Road Book of Boston and Vicinity (1893)

Edited by Charles A. Underwood189383 chapters34 images

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Contents

• Index to Places and Distances from Boston (opens in a new tab)

  Alphabetical index of some 250 places from Arnold Arboretum and Auburndale to Winchendon and Zoar, giving for each the book page (or pages) on which it appears and its distance from Boston, from Back Bay Park at 1 mile to Albany, N. Y. at 195. Runs to physical page 19, interleaved with cycle-trade advertisements.
• Route One. To Chestnut Hill Reservoir via Beacon St., or Commonwealth Ave. (opens in a new tab)

  Five miles from Copley Square by Dartmouth Street, Commonwealth Avenue, Back Bay Park and Beacon Street, all rated excellent. Beacon Street is called the shortest way to the Reservoir and the finest boulevard in the country; Commonwealth Avenue leads to the main entrance and abounds in fine coasts.
• Route Two. Chestnut Hill Reservoir to Boston via Brookline and Longwood. (opens in a new tab)

  The five-mile return from the Reservoir's main entrance by Washington, Park and Marion streets (a coast) through Brookline, then Sewall Avenue, Kent, Dudley and Hawes streets through Longwood and back by Beacon and Dartmouth to Copley Square. A favourite return route for Reservoir moonlight parties.
• Route Three. To Chestnut Hill Reservoir via Franklin Park. (opens in a new tab)

  Six and a half miles by Columbus Avenue, West Chester Park, Harrison Avenue, Warren Street and Walnut Avenue into Franklin Park, then the Glen Road coast, Jamaica Plain, Centre, May, Pond, Newton and Hammond streets to the rear entrance. Notes that G. R. Aggassiz won the championship mile and R. S. Codman set the quarter-mile record on the lower-basin drive, which measures 1.17 miles.
• Route Four. Harvard Square to Belmont Springs. (opens in a new tab)

  Six and a half miles from Harvard Square by Brattle Street to Mount Auburn at 1 1-2 miles, then Belmont Street and Waverley at 4 1-2 miles, crossing the railroad and taking Mill and Water streets to Belmont Springs.
• Route Five. To Cambridgeport, via Cottage Farm. (opens in a new tab)

  Three and a quarter miles of excellent road from Copley Square by Commonwealth Avenue, Cottage Farm Bridge, the Essex Street Bridge, Brookline, Chestnut and Magazine streets to Central Square, Cambridgeport.
• Route Six. Park Route. (opens in a new tab)

  A park circuit from Copley Square out Boylston Street through Back Bay Park and Beacon Street to Chestnut Hill Reservoir, then Hammond, Newton, Pond and May streets past the Arnold Arboretum and Forest Hills Station to Franklin Park. The driveway around Franklin Park is 200 feet less than a mile; return by reverse of Route 3.
• Route Seven. To Riverside. (opens in a new tab)

  Ten miles out Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street through Brighton (4 miles), Newton, Newtonville, West Newton (7 3-4) and Auburndale (9) to Riverside on the Charles. A fine place for boating with boats to let, the Newton Boat Club house, and dinners at Mr. Edward Anderson's, a favourite rendezvous of the Roxbury Club.
• Route Eight. To Gloucester via Essex. (opens in a new tab)

  Fifty-two miles: as Route thirty-nine to Ipswich at 35 3-4 miles, then Essex Street and Northern Avenue to Essex (40 1-4), through Essex Woods and School Street to Manchester (44 3-4) and Western Avenue into Gloucester. The Ipswich-to-Manchester road is called one of the finest in the state.
• Route Nine. To Corey Hill. (opens in a new tab)

  Three miles by Commonwealth Avenue, St. Paul Street, Longwood and Harvard avenues, Beacon Street and Summit Hill Avenue. Corey Hill is 2,300 feet long and 199 feet high, an average rise of 1 in 11.41, with the last 158 feet at 1 in 7.85; first climbed by Mr. H. D. Corey when it was thought insurmountable.
• Route Ten. To Harvard Square. (opens in a new tab)

