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What's a guy gotta do to get some pure Norwegian cod-liver oil in this town?
By adamg on Thu, 01/08/2015 - 10:30am
The folks at the Boston City Archives wonder if you can place this photo. See it larger.
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319 Tremont Street
Tremont at Pleasant Street, Southeasterly Corner. Tremont Street was relocated so this is really the site of the Church of All Nations now,
Here now you would be standing in the middle of the street now with the housing development on your left looking towards Beacon Hill Skate and Bay Village and looking up towards the Milner beyond the church to your right.
Looks less sterile then.
PS - Look at the theatre ads. Castle Square and Columbia were nearby on Washington Street.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/319+Tremont+St,+Boston,+MA+02116/@42.3487052,-71.0663082,3a,52.5y,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1smqYG31vY3l-lI5vjVdrB1Q!2e0!4m7!1m4!3m3!1s0x89e37a7134480eab:0x663c58dd662c291e!2s319+Tremont+St,+Boston,+MA+02116!3b1!3m1!1s0x89e37a7134480eab:0x663c58dd662c291e!6m1!1e1
before the portal
So this pre-dates the Pleasant Street incline because the Church of All Nations (or the for lease building it is now) is where the incline was?
My Favorite Part
Those were the days you could hang a whole dead animal carcass in the street.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Whaddat?
What IS that thing hanging outside? Looks like a 5 foot tall chicken.
Lamb maybe?
It looks like the larger ones are inside.
Small pig?
.
A goose before it got cooked.
A goose before it got cooked.
One of those ...
... future Brookline turkeys.
Maybe lamb....
Maybe lamb....
R. W. Barr's Raw Barr?
One could do worse than a Bay Village bistro called "R. W. Barr's Raw Barr!" Wellfleet oysters, Mutton, Game, free range chicken .... all doused in pure Norwegian Cod Liver Oil! Oh, the thought of it! An entire menu based on this photo alone.
Do you really want a restaurant that reminds you of ...
Roseanne Barr?
LOL
I thought the same thing
Roseanne W Barr Raw Bar!
One could do worse than a Bay
If only to hear it pronounced by native Bostonians.
I believe the extra "r"s are
I believe the extra "r"s are there to moderate the Boston accent overdose ("ovadoze") in this case. Somewhere between Mahkee Mahk and pirate I would guess.
Not so long ago...
The butchers on Salem Street in the North End still had animal skins hanging over the sidewalk about 25 or 30 years ago (late 1980s).
Tried the rest? Now try the best.
Norwegian.
Bring back the trolleys and
Bring back the trolleys and the cobblestones! Fantastic photo.
My guess, without googling where RW Barr Oysters was located, is somewhere in the vicinity of the Custome House with a view of incoming ships... per the roof railings. Date of photograph: 1920?
1895
1895, based on the banner/advertisement on the side of the store.
Walk on cobblestones
And you will quickly realize why they are never coming back.
Saw a young woman....
... sourth of Rome, who wore spike heels for a stroll along the via Appia. She was pretty annoyed at her boyfriend for bringhing her to such a shoe hostile walking locale. I can't imagine how anyone could walk on cobblestones wearing any sort of high heels.
And yet
hundreds of female patrons of the Fanueil Hall-area bars do so every weekend.
I always thought those cobblestones were there specifically to troll drunks, though.
So thats why
They stumble around at night crying, holding their shoes.
Conspiracy to get tourists to buy shoes
I'm always amused how many tourists I see in that area wearing brand new walking shoes and carrying the bags from "Clark's" or other sensible shoe emporia in hand, presumably with their old shoes.
I have even been asked for directions to "someplace to buy walking shoes".
The Freedom Trail seems to sell a lot of them.
I can honestly say
I have never entertained the idea of buying shoes while on vacation.
I spent many a dressed up
I spent many a dressed up evening after having a fun time with friends finding myself on cobblestones. Yes it can be tough.
I never seemed to slip up, but a male friend did take a spill one night (boots) and hurt his back quite badly.
How did they do it in the olden days when everything was cobblestones? They probably weren't wearing stilettos, I guess.
I actually prefer cobblestones to pavement for looks, not for practicality, but would love cobblestone walkways and drive.
der der der
Ummm... I walk on them frequently, seeing as I live in Boston. I wear comfortable shoes so they don't bother me. Of course I have plenty of friends who despise them since heels and cobblestones don't mix.
Cobblestones
Sensible shoes only go so far. Heels and cobblestones don't mix, but neither do wheelchairs and cobblestones, crutches and cobblestones, canes and cobblestones, folks with balance problems and cobblestones, folks with messed-up knees or ankles and cobblestones...but hurray for you, you're able-bodied and wear comfortable shoes, so no problem, hey?
Horse pollution reduced
Those cobblestones helped keeping cart wheels from flinging up horse poop and pee.
Both the horse poop and cobblestones helped keep pedestrians on sidewalks. Hmm, that's a thought...
Interesting. Thanks for that!
Interesting. Thanks for that!
Strange birds
There appear to be some sort of unusual birds in the sky and sitting on the wires. Maybe it's just the way they look in the photo?
I thought the same thign at
I thought the same thign at first, but those aren't birds, they're joints connecting (presuambly trolley) wires.
I looked up the playbill for
I looked up the playbill for Castle Square theater --found this link and it gives the year 1895.. neet-o ..
http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Tribune1895010...
Cambridge Tribune, Volume XVII, Number 44, 5 January 1895 — Dramatic [ARTICLE] ... for the first time upon any stage nexl Monday night at the Castle-square theatre. ... is looked for two weeks beginning Januar) 7, at the Columbia theatre.
Dramatic [ARTICLE] Camb. Tribune, Vol XVII, No 44, 5 Jan 1895
I found this link after looking up the info on the billboards for Castle Square theater - gives the year of 1895 - neet-o
http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Tribune1895010...
Cambridge Tribune, Volume XVII, Number 44, 5 January 1895 — Dramatic [ARTICLE] ... for the first time upon any stage nexl Monday night at the Castle-square theatre. ... is looked for two weeks beginning Januar) 7, at the Columbia theatre.
The theater posters date the
The theater posters date the photo in that they advertise a January 1895 play. According to the Boston Almanac & Business Directory for 1894 R.W. Barr, retail fish dealer, was located at what was then 308 Tremont Street. Flynn's Market (pictured next door) was at 310 Tremont.
SKY CAT!!!!
That is one ballsy cat, in the upper left corner.
Is that a cat, or a splotch
Is that a cat, or a splotch on the photo? There are a bunch of nearby smaller ones. It looks too dark compared to the surrounding objects and maybe too large to be a cat.
The Answer!
If you were a Bostonian seeking Norwegian Cod Liver Oil in 1895, you would walk down to the intersection of Tremont and Pleasant Streets. Thanks for playing!