Auburn 1890

by Josh Wood Tuesday September 15, 2009

Here's an interesting view looking southwest over the town of Auburn from 1890. The view, published by O.H. Bailey & Co., is in the Boston Public Library's flickr photo stream. Oakley Hoopes Bailey was one of the most prolific of the view makers. The company produced 13 views in 1890 alone, including one of Pawtuxet Village.

Publishers made money on these lithographs by selling advanced subscriptions and selling vignette spaces and listings to local businesses. Some of the listings featured in the Auburn view are J. Budlong & Son Market Gardeners, J.L. Saunders Real Estate & Insurance Agent (J.L. could sell you the house and the protection too), D.B Wright Hairdresser, C.S Hazard Wood & Coal Yard (an appropriate name for a business in combustibles), Corliss Safe Works, C.A Brickley Novelty Works, Fred Tyler Fish Market and White Brothers Groceries & Provisions.

The image above can be dragged by using the mouse, and can be zoomed out to 30%. If you click on the ? in the image above, you can toggle a modern day Cranston overlay. Some general notes: it's interesting that "Rolf" Street is spelled without the "e" on the map. Just west of Rolf is Pontiac "Road". A good chunk of Auburn was bulldozed to make way for Interstate 95. Elmwood Avenue was was lined with lamps even back then.

Here's Auburn Station, once located to the south of where Station Street meets Park. Warehouses and factories occupy that track-side location today. A smaller canopy-only station stop is visible on the east side of the railway.

This area has grown a lot in just over a hundred years.

To really see the details in the print, visit the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library

for an interactive, extremely high-res scan.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/normanbleventhalmapcenter/ / CC BY 2.0

[where: 02910]

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