  Four miles of excellent road by Newbury Street, West Chester Park, the Harvard Bridge and Main Street, Cambridge. Cyclists are urged to see Hemenway Gymnasium, Memorial Hall, the Agassiz Museum and the Washington Elm; Holmes Field has a half-mile bicycle track.
• Route Eleven. To Franklin Park, Forest Hills, and Mt. Hope Cemeteries. (opens in a new tab)

  By Columbus Avenue, West Chester Park, Harrison Avenue, Warren Street and Walnut Avenue to Franklin Park, then Morton Street to Forest Hills Cemetery and Walkhill Street to Mount Hope. Forest Hills ranks second to Mount Auburn and is privately owned, Mount Hope belongs to the city, and bicycles are not allowed in any of the cemeteries.
• Route Twelve. To Brockton. (opens in a new tab)

  Out Columbus Avenue, Chester Park, Boston, Hancock and Adams streets to Milton Lower Mills (6 1-2 miles), East Milton (8 1-2) and Quincy (11), then Hancock, School, Franklin and Washington streets through South Braintree (14 1-2) and Holbrook (18) to Brockton.
• Route Thirteen. To Pumping Station. (opens in a new tab)

  Four miles by Chester, Swett, Boston, Cottage and Carson streets and Crescent Avenue, crossing the Old Colony Railroad to Mount Vernon Street. A favourite evening run to the station in the Cow Pasture on Dorchester Bay, where the pier runs nearly a mile out and the pumps drive waste water two miles under the bay to Moon Island.
• Route Fourteen. To Union Market House. (opens in a new tab)

  Five and a quarter miles by Commonwealth and Brighton avenues (the mile ground), North Beacon Street, the Charles River Bridge and the United States Arsenal to the Union Market House at Watertown, a hotel much used by cattle dealers whose steaks have a reputation among hungry cyclists.
• Route Fifteen. To Somerville. (opens in a new tab)

  Four and a half miles by Newbury Street, West Chester Park and the Harvard Bridge to Central Square, Cambridgeport (3 miles), then Prospect Street and Webster Avenue to Union Square. The old fort on Central Hill, built partly of Revolutionary relics, gives a view over the adjoining towns.
• Route Sixteen. To Mt. Auburn. (opens in a new tab)

  Five and a quarter miles by the Harvard Bridge and Main Street to Harvard Square (4 miles) and out Brattle Street. Mount Auburn was established by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 1831 and is the oldest garden cemetery in America; Fresh Pond Lane lies opposite.
• Old Powder House, Somerville (opens in a new tab)

  A full-page engraving of the old stone mill, inscribed 'Built about 1703', with a note that all routes to Lynn pass the house. Probably built by John Mallett, who acquired the site in 1703-4 and left 'the grist mill' to his two sons in his 1720 will; on 1 September 1774 Gen. Gage sent 260 soldiers up the Mystic from Long Wharf to seize the 250 half-barrels of powder stored there for Castle William.
• Route Seventeen. Middlesex Fells and Spot Pond. (opens in a new tab)

  Ten miles by the Harvard Bridge, Harvard Square (4 miles), Porter's Station (5 1-4), College Avenue, Pearl and Medford streets to Medford (8 miles) and out Forest Street. A favourite resort for cycle picnics and Sunday runs, with boats for hire but no good hotel near by and quite hilly roads about the pond.
• Route Eighteen. To Mt. Wauchusett, Princeton. (opens in a new tab)

  Same as Route twenty-three to Northboro (34 miles), then South Berlin (36 1-2), Berlin (38 1-2), West Berlin (40), Clinton (42 1-2), Sterling (48), East Princeton (53) and Mount Wauchusett at 56 miles. Roads beyond Clinton run from good to bad and the hills should all be coasted carefully.
• Route Nineteen. Around Great Sign Boards. (opens in a new tab)

