Sullivan Square facts for kids
Sullivan Square is a busy traffic circle in the northern part of Charlestown, a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. A traffic circle is a special kind of intersection where roads meet in a circle, helping cars move smoothly. The square is named after James Sullivan, who was a Governor of Massachusetts a long time ago, in the early 1800s. You can also find the Sullivan Square station nearby, which is part of Boston's train system, the MBTA Orange Line.
Contents
The Story of Sullivan Square
How It Started
Before the 1800s, the area now known as Charlestown was mostly connected to the mainland (which is now Somerville) by a narrow strip of land called "the neck." From this neck, roads branched out to other towns like Everett, Medford, and Cambridge.
In 1795, people decided to build an extension of the Middlesex Canal. A canal is like a man-made river that helps boats transport goods. This canal extension was finished in 1803 and even ran through the spot where Sullivan Square is today! The area eventually got its name, Sullivan Square, from James Sullivan, who helped organize the canal project.
Trains and Trams Arrive
Later, in the 1800s, trains became a popular way to travel. The Boston and Lowell Railroad opened in 1835, and the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) followed in 1844. Another railway, the Grand Junction Railroad, was added in 1849. These train lines had stations near Sullivan Square, which led to more homes being built in the area. Because trains were faster and more efficient, people stopped using the canal, and it closed in 1853.
The area around Sullivan Square also changed a lot when the Millers River and its wet areas were filled in during the 1870s and 1880s. This made space for more railroad yards. Even with all these changes, Sullivan Square stayed an important place for transportation.
In 1858, horse-drawn trams (called horsecars) started running between Somerville and Charlestown. These were like early buses pulled by horses. Around 1890, electric streetcars replaced the horsecars, making travel even faster.
The Elevated Train and Big Road Changes
In 1901, the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) opened its "Main Line Elevated" train. This was a train that ran on tracks built high above the streets. A large, impressive station was built over Sullivan Square, marking the northern end of this elevated section.
In 1950, the city began a big project to make traffic flow better at Sullivan Square. They replaced the old road junction with a large traffic circle. They also built an underpass (a road going under another road) and an overpass (a road going over another road). This big construction project was finished in 1953.
Over time, the elevated train tracks became old and noisy. In 1975, the Orange Line (which was what the Main Line Elevated became) was moved to tracks on the ground, next to the railroad lines. The old elevated station was then taken down. Around the same time, the major highway Interstate 93 was built overhead. In 2002, the overpass that was built in the 1950s was also removed because it was getting old and unsafe.
Modern Updates
More recently, in 2018–2019, some improvements were made to the traffic circle and nearby roads. These changes cost $11 million and helped traffic move better. There are also plans for even bigger changes between 2021 and 2025. The idea is to remove the traffic circle completely and create a more traditional street layout, which will cost a lot of money but aims to make the area even easier to navigate.
