Looking southwest from Boylston St. On the right is the house of Annie B. Crocker at 136 Cypress St. In the center is a partial view of 161 Cypress St., still standing. The houses on East Milton St. have not yet been constructed.

This is one of three experimental school garden projects initiated by the Brookline Education Society. Annie Crocker made the land adjacent to her house available to the Lincoln School. In May 1903, students aged 12 – 15 from the seventh and eighth grade were each given a 7 ft. by 9 ft. plot for growing vegetables. Several of the photos from this series appeared in the newspapers of the time.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

When Sumner Rd. was laid out in 1886, the house was moved slightly eastward to its present position at 43 Sumner Rd.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Thomas Cannon (1867-1940) and Bridget (Tonra) Cannon (1869-1942) both emigrated from Ireland. They married in 1892 and were listed at 1 Walter Ave. in “The Farm” neighborhood by 1900. By 1918 they had moved to “The Point” neighborhood finally settling in at 90 Highland Rd. where they lived with Cannon and Tonra extended-family members. They raised seven surviving children in Brookline.

Thomas Cannon worked for a number of years as a gardener for a private estate. This has been reported as the “Webster’s estate” but it is not yet identified. There was a “Webster’s estate” with an on-site gardener’s cottage in Chestnut Hill but that does not appear to be a likely match
[Source: University of Massachusetts Boston]

Standing in the Esso station at the northwest corner of Brookline Ave. and Lower Washington St. looking north. In the distance are the small house at 9 Emerald St. and the side of the apartment building at 657 Brookline Ave. The brick building was used by the Brookline Water Dept. and still stands.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

In the rear is 22 Osborne Rd. and on the left is 51 Winslow Rd.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

41 Winslow Rd. with the rears of 26 and 22 Osborne Rd. in the background.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

Looking southeast (from left to right): at 12/16 Ackers Ave., 22 Ackers Ave. and 10 Loveland Rd.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

Looking northwest at the rear of 274 Dean Rd. on the left and, left to right: #275 and #271.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

Looking northwest at the rear of houses on Dean Rd. From left to right: #274, #266, #260.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

Looking east from Chestnut Hill Ave. Partial view of #355 on the left followed by #345. The stone wall on the right is still standing.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

On the corner is the Liggett Drug Store, 1634 Beacon St. At 1638 Beacon St. there is a bowling alley. Parked out front is a Red Cab with its telephone number on the back, “ASP 5000”.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

It is speculated that this is one of two photographs of a supper described in the May 7, 1887 issue of the Brookline Chronicle.

“The sewing circle connected with the First Parish closed the seasons laborers on May 3rd with a pleasant supper, and the exhibition of some views by a member recently returned from a journey to the South and West. A most important part of the entertainment was the voluntary offer of two young ladies to photograph the assembled company in a group around the table, thus giving tangible proof of the existing existence of a society which was organized in 1824.”

The room does not match ay rooms currently in Pierce Hall, which was a common site for similar gatherings, and remains unidentified. Nineteen names were listed with the photo: Mrs. Cobb, Eunice Noyes, Mary F. Wicks, Suey A. Brown, Bessie Noyes, Mrs. Clark, Miss Howard, Miss Adriana Brown, Susie Hayes, Mrs. Noyes, Mrs. Poor, Sadie Brown, Mrs. Mellen, Louise Brown, Mrs. Stearns, Annie Stearns, Mrs. Jinney, Mrs. Train, Mrs. Stodder. Eighteen women are seated and four younger girls are serving. All the participants who have been tentatively identified lived in the immediate area of the First Parish Church and Pierce Hall. There are several clusters of extended family members.

A speculative analysis of the names shows:

Noyes Family (Walnut St.)

• Mrs. Noyes (1840-1915) - Susan Prescott (Wright) Noyes, wife of George Dana Noyes
• Elizabeth (“Bessie”) C. Noyes (1873-1955), daughter. An existing tintype of Elizabeth bears a resemblance to the older girl standing at the rear left of the table
• Emma Noyes (1876-1950), daughter. The roster actually names a “Eunice Noyes” but no records are evident for a “Eunice Noyes” in Brookline at this time, we are speculating that she is Emma, the other daughter of Susan Noyes. An existing tintype of Emma bears a significant resemblance to the young girl approaching the table on the left side

Extended family of Rev. Howard Nicolson Brown, Pastor of the First Parish Church

• Sarah (“Sadie”) Brown (1878 - 1955), daughter
• Mary Louise Brown (1873-1947), daughter
• Mary F. Wicks (1828-1904), mother of Inez Wicks, wife of Howard Brown

Extended Stearns Family

• Mrs. Stearns (1824- 1904), Anna Maria (Mellen) Stearns, wife of Charles Henry Stearns
• Mrs. Mellen (1803-1899), the mother of Mrs. Stearns
• Annie Stearns (1864-1901). Listed with her maiden name although she married Alexander Stoddard Jenney in 1886. After Annie’s death he married her sister.
• Mrs. Jenney (1836-1912). Mary Hannah (Howes) Jenney, wife of Noah Stoddard Jenney; mother-in-law of Annie Stearns; lived on Walnut St.

Others

• Mrs. Cobb (1830-1911), wife of Albert A. Cobb, nee Mary Russell Candler. Lived on Walnut Terrace
• Miss Adriana Brown (1805-1893), never married. Lived on Cypress St. near Walnut St. No apparent relation to the other Browns.
• Mrs. Poor (1820-1912), Wife of Henry Varnum Poor, nee Mary Wild Pierce. Daughter of Lucy Tappan and Rev. John Pierce, former pastor of the church. Lived across Walnut St. from the church.
• Frances (“Fanny”) G. Train, widow of Samuel F. Train. Lived on nearby Chestnut Pl.
• Mrs. Stodder (1830-1921) , wife of Henry Franklin Stodder, nee Isabella Binney. Lived on Walnut St.
• Susan Frances Haynes (1841-1934), never married.

