Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

Jamaica Plain, commonly known as JP, is a historic neighborhood of 4.4 sq. miles in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Founded by Boston Puritans seeking farm land to the south, it was originally part of the city of Roxbury. The community seceded from Roxbury as a part of the new town of West Roxbury in 1851, and became part of Boston when West Roxbury was annexed to Boston in 1874. In the 19th century, Jamaica Plain became one of the first Streetcar Suburbs in America and home to a significant portion of Boston's Emerald Necklace of parks, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. According to an official city estimate, it had a population of 38,196 in October 2003.

Colonial era


Shortly after the founding of Boston in 1630, William Heath and three other families settled on land just south of Parker Hill in what is now Jamaica Plain. In the next few years, William Curtis, John May and others set up farms nearby along Stony Brook, which flowed from south to north from present day Forest Hills neighborhood to an outlet in the Charles River marshes in the current filled in Fens area of Boston. John Polley followed with a farm which he purchased from Lt. Joshua Hewe in 1659 at the site of the present day Soldier's Monument at the intersection of South and Centre Streets, closer to the "Great Pond", later known as Jamaica Pond. Later, for services rendered during the Pequot War, Joseph Weld received a grant of 278 acre of land between South Street to Centre Street. His son John later built a home along South Street in what is now the Arnold Arboretum, and his descendants continued to live in the area for many generations.

In the late 17th century, the name "Jamaica" first appears for the area of Roxbury between Stony Brook and the Great Pond. There are a number of theories regarding the origin of the name Jamaica Plain. A well-known theory traces the origin to "Jamaica rum," a reference to Jamaica cane sugar's role in the Triangle Trade of sugar, rum, and slaves. However, a more likely explanation is that "Jamaica" is an anglicization of the name Kuchamakin, regent to Chickatawbut, the underage sachem (chief) of the Massachusett tribe. John Ruggles and Hugh Thomas donated land in 1676 for the building of the community's first school. A gift of 75 acres of land south of the "Great Pond" by John Eliot provided financial support for the school, which was named the Eliot School (which still exists) in his honor.

During the 18th century, the farms of the Jamaica section of Roxbury transitioned from subsistence to market orientation, serving the growing Boston population. At the same time, wealthy men bought land and built estates in the bucolic countryside. In 1740, Benjamin Faneuil, nephew of Boston merchant Peter Faneuil, bought land between Centre Street and Stony Brook. In 1752, Joshua Loring bought the old Polley farm and built a home to which he retired. At Jamaica Pond, the provincial governor, Francis Bernard, built a summer home on 60 acres. In 1775, troops from Rhode Island and Connecticut were quartered with residents of Jamaica Plain. General Washington stationed troops on Weld Hill, today's Bussey Hill in the Arnold Arboretum. The units protected the road south to Dedham (Centre Street), where the American arsenal was kept, in case the British broke the siege of Boston.

With the American Revolution, most of the estate owners fled the country, and were replaced by the rising elite of the new Boston. In 1777, John Hancock settled on an estate near the pond. David S. Greenough and his wife bought the estate once owned by Loyalist Joshua Loring (which is still standing, as the Loring-Greenough House). When Samuel Adams became governor of Massachusetts, he bought the former Peacock Tavern at today's Centre and Allandale Streets, near the Faulkner Hospital. With his wealth made in the China trade, James Perkins built his home, Pinebank, overlooking Jamaica Pond in 1802. During these years, the community built its first church, the First Congregational Society of Jamaica Plain, opposite the Loring-Greenough house.

Revolution to annexation


The early years of the 19th century continued the trends of the post-Independence years. An aqueduct was built to Boston and inner Roxbury by the Jamaica Pond Aqueduct Corporation, which provided water to Boston, Roxbury and later the Town of West Roxbury, from 1795 to 1886. Carriages carried people to Roxbury and Boston on Centre Street (then, the Highway to Dedham), and in 1806 on the new Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike tollroad (present day Washington Street). In 1826, "hourlies" ran from Jamaica Plain to Roxbury and Boston on a regular schedule, and the 1830s brought larger "omnibuses" to carry the growing passenger base. The first train line reached Jamaica Plain in 1834 when the Boston and Providence Rail Road began service, with special low "commuter" fares offered residents in 1839. Stops at Boylston Street and Tollgate (present day Forest Hills) were joined by a station at Green Street at the request of local residents.

