Wooden Sidewalks

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Wooden Sidewalks

Many U.S. cities and towns had wooden sidewalks in the 19th century. But it's unlikely that any community had them as long as Brookline, which laid its first plank sidewalk in the 1850s and didn't remove its last one until 1955! These sidewalks can be seen in dozens of photographs on our website. Browse through these pages and double-click on the images to get a closer view or to zoom in and see them in greater detail. To learn more, read The Long History of Brookline's Wooden Sidewalks on the Muddy River Musings blog.

	Rawson Rd., November 1915 Looking north toward ?. Foreground, right: #175, 179, 185, all still standing. [Source: Olmsted]
	Beacon St., William H. Hill House, 1887 Beacon St. at Short St. No longer standing. Raymond mansion to the right on Summit Ave. From the 1887 photo series taken just before the widening of Beacon St., most likely by Augustine H. Folsom, a Boston photographer. [Source: Digital Commonwealth]
	Beacon St. At Summit Ave., 1887 #2, 3, 4, 9 Summit Ave. On the far right is #26 Winchester St., the house of John S. Saunders, veterinary surgeon. From the 1887 photo series taken just before the widening of Beacon St., most likely by Augustine H. Folsom, a Boston photographer. [Source: Digital Commonwealth]
	James Whitney House, Pleasant St., 1887 Viewed from Beacon St. From the 1887 photo series taken just before the widening of Beacon St., most likely by Augustine H. Folsom, a Boston photographer. [Source: Digital Commonwealth]
	Beacon St. & Summit Ave., 1887 Looking west on Beacon St. to the left, Elizabeth F. Raymond mansion in the center, Summit Ave to the right. From the 1887 photo series taken just before the widening of Beacon St., most likely by Augustine H. Folsom, a Boston photographer. [Source: Digital Commonwealth]
	Tappan St. & Blake Rd., December 23, 1915 143 Tappan St. to the left is still standing. [Source: Olmsted]
	77 Warren St. Designed by architects Chapman & Frazer, house is still standing. Frederick Clarke Hood, a principal in the Hood Rubber Company, bought it in 1900 and hired Olmsted in 1901 to do the landscaping. [Source: Olmsted]
	Julia Goddard House, 215 Warren St., Near Cottage St. Still standing, built 1732 by Nehemiah Davis [Source: Brookline Preservation Department]
	215 Warren St. Julia Goddard House, still standing, [Source: Digital Commonwealth]
	Winchester and Beacon, 1887 Beacon going west to the left. Winchester St. going northwest, on the right. On the far left is the entrance to Summit Ave. Center photo is #26 Winchester St., the house of John S. Saunders, veterinary surgeon. From the 1887 photo series taken just before the widening of Beacon St., most likely by Augustine H. Folsom, a Boston photographer. [Source: Digital Commonwealth]
	Winchester St., November 1915 Looking west. Small brick building is the front projection of a larger brick structure that still stands. It housed the Corey Hill Garage for automobiles (note the gas pump out front) and also housed stables. In the background is 64 Winchester which also still stands. Note houses from Atherton St. on the hillside above. [Source: Olmsted]
	Winchester St., November 1915 Looking southeast toward Williams St. Left to right: #75 (no longer standing), 73/71, 67, Williams St intersection., apartment building on the southeast corner of Williams St. [Source: Olmsted]

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