Welcome to the Allston, MA Genweb!
I am Michelle W. Cook the town coordinator. If you have any information that you believe should be included on this site please email me. If you have any ideas on how I can improve this site, let me know that as well. Happy Hunting!
Brief History of Allston
Allston was an eastern section of the former town of Brighton.
In 1868, a new railroad depot and post office in Brighton's eastern portion were given the name "Allston" after Washington Allston, the noted painter who had lived and worked across the Charles River in the Cambridgeport section of Cambridge. It can even be said to have been named for a specific painting: Washington Allston's "Fields West of Boston".
Allston has never existed as a separate political entity in its own right. The Town of Brighton was annexed by the City of Boston in 1874.
The Allston community developed largely around large railroad and livestock operations. The Boston and Albany Railroad (now CSX) operated a major yard. Stockyards and a large abattoir operated nearby in the northern part of Brighton. Much of the railroad yard remains in use today as the CSX Beacon Park Yard, but all livestock activity ended by the mid-twentieth century.
A strip running from Brighton Avenue in Allston out Commonwealth Avenue toward Kenmore Square was Boston's original "Automile," lined with automobile dealerships. Packard's Sales Stable and Riding School gave Packard's Corner its name, which was then perpetuated by the presence of an opulent Packard dealership. Few dealers remain, but many of their large-windowed storefronts can be easily spotted to this day.
The Massachusetts Turnpike Extension, built largely on part of the Boston and Albany right-of-way, opened through Allston in 1964 and 1965.
The Boston Patriots (now the New England Patriots) of the National Football League played one season in Allston, 1970, at Harvard Stadium. The Boston Braves played at Braves Field, (now Boston University's Nickerson Field), at Allston's eastern edge, from 1915 to 1952.
Source Wikipedia