Comments | jwg: Street names

jwg

Street names

Dec 06, 2011 13:34

I live on West St in mid-Cambridge - a short street that runs between Lee and Inman streets. I don't yet know why it is named West St, but... I was looking up some historical information from a book (1) that I have and here is what I learned thus far ( Read more... )

house maintenance, architecture, cambridge

Comments 4

thnidu December 7 2011, 03:39:57 UTC

Bishop Allen Drive (formally Austin St).

Do you mean "formally" (as opposed to informally/casually) or "formerly" (i.e., used to be but not any more)?

Coincidentally I was pointlessly delving into a similar question recently: see this comment exchange on one of my recent quotation posts. Any ideas about that?

jwg December 7 2011, 04:26:56 UTC

yeah, yeah - I meant formerly - can't really blame that on my keyboard. Now corrected.

magid December 7 2011, 13:00:52 UTC

Some boring theories: the street was heading west, and Cambridge hadn't yet used the name (and Royal Makepeace had little imagination), or West was the last name of a favorite (possibly nonlocal) friend/ childhood love/ business partner (who maybe put in funding for naming?).

magid December 7 2011, 13:03:57 UTC

PS. The Museum of Our National Heritage in Lexington has a huge map of the area from either the 1850s or 1870s on the wall of the lobby, which includes not only street names but some businesses too (which is how I found out there was a nursery around where I live). It might have something useful. Unfortunately, last time I checked, they didn't have it available in any form online.