Where Broadway now lies, Indians once followed a forest trail. George Washington and Revolutionary War soldiers marched along the street when it was still a country lane. Much later, Abraham Lincoln spoke in Chelsea Square, and Sarah Bernhardt performed at the Academy of Music. Stage coaches and carriages, trollies and automobiles travelled on Broadway, as Chelsea grew from a settlement at the ferry landing to a thriving city. The buildings lining the street from Bellingham Square to Chelsea Square are a visual record of Chelsea's history.
Broadway forms one segment of a route that has connected Boston with the North Shore for over 350 years. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries Boston travelers would catch the Winnisimmet Ferry to the Chelsea shore. At the ferry landing, they could continue on horseback along a meandering road leading north that was originally based on Indian trails.
Until the 19th century Chelsea remained a rural area composed of farms and a small settlement near today's Revere Beach Parkway. In 1803 Broadway was formally laid out as a part of the new Salem Turnpike leading from the Winnisimmet Ferry to Salem. Livery stables and an inn at the ferry landing served the increasing number of people who travelled on the new road.
Broadway at Bellingham Square. Approx.1890
Broadway: Christmas 1938
Chelsea prospered throughout the 19th century as transportation connections between Chelsea and Boston improved. Steam powered ferries and new street car lines made it possible for people to live in Chelsea and work in Boston. Houses, stores and churches were built along lower Broadway as the population grew. By 1900, Broadway was the commercial center of a thriving city.
Broadway looking north toward Bellingham Square. F.W. Woolworth and Wolpers Clothing on the left. Photo: Approx. 1900 taken at Third Street.
Broadway between Fourth St. and Bellingham Square
Broadway Theartre approx. 1950
The 1908 fire destroyed half of Chelsea, including all of the buildings on Broadway above Chelsea Square. Rebuilding began immediately with construction of new houses, schools and municipal buildings. Four years after the fire, the upper part of Broadway had been completely transformed. What had been a tree-shaded street of stores and houses was now a street lined with large commercial buildings. After the fire, Chelsea prospered, and business along Broadway flourished. The street was filled with grocers, butchers and dry goods stores. Vaudeville and movie theaters attracted crowds. On weekends the sidewalks were so crowded many people had to walk in the street.
The photo on the left is from the early 1950's. It was taken at the corner of Congress Street and Broadway and shows the numerous retail stores which used to occupy Broadway at the time. On the left of the photo is Thom McAn, Fanny Farmer, Wolper's Clothes, F. W. Woolworth, W. T. Grant and Gorins. On the right is the former Chelsea Savings Bank, which became the Atlantic bank and then the Boston Five. Siegel's Furniture and a Firestone dealer. At this point in time, Broadway was a two way street with a Trackless Trolley.
From the 1930's through 60's Broadway gradually changed again. With the introduction of the automobile, people moved to the suburbs, and Broadway had to compete with shopping centers. The City Revitalization Program, begun in 1977, recognized the importance of Broadway in Chelsea's future. From Bellingham Square to Chelsea Square the street was enhanced with new sidewalks, benches, lights and trees.
Stalled and abandoned cars on Broadway during a major snowstorm on February 15, 1940.