West Medford (MBTA station)
Encyclopedia
West Medford station is located at 481 High Street (Rte. 60) as it passes through West Medford Square in Medford, Massachusetts
, a suburb of Boston. It is on the MBTA Lowell Line
.
When the original Boston and Lowell Railroad
was laid out in the 1830s, West Medford was mostly farmland. The route of the new railroad (one of the oldest railroads in North America
) was built on land acquired from Peter Chardon Brooks
, who sold a strip for the right-of-way plus a parcel for the station on High Street. The initial stop was called "Medford Gates"; it gave birth to West Medford Square and, eventually, the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
The depot structure built in 1880 was destroyed by a fire in 1950. The finial
from the roof of the station now resides today at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan
.
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
, a suburb of Boston. It is on the MBTA Lowell Line
Lowell Line
The Lowell Line is a railroad line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from Boston to Lowell, Massachusetts. Originally built as the Boston and Lowell Railroad, and later operated as part of the Boston and Maine Railroad's Southern Division, the line was one of the first railroads in...
.
When the original Boston and Lowell Railroad
Boston and Lowell Railroad
The Boston and Lowell Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in Massachusetts. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state...
was laid out in the 1830s, West Medford was mostly farmland. The route of the new railroad (one of the oldest railroads in North America
Oldest railroads in North America
- Early experimental railroads :*1720: A railroad is reportedly used in the construction of the French fortress at Louisburg, Nova Scotia.*1764: Between 1762 and 1764 a gravity railroad is built by British military engineers at the Niagara Portage in Lewiston, New York.*1795: A wooden railway on...
) was built on land acquired from Peter Chardon Brooks
Peter Chardon Brooks
Peter Chardon Brooks was a wealthy Massachusetts merchant born in North Yarmouth, Maine. His father, the Rev. Edward Brooks, moved to Medford, Massachusetts, his native town, in 1769, and here the boyhood of young Brooks was passed in farm work...
, who sold a strip for the right-of-way plus a parcel for the station on High Street. The initial stop was called "Medford Gates"; it gave birth to West Medford Square and, eventually, the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
The depot structure built in 1880 was destroyed by a fire in 1950. The finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
from the roof of the station now resides today at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
.
Accessibility
- The West Medford MBTA Station has ramp access to a low-level platform.
- Only selected MBTA commuter rail stations have wheelchair access and most of those have short elevated platforms that only serve one or two cars.