1949 Map of Boston North

About this map

Middlesex Fells Reservation dominates the center of this landscape, a preserved wilderness of rugged outcroppings like Eagle Rock and Black Rock surrounding the waters of Spot Pond. To the south and east, the dense urban corridors of Melrose, Malden, and Everett are tightly mapped, showing the intricate street grids and the sprawling infrastructure of the B and M RR. The map captures a moment when industrial and residential development pressed right against the tidal marshes of the Saugus River and the Pines River, where the Seaplane Basin and early runways of what would become a major airport sit along the Boston Harbor coast.