Green Street, laid out in 1836 to connect Centre Street and the Tollroad, (Washington Street) became a hub of local artisans and builders. Soon after, Centre Street near Green Street became a retail main street, with grocers attracting local business providing products from the West Indies and common household goods. During the 1840s, as commuters from Boston settled in Jamaica plain, the local market grew, with artisans and businesses - with proprietors living in the community - providing much of the needed products and services. In the Stony Brook valley along the rail line adjacent to Roxbury, a small industrial center formed, with small chemical factories, tanneries and soap factories taking advantage of the running water, isolation, access to transportation, and available land. Reflecting the growing population, a number of new churches were built. Along with the First Church - now Unitarian - St John's Episcopal (1841), First Baptist (1843), and Central Congregational (1856) opened and served the new, more varied population.



By 1850, the once agricultural community had seen a significant change in its population. Only 10% of its heads of household were listed as farmers, while 28% were businessmen and professionals, and another 20% were Irish-born. In an effort to stem the increase in property taxes to support the rapidly urbanizing inner Roxbury area, the owners of the large estates in the Jamaica plain led a successful effort in 1851 to secede from Roxbury and form a new, suburban town of West Roxbury. Meanwhile, growth continued unabated. In 1850, David S. Greenough developed the south end of his family land into four streets, including today's McBride Street. Three years later, he sold land along the east side of the railroad tracks for the new Jamaica Plain Gas Light Company. In 1857, the new West Roxbury Railroad Company extended their horse rail car line to a depot on South Street, at the site of today's public housing project opposite McBride Street.



During the same years, ice houses lined the south shore of Jamaica Pond. Ice was harvested each winter by the Jamaica Plain Ice Company and sold in Boston and beyond until the 1890s, when the City of Boston bought the pond. Continuing the transportation development that both served Jamaica Plain's commuters and spurred further urban development, the Boston and Providence company added a second track in 1860, a third in 1870, and a fourth in 1890. Many of the new residents were Irish and Catholic, and to serve their needs the Archdiocese of Boston began construction of St Thomas Aquinas Church on South Street, with a grammar school following in 1873. In less than a generation, Jamaica Plain had changed significantly, and the weathly estate owners no longer held power. In 1873, West Roxbury residents - most living in Jamaica Plain - voted in favor of annexation to Boston. The Town of West Roxbury had grown from 2,700 residents in 1850 to 9,000 in 1875, and many of the new residents wanted the advantages of the services (street grading, sewer lines) that the City of Boston could provide.

Becomes Boston neighborhood


As Jamaica Plain became a part of Boston, the rate of growth continued to increase. The three decker house, a defining image in urban New England architecture, first showed up in the 1870s, and spread rapidly in the 1890s. In Jamaica Plain, the first commercial blocks were built in the 1870s, with the first brick commercial building erected in 1875. In 1873, the imposing brick police station was built on Seavern's Avenue, and a year later the recently built Eliot School was renamed West Roxbury High School, only to be changed to Jamaica Plain High School after annexation. The Stony Brook valley had long been the industrial center of Jamaica Plain. In 1871, the Haffenreffer brewery opened near Boylston and Amory Streets, taking advantage of the Stony Brook aquifer and the presence of German immigrants in the area. The same year, the Boylston Schul Verien German social club opened just across the railroad tracks, one of many organizations that served German residents in the neighborhood. To the south, the B.F. Sturtevant Company opened an industrial fan factory in 1878 along the railroad tracks between Williams and Green Street, which grew to employ 500 employees. In 1901, the factory suffered a massive fire and the company moved to Hyde Park several miles south.

The continued movement of both residents and businesses into the Stony Brook valley brought calls to contain the brook, prevent floods, and provide sewer drainage. During the 1870s, the brook was deepened and contained within wooden walls, but the spring thaw resulted in flooding of surrounding streets, and a new effort. Work continued until 1908, when the brook was placed into a shallow culvert from Forest Hills to its present outlet in the Boston Fens, behind the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. In the following years, the brook that once defined the industrial heart of Jamaica Plain was largely forgotten until it was memorialized by the new Stony Brook Orange Line station at Boylston Street.



