(Peter Dudko): This section of the above-ground orange line, known as Charlestown Elevated connected North Station with Evertt Station. Due to corrosion from the salt of the Mystic River Tidal pool and Boston harbor along with many citizens complaining of noise and size, the line was closed on April 4, 1975, and destroyed days after.
The orange line ran above Main Street in Charlestown and connected North Station to Everett. The railway was closed in 1975, as it was unpopular with residents and the line was moved a few blocks west to what is now the station of Community College.
In the background, the skyline of the Back Bay has changed while Charlestown has retained much of its historic architecture. The Prudential tower was completed a few years prior to the first photo while buildings such as the John Hancock tower and the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge are more recent additions.
Created by: DanMcSolla: This 117 year before and after slider shows the minimal change occurring in the Charlestown Bridge except for the removal of the elevated rail. The historic photo was taken in 1901.
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Just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Bunker Hill Monument you can find the intersection and the crosswalk where these pictures were taken. On the left you can see the old train tracks that used to allow trains and automobiles to share the same road. This is in a similar fashion as can be seen if you follow the green line down toward Heath Street VA Medical Center. On the right you can see that those train tracks are gone now, paved over to make more room for cars and allow for parking on the sides of the street. Other than the changes to the railway, this area hasn't really changed much. Each side of the street is lined with residences, with a shop popping up every block or so. The picture on the left was taken on April 26, 1938, and the picture on the right was taken just a few weeks ago.
TLDR:
Left: Old picture with train tracks
Right: New picture without train tracks
- Gravel pits were to deter speeders from going too fast down the road.
- Other than the removal of the pits and tracks not much has changed
- The road is still very wide allowing for parking.
- Road is still lined with residences with the occasional store
This image shows the minimal changes between the Bunker Hill Monument in 1973 to today. Most of the changes in the photos are seen in the cars and the architecture of the neighborhood buildings. Zach Sonner
Eric Henschel : Below shows the changes which the southeast corner of the Bunker Hill Monument experienced from the date of the historical photo of roughly June 1978 to February 2019. As apparent from the photos, this area has remained largely untouched apart from some installed railing and taller buildings peeping up from the background.
Ethan Farland: This slider shows the Bunker Hill Monument. The first one on the left is from 1973 and the other one is today. Nothing really has changed besides the cars. The monument was made in 1794 by King Solomon's Lodge of Freemason. There is a total of 294 steps to get to the top which is 221 feet tall.