Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
The Charles River was once a tidal estuary. In the 19th century, its basin was dammed for mills and encircled by factories, prisons, and slaughterhouses, all of which polluted the slow-moving river. By the 1890s, local residents demanded a change, and in 1893 the newly created Metropolitan Park Commission and the State Board of Health tasked the firm of Olmsted, Olmsted, and Eliot with improving the river. This map reflects Charles Eliot’s vision of tree-lined promenades, playgrounds, gymnasia, and performance spaces. The Charles River Dam, completed in 1908, made Eliot’s dream a reality, and transformed the stinking tidal estuary into a scenic waterfront park.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
wd376209x
label
Sketch plan showing the existing and proposed public reservations upon the banks of the Charles between Waltham line and Craigie Bridge
core
obj
dtoType
map
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
wd376209x
contentType
map
stage
normalized
title
Sketch plan showing the existing and proposed public reservations upon the banks of the Charles between Waltham line and Craigie Bridge
description
The Charles River was once a tidal estuary. In the 19th century, its basin was dammed for mills and encircled by factories, prisons, and slaughterhouses, all of which polluted the slow-moving river. By the 1890s, local residents demanded a change, and in 1893 the newly created Metropolitan Park Commission and the State Board of Health tasked the firm of Olmsted, Olmsted, and Eliot with improving the river. This map reflects Charles Eliot’s vision of tree-lined promenades, playgrounds, gymnasia, and performance spaces. The Charles River Dam, completed in 1908, made Eliot’s dream a reality, and transformed the stinking tidal estuary into a scenic waterfront park.
date
["1894"]
year
1894
rights
No known copyright restrictions.
rightsUri
No known restrictions on use.
reuseAllowed
no restrictions
language
English
identifierLocal
06_01_002652
institution
Boston Public Library
collections
Boston and New England Maps
Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center Collection
subjects
Recreation areas--Massachusetts--Maps
Charles River (Mass.)--Maps
subjectsGeographic
Charles
Massachusetts
North and Central America
United States
genreBasic
Maps
typeOfResource
Cartographic
country
United States
state
Massachusetts
thumbnailUrl
largeImageUrl
pageCount
1
source
import
pubPlace
Boston, Mass
publisher
[Massachusetts Metropolitan Park Commission?]
Source extras
institutionArkId
sf268508b
collectionArkId
dn39z223t
schema:latitude
42.3667
schema:longitude
-71.05
extent
1 map ; 33 x 114 cm.
notes
March, 1894.
"Plan No. 3."
Inset of key map.
From: Massachusetts House document 775, 1894.
Reprinted from the report of the Joint Board upon the improvement of Charles River for 1894.
hasTranscription
no
dcId
wd376209x
type
map
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
82ab748bc47c1dab