  By Newbury and Cambridge streets to Brighton (4 1-2 miles), Newton (6 3-4), Newtonville, West Newton and the Great Sign Boards at 10 1-2, then Beacon Street to Chestnut Hill Reservoir at 15 miles, returning by reverse of Route 2. Second in favour with Boston wheelmen and much used for moonlight and short club runs.
• Route Twenty. To Hunnewell Estate. (opens in a new tab)

  Out Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street past the Reservoir and the Great Sign Boards (10 miles), through Newton Lower Falls (11 1-2), Wellesley Hills (13 1-4) and Wellesley to the Hunnewell Estate at 14 1-2 miles. The grounds are private but generally open on application at the mansion; the gardens are laid out in the old English style and overlook Lake Waban and Wellesley College.
• Route Twenty-One. To Echo Bridge, Newton. (opens in a new tab)

  Nine and a quarter miles by Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street past Chestnut Hill Reservoir (5 miles) to Newton Centre (7), Newton Highlands (8 1-4) and Boylston Street. Echo Bridge is a granite span over the Charles carrying the Boston Water Works conduit, and returns nine distinct echoes to a bugle blast.
• Route Twenty-Two. To Lexington via Arlington. (opens in a new tab)

  Twelve and a quarter miles by the Harvard Bridge, Harvard Square (4 miles), North Avenue, Porter's Station (5 1-4), Arlington (7) and a poor Arlington Avenue through East Lexington (10) to Lexington Common and Monument. Substantially the path taken by the British troops to the battles of Lexington and Concord; Route 24 wheels better but has no historical interest.
• Route Twenty-Three. To Worcester. (opens in a new tab)

  Forty-five miles out Beacon Street past the Reservoir through Newton Centre (7), Newton Lower Falls, Wellesley Hills (11 1-2), Wellesley (13 1-4), Natick (17 1-4), South Framingham (20), Framingham Centre (22), Southboro (29), Northboro (34) and Shrewsbury (40). The 'sand paper' district ends at Framingham Reservoir, and an old rider may go from Boston to Worcester without a dismount; Deerfoot Farms and St. Marks School are at Southboro.
• Route Twenty-Four. To Lexington via Waverly. (opens in a new tab)

  Thirteen and a half miles by Commonwealth and Brighton avenues, Linden, Cambridge and North Harvard streets, Mount Auburn Street to Mount Auburn (5 3-4), then Belmont Street to Waverley (8 1-2), East Lexington (11 1-2) and Lexington. About a mile longer than Route 22 but with an excellent road bed, recommended to those who prefer good riding to historical landscapes.
• Route Twenty-Five. Milton Lower Mills to West and South Quincy. (opens in a new tab)

  From Milton Lower Mills by Adams Street and Milton Hill to East Milton Station (1 1-2 miles), Railway Village (2), Common Street to West Quincy (3 1-2), then Water and Franklin streets to South Quincy at 5 miles. Two old-fashioned houses at the foot of Franklin Street hill are the birthplaces of John Adams and John Quincy Adams, and Penn's Hill close by is where Mrs. John Adams watched the Battle of Bunker Hill.
• Route Twenty-Six. Boston to Concord and Acton. (opens in a new tab)

  Twenty-three miles by the Harvard Bridge, Harvard Square (4), Porter's Station (5 1-4), Arlington (7), East Lexington (10), Lexington Common (12 1-4), a poor Monument Street and the Lexington Road to Concord Common (18), Concord Junction (20) and Laws Brook Road to South Acton. Passes the Hawthorne house and Alcott's Orchard House, the Emerson homestead, the Old Manse, Wright Tavern and the One Arch Bridge where the Battle of Concord was fought.
• Route Twenty-Seven. To Massapoag House, Sharon. (opens in a new tab)