Unidentified

• Miss Howard
• Suey A. Brown
• Mrs. Clark

[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

House of Francs Cabot, no longer standing. The coachman is identified only as "Michael". It is noted that a Michael J. Lynch was a coachman for the Cabot family in the 1891 town directory though any match would be highly speculative.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Located across the tracks of the Boston and Albany Railroad at the Chapel St. station. At the time, Carlton St. dipped down to the station. Along the tracks on the other side were several privately-owned buildings where this brick and wood stable owned by Dr. William K. Lawrence was used by Hose Company #3 to store their engine.

In late 1882, a Babcock Chemical Engine acquired by the town and housed nearby on Carlton St. A new company, Chemical Engine #1, was created and appears to have merged with Hose Company #3 in the next year. Chemical Engine #1 moved to their own building at 86 Monmouth St. when it opened in early 1887.

There appear to be two large extinguisher tanks, characteristic of chemical engines, at the front of the wagon in the photo.
[Source: Boston Publishing Co.]

Combination Wagon #3, 86 Monmouth St. From left to right:

• John J. McCarthy, hoseman, driving
• John W. Manley, Lieutenant
• Patrick J. Ryan, Hoseman
• William Keegen, Call man
• Michael J. Fahey, Driver
• An agent from American LaFrance, a fire truck vendor
[Source: Boston Publishing Co.]

The town’s first steam-powered engine, purchased in 1873. Steam-powered pumping of water represented an important improvement over the hand-pumping that was previously required. This photo appeared as part of this article in the March 29, 1956 issue of the Brookline Citizen:

Former Resident Identifies First Brookline Fire Engine
In the 250th anniversary issue of the CITIZEN we used a picture which we had been able to identify only as the first steam fire engine owned by Brookline. Found in the files of the public library, there was no further identification to be had there.
Chief George L. Gettings of the fire department became interested and searched old scrapbooks of the fire department without being able to unearth any further material. We did find advertising pictures of both the Amoskeag and the Hunneman machines but a good deal of comparison with the photograph didn’t convince either Chief Gettings or the anniversary issue editor that we were safe in making a “statement”. There are, after all, too many fire buffs among us these days!
The following very nice letter from Mr. Alfred P. Waterman, who was born in the house still standing at 20 Aspinwall Ave. in 1873, not only answers the question we posed but provides the gratifying information that the citizen “gets around”. Mr. Waterman writes from his present home at 3142 13th St N, St Petersburg, FL:
“I have been reading with much interest the 250th anniversary number of the CITIZEN and wish to congratulate all who had a part in its publication. Having been born in Brookline and having lived there from 1873 to 1938, I found many things in it which were very familiar to me.
Regarding the item on the fire department – the Joseph Thomas Waterman mentioned was my father [ed. The 1865 creation of " Good Intent Hose Co." heralded a much more sophisticated approach to fire fighting in the town and the first Board of Fire Engineers was created to oversee those efforts. J. Thomas Waterman was a carpenter who was appointed to the board.] and I know from my family that he went to New Hampshire and gave the order for this engine to the Amoskeag Manufacturing Co. so the engine was an Amoskeag.
He was a member of the Good Intent Hose Company of that time and I believe you will find in the Brookline Town Report of that year about the purchase of this piece of apparatus. If I can be of any further assistance in giving old Brookline information, especially the section from Pond Ave. to Coolidge Corner, please let me know.”
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

The photo is taken across the street from the Washington Sq. fire station which opened in 1900. The station housed both Station G Engine No. 2 and Hook and Ladder No. 1. Shown is the Amoskeag steam engine. All the houses in the photo are still standing. From left to right:

• 666 Washington St.
• Vacant lot where 672/674 1910 Washington St would be constructed in 1910
• 46 University Ave.
• 40 University Ave.
• 676 Washington St.

The tall fire fighter is identified as John F. (“Jack”) Norton. Born in 1872, he had risen by 1898 to the rank of lieutenant and worked at the Village station. He was at one point discharged (for various infractions and “intoxication”), but in 1902 the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in his favor in his lawsuit against the town to receive back wages withheld at the time of his discharge. In 1905, there was a vacancy in the department when Frank Foster resigned from the force to pursue his business interests. The Fire Commissioner, Burton W. Neal, was then lobbied by supporters of Jack Norton and Neal was reinstated Norton with a position at Station G. where he worked until 1908 as a ladderman. Norton lived in Brookline with his widowed mother, never married, and died in 1910 at the age of 38.

[ref. Brookline Chronicle, pg.4, May 24, 1902]
[ref. Brookline Chronicle, pg.5, July 7, 1905]
[ref. Brookline Chronicle, pg.7, July 8, 1905]
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Looking at the north side of Lower Washington St. prior to the start of the urban renewal project for the area known as “The Marsh”. In the center is the building at 127-131 Washington St. housing Sagamore Liquors on the left and The Village restaurant on the right. The large open space on the left had been the site of a wooden building from the 1800s known as “Russell Block”. In August 1962 the town ordered that it be demolished due to its dilapidated condition and no attempt was made to replace it with the urban renewal project pending. On the right is the building built in 1937 housing the entrance to the movie theater.

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.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]