Looking east. Gulf service station on the corner of Lower Washington St. is on the right. This photo was taken prior to the leveling of the entire area then known as “The Marsh”.

From a notebook of property-appraisal photos taken in 1965 and early 1966 for “The Marsh Urban Renewal Project” run by the Brookline Redevelopment Authority. Only a few scattered peripheral structures remain today.

Looking from right to left. This photo was taken prior to the leveling of the entire area then known as “The Marsh”.

From a notebook of property-appraisal photos taken in 1965 and early 1966 for “The Marsh Urban Renewal Project” run by the Brookline Redevelopment Authority. Only a few scattered peripheral structures remain today.

On the left is Emerald St. looking west toward Pearl St. On the corner is 657 Brookline Ave. followed by #651 and a partial view of #647.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

Looking northeast from Washington St. Foreground left: the curve of Prospect St. preceding the First Presbyterian Church, built in 1897, no longer standing. Rear, left: The large brick apartment building at 152-158 Harvard St., built circa 1900. Rear, left of center: The steeple of the Harvard Congregational Church with the cupola of the Pierce Buiding in Coolidge Corner just visible to its immediate left. Center: white apartment buildings sandwiched between Aspinwall Ave. and Homer St. Foreground, right: St. Mary's of the Assumption Church. The steeple is on Harvard St.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Looking north at Davis Ave., all the houses are still standing. Behind the crowd, center photo, is a wagon advertising “Balls’ Homemade Bread” which was a business in Cambridgeport during the 1890s. From left to right:

• 201 Davis Ave., hidden behind trees
• 195 Davis Ave., partial view.
• 191 Davis Ave. with the double towers
• 185 Davis Ave.
• 181 Davis Ave.
• 179 Davis Ave.

[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

9 Emerald St. is on the left, sideview of 657 Brookline Ave. is on the right. This photo was taken prior to the leveling of the entire area then known as “The Marsh”.

From a notebook of property-appraisal photos taken in 1965 and early 1966 for “The Marsh Urban Renewal Project” run by the Brookline Redevelopment Authority. Only a few scattered peripheral structures remain today.

657 Brookline Ave. is on the right.

From a notebook of property-appraisal photos taken in 1965 and early 1966 for “The Marsh Urban Renewal Project” run by the Brookline Redevelopment Authority. Only a few scattered peripheral structures remain today.

Looking east on Emerald St. from Pearl St. toward Brookline Ave. before the leveling of the neighborhood in the urban renewal project of “The Marsh”. From left to right:

• 9 Emerald St., the small house
• 657 Brookline Ave. on the corner
• 660 Brookline Ave.
• 666/670 Brookline Ave.
• Partial view of the auto garage at 676 Brookline Ave.
• A town truck parked at the Brookline Water Dept., a building that still stands

[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

Looking north on Harvard St. from Harvard Sq. On the left is the rear of the Rhodes supermarket which opened at the beginning of 1906, the house at 20 Harvard St. and the Baptist Church.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

Looking toward Lower Washington St. with the rear of the White Castle restaurant visible in the distance. On the right are 10 and 14 Pearl St. William Francis Conant, the long-time owner of The Brookline Print, had recently been living upstairs in this building with his third wife, Adelaide Huestis Conant, when he died in 1959. This photo was taken prior to the leveling of the entire area then known as “The Marsh”.

From a notebook of property-appraisal photos taken in 1965 and early 1966 for “The Marsh Urban Renewal Project” run by the Brookline Redevelopment Authority. Only a few scattered peripheral structures remain today.

Looking south at 21 Pearl St. On the right, where Pearl St. turns left toward Lower Washington St., is the building at 10-14 Pearl St. This photo was taken prior to the leveling of the entire area then known as “The Marsh”.

From a notebook of property-appraisal photos taken in 1965 and early 1966 for “The Marsh Urban Renewal Project” run by the Brookline Redevelopment Authority. Only a few scattered peripheral structures remain today.

