Beneath the Streets of Boston: Building America's First Subway

by Joe McKendry

Beckoning readers to explore the territory beneath Boston’s streets, Joe McKendry explores a century-old world when Beantown designed and created the country’s first subway. In stunning artwork and through a fascinating narrative, you will enter the subterranean realm of workers who dug miles of tunnels by hand. Using pick and shovels to create new routes, you’ll discover how these workers burrowed deep below Boston Harbor, under Beacon Hill and the Old State House, and built the Longfellow Bridge to carry the trains over the Charles River to the center of Cambridge. You’ll read lively first-hand accounts of the turn-of-the-century public’s perception of the underground public transportation, including their fears (expressed fantastically through the gruesome image of a fanged and tentacled “subway microbe”), and learn how the system served as a model for the rest of the country in its ability to relieve traffic, mitigate congestion (which was even more severe a hundred years ago than today) and get people anywhere they wanted to go for only a nickel.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens

48 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2004

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an engineer this book was amazing and It helped me explain different types of tunnels with an amazing added bonus on the history behind it!

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of America's first subway has never looked so good. McKendry's illustrations and simple descriptions of Boston transportation in the late 19th century bring to life the motivation for and dangers of building an underground public transit system in a city that was expanding with industry, immigrants, and businesses. Covering the T's history from the first two stations under the Boston Commons to the three different lines built later, this book describes the construction methods, the reasons for naming the lines after their current colors, and the way that the trains and stations have developed since their creation.

This is a fascinating book if you've ever ridden the trains in Boston, and it's filled with accurate, interesting information and drawings even if you've never had to change for the green line at Park St.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This in depth history of the United State's first subway train a casts light on the often over looked Boston subway system, after which much of the New York subway as fashioned after. Heavy with sepia illustrations (many patterned after historic photographs), detailed descriptions and antidotal side notes McKendry's historical text gives students and history buffs a unique look into the development of a transportation system at the turn of the 20th century.

This book is chockfull of historical information which is laid out in a clear and interesting way. The detailed illustrations use a "Way Things Work" approach to show readers just how everything was built and worked. I find it to be an engaging book with a great amount of information.

[Hubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is awesome! A great way to get kids into local history, and into structural engineering!

[Matthew Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rip Boston's El.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in a cozy nook at the BPL’s Leventhal Map Center. It’s beautifully illustrated and quite informative as well!

[Kayla Pollema · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shows how the first subway in America was built beneath Boston.

The details in the book amaze the reader as we see the pictures and look at the diagrams. The facts in this book seem at times random but make the book seem more real. For example on one page the author records that many people thought that there was going to be a subway microbe that would harm them if they were to have a subway system. This small fact is something that children would really enjoy in a serious book. The pictures in this book also provide many details. There are many diagrams that aids the reader in visualizing things in the text that they might night understand. The diagrams in the illustrations and the details in the text makes reading about the first subway out of the ordinary.

[Ann Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource. This book also underscores how old Boston's subway really is. About ninety-five percent of it dates from just before or just after the turn of the century. In its day, the system was revolutionary, employing some of the best designs from other subways put into place around the Civil War. Although some might argue that it's time for a major overhaul, I'd have to disagree. You can't argue with perfection.

[Scott Gillespie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief history of the Boston Public transit system packaged like a children's book; oversized with plenty of nice sepia toned illustrations. My favorite anecdote was about how during the excavation to build Park Street station 900+ unmarked graves were found. That must have been a fun job, like shoveling through a graveyard.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very short history of the Boston subway with some photos, diagrams, and newspaper articles but no mention of politics or engineering or the other things that make the subway interesting to me. The best part was the reprints of 1890s news pages: that was amusing reading.

[Wystan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple picture book describing the general process and construction of Boston's "T" -- America's oldest public transportation system. I really enjoyed the illustrations and learning more about the history of a VERY historic city! Thinking of passing it on to nieces and nephews.

[CLM]

My nephews will love this!

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully compiled and illustrated. Great information and great writing.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book delivers exactly what it advertises in plain English with pictures.