissolved, though the 'Boston and Maine' maintained the coastal service. In 1893, the 'Boston and Maine' opened North Station in Boston, a meeting point of its own original lines and several it had leased, including the Eastern. This move cemented its dominance of New England railways north of Boston. Much of the former Eastern Railroad operates today as the Newburyport/Rockport Line of the MBTA's Commuter Rail service.

Publication History and Census

This map was printed by printed by Rand, Avery, and Co. of Boston. It is undated but can be dated to 1882 from its parent publication, the 1882 edition of Lucius Hubbard's Hubbard's Guide to Moosehead Lake and Northern Maine. Several maps with this title and printed by Rand Avery appeared in Hubbard's Guide and similar publications in the 1880s. The OCLC notes maps dated 1882 or c. 1882 at the Peabody Essex Museum's Phillips Library, the University of Southern Maine's Osher Map Library, and the Boston Public Library's Leventhal Map and Education Center.