Breweries continued to be major employers during these years. On Heath Street, the Highland Spring Brewery had been operating since 1867. In the 1880s, the Eblana and Park breweries and the American Brewing Company opened, taking advantage of local German and Irish immigrants to fill jobs. Franklin Brewery extended the beermaking district to Washington Street. These and other breweries were all closed to beer making during Prohibition, and few survived to reopen after repeal, although many found other uses, and some still stand. An exception was Haffenreffer, which continued until 1964. The old building now houses a number of commercial establishments, including the Boston Beer Company, brewers of Samuel Adams beer. A late survivor was Croft Ale, brewed in the Highland Spring Brewery building until 1953, when it became the Rosoff Pickle factory, where the pickle vats could be seen from the commuter trains passing by.

A notable company that moved to Heath Street after prohibition was the Moxie soft drink company. Invented by Augustin Thompson in Lowell Massachusetts in 1876, the distinctively flavored Moxie made the move from medicinal "tonic" to soft drink, much like Coca-Cola, and actually outsold Coke in 1920. The company stopped advertising their distinctive product during the Depression, and never recovered their lost market share. The plant closed in 1953, and the building was torn down by the City of Boston for the new Bromley Heath public housing projects.



During the late 1800s, Jamaica Plain's housing stock grew with the commercial development, providing homes for workers in local businesses and commuters as well. Sumner Hill, based on the old Greenough estate, became home to business owners and managers. In the 1880s, the Parley Vale estate and Robinwood Avenue were developed to serve the same market. Ten years later, Moss Hill Road and Woodland Road were laid out on land owned by the Bowditch family, creating the most exclusive neighborhood in Jamaica Plain until this day. At the same time, the land off South Street was being developed into streets and filled with houses for the working class population, especially the Irish. By the early 20th century, the streets of Jamaica Plain were filled in, and houses or businesses were on most buildable plots. The entire housing stock of Jamaica Plain had been owned, divided, financed, built and sold largely by Jamaica Plain residents.

20th century
The year 1900 brought another major employer to Jamaica Plain when Thomas Gustave Plant built a factory for his Queen Quality Shoe Company at Centre and Bickford Streets, said to be the largest women's shoe factory in the world at the time, with five thousand workers. In order to avoid the labor strife that was common at the time, the company offered a park beside the factory, recreation rooms, a gym, library, dance hall, and sponsored sports teams that competed in local leagues. Shoes continued to be made in the building until the 1950s, but arson burned the massive brick structure down in 1976. The site is now home to a supermarket.

In 1900, Jamaica Plain had a significant immigrant population, which helped shape the future of the community. The Irish had settled in large numbers in the Heath Street, South Street, Forest Hills and Stony Brook area (Brookside), taking laboring and domestic jobs, and becoming a quarter of the population. Germans had reached 14%, living in Hyde Square, Egleston Square and Brookside, employed as skilled workers and managers, with their own social clubs and churches. Canadians, many from the Maritime Provinces, made up 12% of the population, often working in white collar or skilled jobs. Italians would come as well, in the years after 1910. New technologies allowed local businesses to provide jobs into the new century. In the 1910s, Randall-Faichney Company manufactured automobile parts, and the Holtzer-Cabot Company moved from making electric motors and telephone switching equipment to add electric automobiles.



Religion played a great part in local life during these years. The increase in Catholic residents resulted in the building of new churches to join St Thomas Aquinas. Our Lady of Lourdes was built in 1896 in Brookside, and Blessed Sacrament, built to serve the residents of Hyde Square, was finished in 1917. St Andrews on Walk Hill street in Forest Hills came soon after. Each church had an elementary school that anchored the parish and bred a strong loyalty in parishioners, and in 1927, St Thomas parish added a high school, which remained open until 1975. Protestant churches inspired a similar local loyalty. Many of the local factory managers served in leadership positions in nearby churches. Central Congregational Church had women's, children's and missionary groups that brought neighbors of different economic classes together.

