The Clay Pit
The Clay Pit was an arrant body of water that covered an area between Locke Street and Gilhooly Road, Webster Avenue and the Revere Beach Parkway. The Clay Pit created a hazard and a problem to life and health for a number of years before being eliminated and the area put to practical use. Many children drowned while attempting to swim the water of the Clay Pit or by falling through the ice in the winter.
The Clay Pit - Cow Hill in Revere in the background				For many years the clay was dug from the pit and baked in a kiln nearby to make bricks. Records have been found on the use of the Clay Pit for brick making from as early as 1664. It was near here, on Stockton Street, that John Low and his sons constructed a factory in 1877, and began producing the famous Low Tiles. With time the pit grew in length and deepened, so that carts were needed to haul the clay up to the kiln. As the clay was dug out through the years, springs were being uncovered, causing the pit to gradually fill with water. Due to the clay content in the pit the water became stagnant creating nauseating odors.
The city treated the pit with chemicals in 1938, in an attempt to eliminate the odors. The attempt seemed successful for a few years, but in the late 1940s the stench returned. After considerable discussions on how to cope with the problem the city agreed to have the Clay Pit pumped dry.
Two large pumps were borrowed from the Charlestown Navy Yard and placed on barges in the middle of the Clay Pit. Suction hose lines were stretched from the pumps to the Mill Stream near the parkway. The water of the Clay Pit was pumped through these lines to the Mill Stream, which flowed out to the Chelsea River. As the water lowered, peirs were built to support the pumps and the barges were removed. Covering soil was dumped on the mud to prevent any obnoxious fumes. It was estimated that 123 million gallons of water were pumped into the Mill Stream. Slag from the Griffin Wheel on Gerrish Avenue, heavy fill from the Navy Yard and crushed rock from the M.D.C. sewer project on Marginal Street, provided a solid bottom cover for the pit and allowed for the building of two roads,		Draining of the Clay Pit before the construction of the Bradlees Mall
one from Clark Avenue and one from Locke Street. The draining of the Clay Pit was completed in march of 1953. The city now had a large gaping hole to fill. Chelsea had ceased using the Williams Street dump and was under contract to a Saugus facility for dumping. The city fathers finally agreed to allow the dumping of municipal rubbish mixed with sanitary fill to eliminate the huge waterhole once and for all. Once the pit was filled, in 1960, all 37 acres were sold to two businessmen at a bargain price of $50 per acre for a total of $1850.
Building of the Parkway Plaza Shopping Center 1963				A large shopping center was erected on the site with top stores, Stop and Shop, Bradlees and others. The Parkway Plaza Shopping Center was opened on March 13, 1963. As the years passed, the Stop and Shop left and the Bradless Department store closed. The Mall fell into disrepair and most of the stores became vacant. In 2006 the mall was completely refurbished, the parking lot was repaved and new stores moved in, includung Home Depot. The buildings on this site have greatly improved the conditions that existed at the Clay Pit. The hazard to children no longer exists and neighbors enjoy the air in and around their homes.