Early 20th century Jamaica Plain

house on sumner hill

the year 1900 brought major employer jamaica plain when thomas gustave plant built factory queen quality shoe company @ centre , bickford streets, said largest women s shoe factory in world @ time, 5 thousand workers. in order avoid labor strife common @ time, company offered park beside factory, recreation rooms, gym, library, dance hall, , sponsored sports teams competed in local leagues. shoes continued made in building until 1950s, arson burned massive brick structure down in 1976. site home supermarket.

in 1900, jamaica plain had significant immigrant population, helped shape future of community. many irish had settled in large numbers in heath street, south street, forest hills , stony brook area (brookside), taking laboring , domestic jobs, , becoming one-quarter of population. germans had reached 14%, living in hyde square, egleston square , brookside, employed skilled workers , managers, own social clubs , churches. canadians, many maritime provinces, made 12% of population, working in white collar or skilled jobs. italians come well, in years after 1910. new technologies allowed local businesses provide jobs new century. in 1910s, randall-faichney company manufactured automobile parts, , holtzer-cabot company moved making electric motors , telephone switching equipment add electric automobiles.

st thomas aquinas church, south street

religion played significant part in local life during these years. increase in catholic residents resulted in building of new churches join st thomas aquinas. our lady of lourdes built in 1896 in brookside, , blessed sacrament, built serve residents of hyde square, finished in 1917. st andrews on walk hill street in forest hills came after. each church had elementary school anchored parish , bred strong loyalty in parishioners, , in 1927, st thomas parish added high school, remained open until 1975. protestant churches inspired similar local loyalty. many of local factory managers served in leadership positions in nearby churches. central congregational church had women s, children s , missionary groups brought neighbors of different economic classes together.

other civic associations brought people of jamaica plain together. in 1897, jamaica plain carnival association formed manage , promote 4th of july parade, contests , fireworks. 2 years later, jamaica plain businessmen s association formed promote commercial development. within 3 years, prominent community members invited join newly named jamaica plain citizen s association. new group worked encourage road improvement, playgrounds, lectures, schools, , other community amenities. in 1897, tuesday club formed women (who not admitted other groups), , still exists @ loring greenough house.

jamaica pond, boathouse in distance

in late 19th century, boston s emerald necklace of parks designed , built frederick law olmsted, of southern section of connecting parkland in or bordering on jamaica plain. olmsted park, jamaica pond, arnold arboretum , franklin park have been enjoyed generations of jamaica plain residents. pond had long been site of estates, torn down make new park. fishing , ice skating popular pastimes, , each winter ice removed pond before time of electric refrigeration. new park, homes , commercial icehouses removed. arboretum developed on land owned weld family, , donated benjamin bussey, financial support of james arnold. arboretum owned city of boston, , managed harvard university.

perhaps dramatic building project in jamaica plain history elevation of train line above grade in 1890s. in order avoid accidents @ street crossings, embankment built roxbury south through forest hills station, bridges on intersecting streets. embankment cut through of jamaica plain north south. in time, housing along embankment came devalued, , property east of train line cut off higher income sections of community.