Other civic associations brought the people of Jamaica Plain together. In 1897, the Jamaica Plain Carnival Association formed to manage and promote the 4th of July parade, contests and fireworks. Two years later, the Jamaica Plain Businessmen's Association formed to promote commercial development. Within three years, prominent community members were invited to join the newly named Jamaica Plain Citizen's Association. The new group worked to encourage road improvement, playgrounds, lectures, schools, and other community amenities. In 1897, the Tuesday Club formed for women (who were not allowed in the other groups), and still exists today at the Loring Greenough house.



In the late 19th century, Boston's Emerald Necklace of parks was designed and built by Frederick Law Olmsted, with much of the southern section of the connecting parkland in or bordering on Jamaica Plain. Olmsted Park, Jamaica Pond, the Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park have been enjoyed by generations of Jamaica Plain residents. The pond had long been the site of estates, which were torn down to make the new park. Fishing and ice skating were popular pastimes, and each winter ice was removed from the pond before the time of electric refrigeration. With the new park, homes and the commercial icehouses were removed. The Arnold Arboretum was developed on land originally owned by the Weld family, and donated by Benjamin Bussey, with financial support from the will of James Arnold. The Arboretum is now owned by the City of Boston, and managed by Harvard University.



Perhaps the most dramatic building project in Jamaica Plain history was the raising of the train line above grade in the 1890s. In order to avoid accidents at street crossings, an embankment was built from Roxbury south through Forest HIlls station, with bridges over all intersecting streets. The embankement cut through most of Jamaica Plain from north to south. In time, the housing along the embankment came to be devalued, and property to the east of the train line was cut off from the higher income sections of the community. With new plans to extend highway I-95 from Canton north into downtown Boston, it was decided to remove the embankment and depress the train line in the 1970s. When the decision was made by then-Governor Francis W. Sargent to stop the interstate project, many houses and commercial building had already been taken and demolished, leaving an empty scar through the community. In the following years, it was decided to remove the elevated rapid transit train line on Washington Street and replace it with a below-grade line alongside the train tracks. With the new transit lines in place following the old train embankement, the Southwest Corridor park was built from Forest Hills north through the old Stony Brook valley.

Changes to the transit service through Jamaica Plain were followed with a change to the streetcar route as well. The Arborway line, which had been in service since 1903, had long been considered for replacement with bus service by the transportation authority. In 1977, trolly service on the Arborway line from downtown Boston was stopped at Heath Street, with buses continuing to Forest Hills. Service resumed, but were cut again in the 1980s, and has not been resumed since. This decision has been challenged by citizen groups in Jamaica Plain in the courts, and is still in dispute (see Green Line Controversy, below).

Urban renewal
In the 1980s low rents brought many students to the area, especially those who attended the Museum School, Mass Art, and Northeastern University, who often lived in collective households. In addition, the neighborhood also developed a lesbian and gay community. The presence of artists in the neighborhood led to the opening of local galleries and bookstores, and arts centers like the converted Firehouse. Many first-time homebuyers were able to afford the house and condominium prices in Jamaica Plain during this time.

Revitalization continued in the 1990s. Nonprofit housing groups bought up rundown houses and vacant lots to create low-income rental units. During the same years, the former Plant Shoe Factory site was redeveloped as JP Plaza, a strip mall, and later a supermarket. A new facility for the Martha Eliot Health Center completed the site's redevelopment. As part of a city-wide effort, Boston Main Streets districts were named (Hyde/Jackson Square, Egleston Square, and Centre/South), bringing city funds and tools of neighborhood revitalization to local business owners.

Present day


By the turn of the century, the neighborhood had attracted a large community of college educated, professionals, political activists and artists.

Hyde, Jackson, and Egleston Squares have significant Spanish-speaking populations from Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. As of 2000 the ethnic make-up of Jamaica Plain was 50% Non-Hispanic White, 23% Hispanic or Latino, 17% Black or African-American, 7% Asian-American, 3% Other.

