Looking southeast from the “D” line tracks at the former Pearl St. extension. In the distance are 85 and 81 Pearl St.

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.

Standing on the Pearl St. extension leg that no longer exists, looking northwest toward Kent St. The “D” line tracks are right behind the oil truck.

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 northwest toward Kent St. The possessions of the business, Allied Electric Co., were auctioned off on June 30, 1967 and the building razed.

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 northwest toward Kent St. The smokestack of Brannen’s Laundry at 74 Kent St. is visible in the distance.

The dwellings formerly on these now vacant lots were razed in 1962 in preparation for the erection of an office building amid efforts by private developers to revitalize the area. On the left is a partial view of the relatively new brick office building at 50 Pearl St. These vacant lots became ground zero in a battle between the private Marsh Development Association and the Brookline Redevelopment Authority, with the latter seeking to completely raze the entire area of 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 northwest from 646 Brookline Ave. On the right is a partial view of the gas station at 615 Brookline Ave. To its left had been apartment buildings that were razed two years earlier.

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 from Emerald St. which was renamed to become an extension of today’s of Pearl St. This building at 19 Emerald St. was constructed circa 1960 for the Fisk company which had previously been located at 20 Walnut St. It had been razed by the early 1970s.

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 from Emerald St. which was renamed to become an extension of today’s of Pearl St. On the left is the start of the northeast leg of Pearl St. which no longer exists.

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 at the northeast leg of Pearl St. which no longer exists. Emerald St., to the right, was renamed to become an extension of today’s of Pearl St. On the left is a partial view of 77/79 Pearl St. In the middle is 73 Pearl St. The large one-story building housing Bear Wheel Alignment spans 69 – 65 Pearl St.

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 northeast on Brookline Ave. with Emerald St., today’s Pearl St., on the left. From left to right are 657, 651, and 647/645 Brookline Ave.

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 on Brookline Ave. to the right. Building still standing in 2025, one of the very few not removed during the urban renewal project of the 1970s.

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 the apartment building at 666/670 Brookline Ave. On the right is 676/678 Brookline Ave., a building still standing in 2025, one of the very few not removed during the urban renewal project of the 1970s.

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 the apartment building at 666/670 Brookline Ave. On the right is 676/678 Brookline Ave., a building still standing in 2025, one of the very few not removed during the urban renewal project of the 1970s.

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 a partial view of the Gulf station at the corner of Brookline Ave. and Lower Washington St. In the middle is 85 River Rd., an apartment building that fronted on 682/684 Brookline Ave. On the right is the rear of 676 Brookline Ave., a building still standing in 2025, one of the very few not removed during the urban renewal project of the 1970s.

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.

Behind this building are the railroad tracks that are the “D” line of today’s subway.

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.

Behind this building are the railroad tracks that are the “D” line of today’s subway. To the left is the side of the massive Brookline Coal Co. building which had a rear loading station on the tracks.

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.

A bronze tablet, still in place today, was affixed to the building above the front two windows and unveiled at this afternoon ceremony. On the right the tablet is covered with a cloth and there are poles leading up to it, presumably in preparation for the unveiling. A presentation was given by Rebecca (Hyde) Silsby, perhaps the standing woman facing the group in the photo, who taught at the school from 1871-1877 and whose sister, Mary Elizabeth Hyde, taught there from 1887-1902.

The official name for the school, “Newton Street School”, was retired with the unveiling and changed back to its historical version, “The Putterham School”.

Photo by Harris W. Reynolds

Charles Chase opened an express business in Brookline in 1862 with a house and stables at the location of today’s Town Hall and the company remained family-run in Brookline for eight decades. In late 1904, Chase Express moved into this new building on the south side of Lower Washington St. and remained there until late 1941. Shown is their 1929 White model 60 truck.

This photo appeared in an unidentified publication on March 13, 1923. Driving the town’s new caterpillar tractor with snow plow is Daniel G. Lacy, then Brookline’s Forestry Department superintendent and subsequently superintendent of the combined Highway and Forestry 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: Miss Potter, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Noyes, Mrs. Barnet, Sarah Clark, Annie Stearns, Mrs. Jenney, Miss Howard, Mrs. Stodder, Sadie Brown, Bessie Noyes, Eunice Noyes, Louise Brown, Mrs. Poor, Miss Adriana Brown, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Stearns, Susie Hayens, Mrs. Guild, Mrs. Train, Mrs. Clark. 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. Positively recognized in the photo is Mary Wild (Pierce) Poor. She is the woman in white in the center of the photo. Speculatively recognized is Emma Noyes, the seated girl with long hair wearing a white apron.

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
• 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

• 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. The listing of “Mrs. Stodder” should likely be two entries for Mrs. Stodder and Mrs. Poor as listed in the cousin photo.
• 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.
• Sarah Davis Clark (1813-1902), lived with her sister on Olmsted’s property nearby.

Unidentified

• Miss Howard
• Mrs. Clark
• Mrs. Guild
• Mrs. Miller
• Mrs. Barnet
• Mrs. Potter

[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Looking south at the rear of 46 Pearl St. from the railroad tracks that are the “D” line of today’s subway. Behind the photographer is the top of Station St. where it meets Kent St. Behind the building across the street in the photo is the Esso station at the northwest corner of Brookline Ave. and Lower Washington St. Brookline Ice and Coal Co. remains in business today two blocks from this site.

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.