  By Columbus Avenue, Harrison Avenue, Warren Street and Walnut Avenue to Franklin Park (4 miles), then Morton and Austin streets and Blue Hill Avenue to Mattapan (7), past Blue Hill and Ponkapoag to Canton (13) and Sharon (18) and the Massapoag Lake Hotel. An alternative by South Canton and Cobb's Tavern makes 18 1-2 miles; driving distances are given to Moose Hill, Canton, Stoughton, Brockton, Norwood and Dedham.
• To South Natick via Needham. (opens in a new tab)

  An unnumbered route printed after Route Twenty-Seven: as Route forty-three to West Roxbury (7 miles), then across the Charles River Bridge by Needham Street, Causeway Street and Great Plain Avenue to Needham (11 1-2), Wellesley (15 1-2) and South Natick at 17 3-4 miles. The roads are especially fine and Great Plain Avenue in Needham is said to have no superior as a road bed.
• Route Twenty-Eight. To Concord via Waltham. (opens in a new tab)

  Out Commonwealth and Brighton avenues and North Beacon Street to Watertown (5 3-4 miles) and Waltham (8 3-4), crossing the Massachusetts Central Railroad to Weston Station (12 1-4), then North Avenue, the Fitchburg Railroad, South Lincoln and Walden Street past Walden Pond to Concord at 18 3-4 miles.
• Route Twenty-Nine. To Woodlawn Park Hotel via Newton. (opens in a new tab)

  By Commonwealth and Brighton avenues (the mile ground) and Cambridge Street through Brighton to Newton (6 3-4), Newtonville (7 3-4) and West Newton (8 3-4), then Washington Street to the hotel at 9 1-2 miles. Return by the Great Sign Boards and Beacon Street to Chestnut Hill Reservoir as in Routes 2 and 19; it is the rule for wheelmen to dine here.
• Route Thirty. To Essex House, Salem. (opens in a new tab)

  Twenty-two and three-quarter miles by the Harvard Bridge, Harvard Square (3), North Avenue, Day and Elm streets past the Old Powder House and Medford Square (7 1-2) to Malden (9 1-2), Maplewood (11), East Saugus (14 3-4), Lynn Common (16 3-4) and Lafayette Street into Salem. One of the favourite runs of Boston wheelmen; it can be shortened by the Chelsea Ferry and extended over the bridge to Beverly, Manchester and Gloucester.
• Route Thirty-One. To Charlestown, Everett, Malden, Melrose, Wakefield, Reading, No. Reading, Andover and Lawrence. (opens in a new tab)

  By Beacon, Temple, Stamford and Causeway streets to City Square, Charlestown (2 miles), Sullivan Square (3 1-4) and Oxford Street over Malden Bridge to Everett station (5 1-4), then Main Street through Malden (7), Melrose (9), Melrose Highlands (10 1-4), Wakefield (12 3-4), Reading (15 3-4) and Andover (25 1-4) to Lawrence at 29 1-2 miles.
• Route Thirty-Two. To Woodlawn Park Hotel, via Great Sign Boards. (opens in a new tab)

  A short run out Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street to the Great Sign Boards, then right on Washington Street to the Woodlawn Park Hotel, returning by reverse of Route 19.
• Route Thirty-Three. To Nantasket Beach, Hull, and Downer's Landing. (opens in a new tab)

  By Columbus Avenue, Chester Park, Harrison Avenue, Warren and Washington streets over Codman and Milton hills to East Milton (8 miles), Quincy (10 1-2), Quincy Point (12 1-4), North Weymouth (14), Hingham (17), Nantasket P. O. (19 1-2) and Hull at 24 miles. Beach roads are sandy in dry weather; Jerusalem Road leads right to the Cohasset hotels, and Downer's Landing, reached by the first left after Weymouth Draw Bridge, is popular for clam and fish dinners.
• Route Thirty-Four. To Franklin Park and Return. (opens in a new tab)

