CHELSEA BEACH - Todays Revere Beach Reservation
On January 10, 1739 Winnisimet, Rumney Marsh and Pullen Point, known today as Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop were set off from Boston and known by the name Chelsea. Included in this was a 3 mile crescent shaped area of beautiful hard sand called Chelsea Beach. Being only five miles from Boston it was discovered by the influential and discriminating class and soon became the playground and summer resort of the north later to be known as Revere Beach.
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The care of its beaches and marshes were of great importance to the people of Chelsea. The preparation of the soil and marshes for the cultivation of English grasses and salt hay was a slow and costly process. They tried to protect them from storms which sometimes covered acres with sand and pebbles. The removal of sand and stones that were used for ballast made these storms more destructive. From an early time in its history, Chelsea claimed exclusive rights to Chelsea Beach and attempted to regulate the taking of sand, seaweed and other items from the beach. In the1700's numerous laws had to be passed prohibiting the taking of stones, gravel and sand from the beach, a practice that was being done by the cartload On March 11, 1765 at a town meeting in Chelsea, it was voted to appoint four persons to take care of the town's beach in order to prevent other town's people from carrying off sand, clams, rockweed or trash. Again on May 21, 1772, it was voted that their committee shall have the same power, as given in 1765, to prosecute any and all persons from outside of Chelsea that take and carry off from Chelsea Beach any sand, clams, rockweed, rubbish or trash. On April 3, 1786 the town appointed a committee to inspect the beach. On April 2, 1792 the town voted that the inhabitants of other towns have no right to carry anything off of Chelsea Beach. One month later on May 2, they chose a committee to inquire into the property of Chelsea Beach. April 6, 1795 the committee reported that, in their opinion, it was a damage to the beach and town to remove any stones or ballast from the beach. February 12, 1798, the selectmen of Chelsea petitioned the General Court that an act may be passed preventing all persons, except the residents of Chelsea, from taking any sand, gravel, stones or manure from Chelsea Beach. On March 4, 1799 the town voted that the beach is the property of the Town of Chelsea and that any person not an inhabitant of Chelsea, who removed any manure of any kind from said beach, shall be prosecuted by the committee. May 11, 1812 the town voted to petition the General Court for power to regulate the beach in the town. |
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Chelsea Beach later Crescent Beach then Revere Beach |
Section 1. No person or persons shall carry away any sand, stones, gravel or muck, from any beach in the town of North Chelsea without permission first obtained from the selectmen of said town of North Chelsea, or from some person or persons duly authorized by the selectmen of said town to grant such pernmission.
Section 2. Any person who shall offend against any of the provisions of this act shall forfeit and pay for each offense a sum not exceeding twenty dollars to be recovered by complaint or indictment in any court of competent jurisdiction, one-half for the use of the complaintant, the other half for the use of siad town of North Chelsea.
Section 3. All acts and parts of acts inconsistant with the provisions of this act are hereby replaced.
Section 4. This act shall take effect from and after its passage.
In 1834, two hotels were built on the beach side to cater to the elite, the Neptune and the Robinson Crusoe House. These were soon followed by the Surfside Hotel and other less important hotels.
Steamboats soon brought pleasure seekers from Boston, Nahant, Lynn and other areas. The majority cf visitors came by the narrow gauge Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn railway. Three feet wide and eight and one half miles long, the Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad was built in 1875 from the East Boston ferry pier to the nearby industrial city of Lynn. Midway along the route was the City of Revere. The fare from Boston to the beach was 5 cents. The wholle beach was soon becoming occupied with shacks and shanties of the cheapeast type. Bath houses were being thrown up along the very water's edge. In 1871 when North Chelsea changed its name to Revere, the name Chelsea Beach was referred to as Crescent Beach. In 1893 the Metropolitan Parks Commission was established with the goal of protecting scenic areas and making them available for public use. In January of 1893, landscape architect Charles Eliot submitted a 25-page report to the newly formed commission. The report detailed the creation of such public open spaces as may best promote health and happiness of the inhabitants of the metropolitan district. Included in Elliot's master plan was the design of a public beach from Withrop's Great Head to Revere Point of Pines. Under that design, Eliot called for a thorough reformation of Crescent Beach, which he saw as a fine beach but one close to ruin because of lack of attention. Soon to be called Revere Beach, the first step was to removed the numerous structures situated on stilts that stood on the water side of the beach. Next would be to move the narrow guage railroad tracks on Railroad Avenue, now Revere Beach Boulevard, further west. In 1894 the state legislature appropriated $500,000 for Revere Beach and in 1895 another $500,000 was appropriated. In late 1895 the MPC then exercised its right of eminent domain to seize ownership of three miles of the beach, clearing away the buildings and restoring its scenic beauty. The railroad tracks were relocated to where the MBTA Blue Line tracks now lay. On Sunday, July 12, 1896 the new Revere Beach was opened as America's first public beach with over 45,000 people showing up to bath in the warm sun.
The beach began to deteriorate in the 1950's. By the early 1970's it had become a strip of honky tonk bars and abandoned buildings. The Great Blizzard of 1978 proved to be the final death knell for the old Revere Beach, as many of the remaining businesses, amusements, pavilions, sidewalks, and much of the seawall were destroyed.
In the 1980's the beach was the focus of a major revitalization effort by the Metropolitan District Commission and the City of Revere. It was officially reopened in May of 1992.It now boasts high rise housing units, a resanded beach, restored pavilions, and a renovated boulevard.