Boston and Chelsea Railroad Co. - Stock Certificate

Stock. Rare!

Early transport between Boston and Winnisimmet (later Chelsea) was by the Winnisimmet Ferry. In 1803, the Salem Turnpike was extended across the Mystic River to Charlestown, where the Charles River Bridge then connected to downtown Boston. The new Mystic River bridge (Chelsea Bridge) had two draw spans and cost $53,000 (equivalent to $1,130,000 in 2019) to construct. The Boston and Chelsea Railroad opened a single horsecar track over the bridge on November 20, 1858. The toll was dropped on November 9, 1869, when the bridge and turnpike became state property. The Boston portion of the bridge was rebuilt in 1877, with a new iron draw span, while the Chelsea portion was also repaired. The Lynn and Boston Railroad (successor to the Boston and Chelsea Railroad) ran a pair of horsecar tracks across the bridge.

In 1880, Chelsea paid Boston $25,000 (equivalent to $584,000 in 2019) to permanently maintain the portion of the bridge within Chelsea, including the north draw. The Boston portion was damaged by a fire on September 7, 1887. Electric streetcars replaced the horsecars on the bridge in the early 1890s, with all-electric service effective March 13, 1893.