Question comes to mind: Whats the purpose of granite curbing when the street and yards are dirt? To create a legal distinction between street and property? Creation of surveyed property lines, to measure with precision? Just to "civilize up" the place?

Seems like they're not needed until advent of automobile - witness Ye Olde Sturbridge Village, etc. Perhaps this is the only reason, thus dating the photo...

Pretty sure that the standard

By Joe Dullea on Tue, 04/04/2017 - 6:22pm.

Pretty sure that the standard plans for ancient Roman cities (and not just great cities, but the cities the Romans made appear like magic in the provinces), had not only curbs (they had horse and mule-drawn vehicles), but a number of other surprising features (drainage, e.g.) -- so the curbs here aren't too surprising, I think -- probably for the same reason the Romans had them -- keep carriages in the street.

Shot in the dark

By Jason on Tue, 04/04/2017 - 2:17pm.

Wakullah Street and Hewes in Roxbury, facing what was then Washington Park and is now Malcolm X Park. But it's really hard to say.

You've got me thinking

By Waquiot on Tue, 04/04/2017 - 2:31pm.

Someplace that was redeveloped. I'm going with Orchard Park. Can't say where, since, well, it's been redeveloped.

Somewhere around Enterprise

By Rob on Tue, 04/04/2017 - 2:38pm.

Somewhere around Enterprise St, Dorchester?

At first glance I thought it

By tcf098 on Tue, 04/04/2017 - 3:16pm.

At first glance I thought it might be 39 Haven Street in the South End, but the neighborhood was likely much more developed with brownstones by this point in history.

Charlestown?

By avg967 on Tue, 04/04/2017 - 4:04pm.

It immediately reminded me of this, Putnam Street in Charlestown...

The Answer

By Boston City Archives on Tue, 04/04/2017 - 4:08pm.

Thanks for playing, folks!

This is Reed Street in Roxbury., on October 1, 1940 The photo was taken from the corner of Yeoman Street. Both Reed and Yeoman Streets still exist, but they were changed during redevelopment - which made this photo a bit tricky!

Campaign sign for...

By Ward8Mahatma on Tue, 04/04/2017 - 5:05pm.

...someone named Dullea. Likely Ernest W,.Dullea, born in 1891, lawyer, resident at Forest Street in Roxbury, a State Rep for the 8th Suffolk from 1939-1940, then 1943-1948, according to a list of Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts published in 1948, and Chairman of the Ward 8 Democratic Committee. So my guess is this is Roxbury. Have no idea which street. The scene looks earlier than 1939 though, judging by the knee pants on the boy walking beside the woman with the parasol. Wild guess but I'd say mid to late 20's. Dullea could have run & lost or run for a city office before he made it to the House in '39

Totally off point, but the actor Keir Dullea is a cousin of the Boston Dulleas

Ha! Unlike our multitudinous

By Joe Dullea on Tue, 04/04/2017 - 6:12pm.

Ha! Unlike our multitudinous friends, the Murphys, Dulleas are few and far between, so it was very funny to see my family name in that pic. Great details, Ward8Mahatma, about Ernest W. Dullea -- thanks. And P.S.: my father always told us Keir Dullea was a cousin.

Looking at an old map...

By Charles Bahne on Tue, 04/04/2017 - 8:24pm.

I would guess this is the corner of Yeoman Street and Reed's Court (not Reed Street). Reed Street and Yeoman Street never met, even back then. Reed's Court was exactly where the Orchard Gardens School is today. We're looking southwest from Yeoman Street, and Ambrose Street — which is still there today — can be seen at the end of the block. One of the brick buildings in the distance appears to be part of the old Dearborn School.

I won!

By Waquiot on Wed, 04/05/2017 - 9:12am.

Sure, I didn't have a street name, but I can' believe I got this.

Of course, another hint was that it was a bit run down and, as we say today, "diverse."

A quiet little street

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