A hot real estate market has driven conversion of homes and older commercial buildings into condominiums. A large number of formerly vacant sites are now being converted to residential use, among them the ABC Brewery, the Gormley Funeral Home, the Eblana Brewery, the Oliver Ditson Company, 319 Centre Street, Jackson Square, JP Cohousing, Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of the Way, and 80 Bickford Street

Neighborhoods
Jamaica Plain is made up of a number of distinct historical subdistricts. Some of the names are now archaic, used less by long time residents than scholars and real estate agents.
 * Brookside - roughly bounded by Boylston Street, Green Street, Washington Street, and the Southwest Corridor Park
 * Egleston Square - intersection of Columbus Avenue and Washington Street at the border between Jamaica Plain and Roxbury
 * Forest Hills - roughly bounded by the Arborway, Morton Street, Walk Hill Street, South Street and Forest Hills Cemetery
 * Hyde Square - the area around the intersection of Centre Street, Day Street, and Perkins Street, extending east along Centre Street towards Roxbury
 * Jamaica Hills - northwest of the Arnold Arboretum, including Moss Hill and Green Hill
 * Parkside - roughly bounded by Washington Street, Egleston Square, Morton Street and Franklin Park
 * Pondside - roughly bounded by Centre Street, Perkins Street, and the Jamaicaway
 * South Street - follows the named street on either side from the Monument to Forest Hills.
 * Sumner Hill - roughly bounded by Seaverns Avenue, Everett Street, Sedgwick Street, and Newbern Street
 * Sunnyside - roughly bounded by Centre Street, Day Street, Round Hill Street, and Gay Head Street
 * Woodbourne - south of Forest Hills, bounded by Walk Hill Street, Goodway Street, and Wachusett Street
 * White City - no longer recognized; its territory included part of Hyde Park Ave and cetain blocks of which are now considered part of Woodbourne
 * The Monument - Overlapping with Pondside above, the area around the intersection of Centre and South Streets.

Green spaces
Jamaica Plain, often referred to in the 19th century as "the Eden of America," is one of the greenest neighborhoods in the city of Boston. The community contains or is bordered by a number of jewels of the Emerald Necklace park system designed in the 19th century by Frederick Law Olmsted:


 * Olmsted Park, from Route 9 at the Riverway south to Perkins Street, including Leverett Pond, Willow Pond, and Ward's Pond
 * Jamaica Pond has 60 acres of surface area and is the largest and deepest body of fresh water in Boston
 * Arnold Arboretum is a 265 acre world-renowned plant collection maintained by Harvard University, and contains Peter's Hill, the highest elevation in Jamaica Plain at 235 ft.
 * Franklin Park is a 527 acre park (the largest in the city) and holds the Franklin Park Zoo (the largest zoo in New England), White Stadium and the William J. Devine Golf Course.

These parks are connected by parkways, each of which is also part of the Emerald Necklace. From south to north these are the Arborway, the Jamaicaway, and the Riverway.

Forest Hills Cemetery, a 275 acre “garden cemetery”, and hundreds more acres of cemetery that stretch along Walk Hill Street offer more green space to the area.

Transportation
Jamaica Plain is served by the MBTA's bus and rail services. Major roads are Centre Street, the Jamaicaway (formerly US 1), the Arborway (MA 203), Washington Street, South Street and South Huntington Avenue.

Public transportation
The Green Line "E" Train streetcar service terminates at Heath Street and South Huntington Avenue. Bus service continues along South Huntington Avenue, Centre Street, and South Street to its terminus at the Arborway Yard across from Forest Hills Station. The Orange Line rapid tranist train line runs below street level through the middle of Jamaica Plain, with stops at Jackson Square, Stony Brook, Green Street, and Forest Hills. Buses connect Jamaica Plain with West Roxbury, Hyde Park, and suburban Dedham and Walpole to the south, and the rest of Boston by street routes. Forest Hills Station is a major transportation hub and is walking distance to the Arnold Arboretum and Forest Hills Cemetery.

Green Line controversy
Proposed restoration of the "E" Train street car service from Heath Street to Forest Hills has caused considerable tension in the area. Some residents and commuters are eager to embrace what is seen as a reconnection with the rest of the city, while many others cite the #39 Bus along the old route and the Orange Line just a few blocks away as easy travel solutions. Advocates on both sides of the issue, including the Arborway Committee and Better Transit Without Trolleys, present compelling arguments for improved service while the MBTA has not yet committed to a permanent transit solution.

On the weekend of June 7–8, 2008, the old "E" line tracks running down Centre St. were paved over, increasing the unliklihood of that branch being reopened.

Commuter rail
The Needham Line of the Commuter Rail stops at Forest Hills Station, and many other lines are easily accessible by riding the Orange Line subway train to Ruggles and Back Bay.

