Category Archives: Infrastructure
Digging out
The trolley ran through Kingston from 1889 to 1928, and while the traffic definitely increased in the summer, the cars ran all winter too. In 1922, when the Brockton & Plymouth (successor to the Plymouth & Kingston and predecessor to … Continue reading
Lonesome train on a lonesome track
Without a date, it’s hard to know if this train belonged to the Old Colony Rail Road, or the Old Colony and Fall River, or the Old Colony and Newport (you can imagine that Fall River was a little peeved … Continue reading
“Motors of such power and design”
Special Town Meeting At a special Town Meeting held May 28, 1906, the following votes were passed: Voted that the committee chosen by the Town to settle with the City of Brockton* be authorized to purchase for the town an … Continue reading
For what it’s worth
In 1924, the Kingston Highway Department did a good deal of work on the roads — particularly West Street, Pembroke Street, and Maple Street — and a new “highway beacon” was installed. While discussions of municipal spending on roadways dates … Continue reading
New Exhibit: The Elm Street Bridge
Sometime before 1920, Emily Drew photographed the wooden dam at Elm Street before it was replaced by a concrete structure. She also captured the old iron bridge constructed in 1889 to carry Elm Street over the Jones River. Stop by … Continue reading
Motormen
In the search for photographs for the summertime exhibit, these three images turned up. As seen in earlier posts, the Plymouth & Kingston trolley, which started in 1886, merged with other lines and expanded until the tracks reached Brockton in … Continue reading
River
Some time ago, an unknown photographer captured this moment of tranquility on the river. The Old Colony Railroad bridge can be seen in the distance at left, along with at least one of the boathouses that stand between Landing Road … Continue reading
Kingston Capitalist
On the 1900 Federal Census, as on others before, each head of household was asked to give his (or more rarely, her) occupation. Along Summer Street, these included dry goods merchant, station agent for the railroad, boarding house keeper, stone … Continue reading
A little walk on Summer Street
WARNING: For the historical thought experiment that follows, imagine there’s no traffic on Route 3A/Summer Street. Yes, it’s not easy, and if you can’t persuade yourself, please DON’T stand in the middle of the street! You have been warned! Stand … Continue reading
Howland’s Lane Bridge
Two years ago, we noted that the wooden planks in the Howland’s Lane bridge over the railroad tracks needed to be replaced, an issue had been under discussion for a decade. The bridge, built in the 1870s and renovated during the 1930s, … Continue reading