Looking east on Pearl St. from 21 Pearl St. Six houses on the left, from #24- #38, were removed circa 1960 and replaced with the parking lot next to the Longwood stop on the “D” line. In the distance is the massive depot building of the Brookline Coal Co. at 42 Pearl St. dwarfing the small building at 40 Pearl St.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

Standing on the Washington St. bridge looking east on the tracks of the “D” line by the Longwood stop. In the distance is the massive depot building of the Brookline Coal Co. at 42 Pearl St.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

On the left is a partial view of a newer brick building at 50 Pearl St. In the middle rear is 68 Pearl St. located on the former northern extension of Pearl St. In the middle foreground are vacant lots where several apartment buildings recently stood. This photo was taken prior to the leveling of the entire area then known as “The Marsh”.

From a notebook of property-appraisal photos taken in 1965 and early 1966 for “The Marsh Urban Renewal Project” run by the Brookline Redevelopment Authority. Only a few scattered peripheral structures remain today.

From a notebook of property-appraisal photos taken in 1965 and early 1966 for “The Marsh Urban Renewal Project” run by the Brookline Redevelopment Authority. Only a few scattered peripheral structures remain today.

Looking north on Pearl St. Clockwise:

• 68 Pearl St.
• 76 Pearl St. (speculative)
• 84 Pearl St.
• 81 Pearl St. on the corner as Pearl St. takes a right turn toward Brookline Ave.
• 73 Pearl St., garage
• 65-69 Pearl St., garage

[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

The northeast extension of Pearl St. is viewed looking west several houses in from Brookline Ave. 85 Pearl St. is on the left followed by 81 Pearl St. On the corner and a building of Brookline Oil Co. across the street at 84 Pearl St. This photo was taken prior to the leveling of the entire area then known as “The Marsh”.

From a notebook of property-appraisal photos taken in 1965 and early 1966 for “The Marsh Urban Renewal Project” run by the Brookline Redevelopment Authority. Only a few scattered peripheral structures remain today.

This house, which is still standing, was built as part of the 1843-1844 development of the Linden St. area and was a stop on the Underground Railroad. It was the “cottage” of William Ingersoll and Sarah Bowditch until 1867 when they moved to a larger house at 225 Tappan St.

In June, 1849, the Bowditches held a picnic for a group of black children, most of them associated with the Abiel Smith School on Beacon Hill (the building is in use today as Boston's Museum of African American History). The children were carried to Brookline and then back to Boston on the recently completed Brookline Village line of the railroad. The picnic, as described in the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, was "an occasion of unalloyed satisfaction… The merry group employed their time to the best advantage, in swinging, dancing, nimbly pursuing each other, singing the songs of freedom, gathering flowers, and especially in disposing of the refreshments which were so bountifully provided for them." Henry "Box" Brown, who had escaped from slavery a few months earlier by having himself mailed in a box, was there and spoke to the children. Other attendees included anti-slavery activists from Brookline and Boston, as well as the ministers of the local Unitarian and Baptist churches.

From the report of the Massachusetts Historical Commission:
“Before the Civil War, he was a firm believer in abolition, becoming active in both Brookline and Boston efforts. He belonged to the Boston Vigilance Committee. Bowditch, along with Edward Atkinson and Edward Philbrick, participated actively in the fight against slavery. Besides trying to sway public opinion through meetings and lectures, Bowditch used his house for sheltering fugitive slaves. In 1849-1850, a South Carolina couple arrived in Boston on their way to freedom. They spoke at the Brookline Town Hall and stayed at #9 Toxteth. From there they went to other residences in town. At another time, Bowditch drove a slave from the brig Cameo from Boston to Concord and returned home in time for breakfast. Perhaps the most illustrious guest during this period was John Brown's son. The young man was hidden here after his father's execution for his involvement in the Harper's Ferry raid.“
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

Looking south on Harvard St. from Webster Place.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

13-15 Harvard St, corner, Webster Pl. The Spring Sale sign displays the dates April 20-25 which, because of blue-law-mandated Sunday closings, likely means those dates correspond to Monday-Saturday, which then matches with the year 1914.