  Out by Columbus Avenue, Chester Park, Harrison Avenue, Warren Street and Walnut Avenue to Franklin Park at 3 3-4 miles, returning by Morton, South and Centre streets through the Arnold Arboretum, past Jamaica Pond and through Brookline by Sewall, Cypress, School and St. Paul streets to Beacon and Dartmouth. Franklin Park covers about 500 acres, hosts the city's Fourth of July races, and the whole ten-mile circuit can be ridden in two hours.
• Route Thirty-Five. To Charlestown, Bunker Hill, and Navy Yard. (opens in a new tab)

  By Newbury Street, Chester Park and the Harvard Bridge to Central Square (2 miles), then Prospect and Washington streets to Sullivan Square and Charlestown (4 1-2), Rutherford Avenue, Austin, Main and Warren streets and Monument Avenue to the Monument at 6 miles, and Chestnut, Chelsea and Wapping streets to the Navy Yard. The Yard is open to visitors on weekdays from 7.30 to 4.30 and the Marine Museum contains many curiosities; a shorter but heavily paved route is also given.
• Route Thirty-Six. To Medfield, Medway, Millis and Milford. (opens in a new tab)

  By Columbus Avenue, Camden, Tremont, Cabot, Hampshire, Elmwood, Roxbury, Pynchon and Centre streets to Jamaica Plain (4 miles), Roslindale (5), West Roxbury (7), the Charles River (8), West Dedham (11), Medfield (15), Millis (18), West Medway (22) and Milford at 27 miles.
• Route Thirty-Seven. To Milford. (opens in a new tab)

  Same as Route twenty-three to South Framingham (18 miles), then past Sherborn Prison to East Holliston Depot (22), Holliston (23), Braggville (27) and Milford at 30 miles. The road is good as far as Holliston and quite sandy or muddy beyond, according to the weather.
• Route Thirty-Eight. To Reading. (opens in a new tab)

  By the Harvard Bridge, Harvard Square (3 miles), North Avenue, Porter's Station (4), Russell, Elm, Harvard and Medford streets to Medford (7 1-2), then over the Mystic by Fulton Street, Wyoming Avenue, Pond and South streets to Stoneham (11 1-2) and Reading at 15 1-2. The return runs by Wakefield, Greenwood, Melrose and Malden; the direct Forest Street way has a very poor road bed.
• Route Thirty-Nine. Boston to Haverhill. (opens in a new tab)

  Route 59 to Beverly (24 1-4 miles), then Rantoul Street and the horse-car track through North Beverly, Wenham and Hamilton to Ipswich (35 3-4), First Street to Rowley (40), side path to Georgetown (46 1-2) and Groveland (50) and on to Haverhill at 53 1-4. Haverhill is a boot and shoe city of 25,000; the Public Library, Whittier's birthplace three miles out on the Amesbury road, Lake Kenoza and 'Castle Winnekenni' are the points of interest.
• Route Forty. Boston to New Bedford. (opens in a new tab)

  Same as Route twelve to Brockton, then West Bridgewater (28 miles), Bridgewater (31), North Middleboro (36), Lakeville (40), Acushnet (53) and New Bedford at 57. From Middleboro to Acushnet the roads are mostly unrideable and the train is recommended for solid or cushion tires, though the last five miles into New Bedford are good.
• Route Forty-One. To Mattapan. (opens in a new tab)

  Eight and a half miles by Columbus Avenue, West Chester Park, Harrison Avenue, Warren Street, Walnut Avenue, Dale, Laurel and Bower streets and Washington Street to Dorchester (6 1-2) and River Street to Mattapan. To return, continue to Hyde Park and take the reverse of Route 71.
• Route Forty-Two. To Fitchburg. (opens in a new tab)

