Boston College collection of Boston and Worcester Railroad records

Collection

Identifier: BC-2026-014

Scope and Contents

Three ledgers from the Boston and Worcester Railroad Corporation containing retained copies of deeds and releases assembled during right-of-way acquisition for construction of the Boston–Worcester rail line in the mid-1800s. The route opened in stages: to West Newton (April 16, 1834), Wellesley (July 3, 1834), Ashland (September 20, 1834), Westborough (November 1834), and finally Worcester (July 4, 1835). The rail bed extending from Boston through Brookline into Newton later became the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Riverside (D) Line, and the rail bed extending to Worcester continued to be used for freight and commuter rail service.

Dates

Creation: 1832-1875
Creation: Majority of material found within 1832-1858

Creator

Boston and Worcester Railroad Corporation (Organization)

Access Note

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.

Historical note: Boston and Worcester Railroad Company

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The Boston and Worcester Railroad Company (B&W) was chartered on June 23, 1831 and began construction in August 1832. The line opened in sections beginning from Boston, finally reaching Worcester in 1835. They then added double-tracking out from Boston, reaching to Worcester in 1843. In 1867, the B&W merged with multiple other railroad companies to form the Boston and Albany Railroad (B&A). The Boston and Albany Railroad Company remained an independent line until 1900, when it was leased to the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Company (later the New York Central Railroad). In the twentieth century, tracks built by the B&W were repurposed to serve the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Reservoir (D) Line, the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Line, Amtrak passenger service, and CSX freight service.

Sources:

"Boston and Albany Railroad", Wikipedia, January 20, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_and_Albany_Railroad.

Boston and Albany Railroad Co. Records, Baker Library, Harvard Business School. https://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/bak00034/catalog. Accessed April 24, 2026.

Parker, Glenn R., "Introduction to the Boston & Worcester Railroad...The Downtown Train 1834-1899", Patch Westborough, MA, April 2, 2012. https://patch.com/massachusetts/westborough/bp--introduction-to-the-boston-worcester-railroadthe-535010ab87.

Full Extent

0.625 Linear Feet (3 containers)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from Peter Stern and Company, Inc., 2026.

Related Materials

At other repositories:

Boston and Albany Railroad Co. Records, Baker Library, Harvard Business School. https://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/bak00034/catalog.

At Boston College:

Boston Elevated Railway Company photograph album, MS.2016.041, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Bradford T. Hudson Collection of Historical Marketing, BC.2023.141, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Charles W. Lyons, SJ, President's Office Records, BC.2000.178, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Edward P. Boland congressional papers, CA.1998.003, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Ellerton J. Brehaut Boston history collection, MS.2008.016, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Margaret Heckler papers, CA.1998.004, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Tip O'Neill congressional papers, CA2009-001, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.