Cars and parking
Municipal parking lots are located off Centre Street at Burroughs Street in Jamaica Plain Center, across from the Mary Curley School on Centre Street at Spring Park Ave., and across from Blessed Sacrament Church in Hyde Square. There are few parking meters in Jamaica Plain; on-street parking is free. Many streets near the MBTA Orange Line stations are posted "resident permit only" during working hours (8 AM to 6 PM). This is intended to discourage commuters from using residential streets as parking lots during the day.

Bicycle paths
Two major bicycle paths serve Jamaica Plain. Along the Southwest Corridor Park is the Pierre Lallement Bicycle Path, which runs from Forest Hills to Back Bay. To the west are bicycle paths, which run through the parks of the Emerald Necklace, along the Jamaicaway and Riverway. Jamaica Plain is home to the only bike lane in a Boston street, along one block of Perkins Street at Jamaica Pond.

Public libraries
Jamaica Plain Branch 12 Sedgewick Road Tel.617- 524-2053

Connolly Branch 433 Centre Street Tel. 522-1960

Public schools

 * Boston International High School - 25 Glen Road


 * Egleston Comm High School - 3134 Washington Street
 * Agassiz - 20 Child Street


 * Mary E Curley Middle - 493 Centre Street


 * James W Hennigan - 200 Heath Street


 * John F Kennedy - 7 Bolster Street


 * James M Curley - 40 Pershing Road
 * Joseph P Manning - 130 Louders Lane
 * The English High - 144 Mcbride Street


 * Elc - West Zone - 200 Heath Street

Notable natives and residents
Alphabetically by last name:
 * Samuel Adams, patriot, politician - lived at a former inn at Centre and Allendale streets
 * Robert L. Bacon, New York congressman and colonel in World War I, born in Jamaica Plain
 * Emily Greene Balch, co-winner of the 1946 Nobel Peace Prize (130 Prince Street)
 * Fanny Chamberlain, first lady of Maine, born in Jamaica Plain.
 * John Collins, Mayor of Boston 1960-1966, leader of the "New Boston" redevelopment of downtown Boston
 * James Michael Curley, four-term mayor of Boston, later governor of Massachusetts (350 Jamaicaway)
 * James Dole, founder of Hawaiian Pineapple Company which became Dole Food Company (14 Roanoke Avenue)
 * Ralph Waldo Emerson, atop "Schoolmaster Hill" in Franklin Park
 * Eugene Foss, Governor of Massachusetts, Manager and later President of B.F. Sturtevant Co. (lived at 8 Everett St.)
 * Margaret Fuller, journalist, feminist, lived in Jamaica Plain
 * Julie and Hillary Goodridge, plaintiffs in the landmark court case that legalized same-sex marriage in Massachusetts
 * Samuel Griswold Goodrich, a.k.a. Peter Parley, 19th century author, publisher, state senator, and Consul General to France
 * John Hancock, owned a summer house that stood on the banks of Jamaica Pond
 * Hellen Keller, attended the Perkins Kindergarten for the Blind when it was located on Perkins Street in Hyde Square
 * Serge Koussevitzky, Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor - lived near Jamaica Pond while in Boston.
 * Joe McIntyre, former member of boy band New Kids on the Block, grew up in Jamaica Plain and performed in community theater at The Footlight Club
 * Malcolm Nichols, last Republican Mayor of Boston (1926-1929)
 * Francis Parkman, historian; died in Jamaica Plain. A monument at the former site of his home opposite Jamaica Pond honors him
 * Elizabeth Peabody, leader of the Kindergarten movement in the United States - lived on Gordon Street
 * Andrew Peters, first Mayor of Boston from Jamaica Plain
 * Sylvia Plath, poet (birthplace at 24 Prince Street)
 * Ellen Swallow Richards, first woman admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (and other notable accomplishments) (32 Eliot Street)
 * Ian St. Germain, member of the rock band Burnt Fur, resident of Forest Hills for 10 years,
 * Maurice Tobin, served two terms as Mayor of Boston, elected Governor of Massachusetts, became Sectetary of Labor under President Truman
 * The Weld Family, landowners in Jamaica Plain from the 17th century to present; former Governor of Massachusetts William Weld is a member of this family.