  Same as Route twenty-three to Northboro (34 miles), then South Berlin, Berlin (38 1-2), West Berlin (40), Clinton (42 1-2), South and North Lancaster (46 3-4), Leominster (53 1-4) and Fitchburg at 58 miles. Turn right at Berlin for Hudson, four miles off; the roads are good with few hills and exceptionally good through Lancaster.
• Route Forty-Three. Boston to Walpole. (opens in a new tab)

  By Huntington Avenue, West Chester Park, Westland, Parker and Centre streets to Jamaica Plain (3 miles), then by the Soldiers' Monument, Weld and Maple streets and Centre Street to West Roxbury (7), through Dedham Centre (10) and Washington Street to Norwood (16) and Walpole at 21 miles. Moose Hill commands a view of 60 towns; Massapoag Lake, Highland Lake Grove and Lake Pearl at Wrentham are the other points of interest.
• Route Forty-Four. Boston to Marblehead. (opens in a new tab)

  Same as Route fifty-seven to Lynn Common (16 3-4 miles), then Common, Market and Broad streets and the horse railroad straight to Marblehead at 22 1-2. The road is fine and the sights many: the Lee Mansion, St. Michael's Church of 1714, Fort Sewall Park, the Old Hill Burying Ground, the birthplace of Moll Pitcher and the Fountain Inn Well, with the Churn, Great Head, the lighthouse and the Eastern Yacht Club at Marblehead Neck.
• Route Forty-Five. To Providence R. I. (opens in a new tab)

  By Huntington Avenue, West Chester Park, Westland, Parker and Centre streets to Jamaica Plain (4 miles), Weld and Corey streets to West Roxbury (8) and Dedham (10), then Washington Street through Norwood (16), Walpole (21), Wrentham (27), Plainville (32), No. Attleboro (34), Dodgeville (40), Hebronville (44) and Pawtucket (48) to Providence at 53 miles. Roger Williams Park, the Cove, Brown University, the Arcade and the American Screw Company's works are the sights.
• Route Forty-Six. To Hough's Neck (Quincy.) (opens in a new tab)

  Same as Route fifty-four to Quincy (13 3-4 miles), then Coddington and Sea streets to Hough's Neck at 17. The Neck is at the end of the Quincy peninsula and is becoming a favourite rendezvous for bicyclers for its nearness to Boston and its fine fish dinners.
• Route Forty-Seven. To Newburyport. (opens in a new tab)

  Same as Route fifty-nine to Beverly, then Depot Square and Rantoul Street and the horse-car tracks through Wenham and Hamilton to Ipswich (13 miles from Beverly), First Street to Rowley (16), over the bridge to Newbury (23) and High Street to Newburyport at 25 1-2. This was part of the original 100-mile road race; the homes of the French Refugees, the Wallaces, Caleb Cushing and Lord Timothy Dexter, the Old South Church where Whitfield is buried, and the Garden of the Dead are the sights.
• Route Forty-Eight. To Lawrence. (opens in a new tab)

  Same as Route thirty-eight to Reading, then Main Street to Andover (23 1-2 miles) and Lawrence (30). The roads beyond Reading are only fair; wheelmen should see the Pacific Mills, one of the largest in the world, the Lawrence Dam, and the reservoir with its view over the city.
• Route Forty-Nine. To Portsmouth. (opens in a new tab)

  Same as Route forty-seven to Newburyport (49 3-4 miles), then the chain bridge to Amesbury (52 1-4), Seabrook (53 1-4), Hampton (61) and Portsmouth at 72 miles. The Seabrook sands are avoided by following the horse-car tracks from Newburyport to the chain bridge, then the guide boards at the Rocky Hill Meeting House; a fair rider can make Boston to Portsmouth in a day.
• Route Fifty. To Lowell and Nashua. (opens in a new tab)

  Same as Route thirty-eight to Medford (8 3-4 miles), then High and Purchase streets to Winchester (11 1-2), the horse-car track to Woburn (14 1-2), Winn Street to Burlington (17 1-2), the main road to Billerica (23), Lowell (30), Middlesex Village (32), Tyngsboro (36 1-2), Littles (39 1-2) and Nashua, N. H. at 42 1-2. The roads beyond Lowell are mostly poor.
• Route Fifty-One. To Fall River. (opens in a new tab)

  Same as Route fifty-four to Brockton (24 3-4 miles), then West Elm Street, Warren and Forrest avenues and Main Street to No. Easton (28 3-4), past Hockamock Swamp to North Raynham (36), Taunton (39), Somerset Avenue to Dighton (44 1-2), Somerset (50) and Fall River at 55. From Taunton follow the right bank of the river all the way; the roads are not very good.
• Route Fifty-Two. Chestnut Hill Reservoir to Dedham. (opens in a new tab)

  From the Reservoir by Beacon, Hammond, Newton, South, Church and Centre streets to West Roxbury (7 miles), then Spring Street, the Charles River and Bridge Street, Ames Street and Washington Street to Dedham at 10 miles.
• Route Fifty-Three. Copley Sq. to Auburndale, via Reservoir Road. (opens in a new tab)

  By Dartmouth Street, Commonwealth Avenue, Gloucester and Beacon streets, Chestnut Avenue, South, Ward, Centre, Homer, Fuller and Woodlawn streets to Auburndale at 9 miles. Return to Washington Street and via Newton to Boston.
• Route Fifty-Four. To Brockton. (opens in a new tab)

  By Columbus Avenue, Chester Park, Boston, Hancock and Adams streets through Dorchester, over the Neponset River bridge to Milton Lower Mills (6 3-4 miles), Milton Hill, East Milton (8 1-2), Quincy (11), Braintree (13), South Braintree (14), Randolph (18 3-4), East Stoughton (21) and Brockton at 24 3-4. For Stoughton, three miles off, take Pond Street at East Stoughton.
• Route Fifty-Five. To Cobb's Tavern. (opens in a new tab)

  By Columbus Avenue, West Chester Park, Swett, Boston, Columbia and Washington streets over Codman Hill to Dorchester (6 1-4 miles), the Neponset bridge and Milton Lower Mills (6 1-2), Milton Hill, Central Avenue and Washington Street through Ponkapoag and Canton to Cobb's Tavern at 16 1-2. The top of Milton Hill gives a view of Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay, Codman Hill has a short stiff grade to be coasted carefully, and the tavern looks like a century-old farmhouse and is known for its fine dinners.
• Route Fifty-Six. Boston to Milton and Quincy. (opens in a new tab)

  By Columbus Avenue, West Chester Park, Swett, Boston, Columbia and Washington streets over Codman Hill to Dorchester (6 1-2 miles), the Neponset bridge, Milton Lower Mills, Milton Hill and Adams Street to East Milton (8 1-2), Blue Hill and Quincy at 11 1-2. Milton Hill is a very hard climb and should be coasted only by skilful riders with the brake on; Quincy is the home of the Adams family.
• Route Fifty-Seven. To Nahant. (opens in a new tab)

  By the Harvard Bridge and Harvard Square (3 miles), North Avenue, Porter's Station (4), Russell, Elm, Harvard and Medford streets to Medford (7 1-2), Salem Street to Malden (9 1-2), Maplewood (11), East Saugus (13 3-4), Lynn Common (16 3-4), then Market, Broad and Newhall streets and the Lower Beach Road past Bass Point House to Nahant at 19 3-4 miles. The run can be shortened by the Chelsea Ferry from the foot of Hanover Street.
• Route Fifty-Eight. To South Natick. (opens in a new tab)

  Out Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street past Chestnut Hill Reservoir (5 miles) and the Great Sign Boards (10) through Newton Lower Falls (10 3-4), Wellesley Hills (12 1-2) and Wellesley (13 1-4) to South Natick at 16 miles. In the square stood the oak under which John Eliot gathered the first Indian Church; 'Eliot's Oak' and the Eliot Memorial Monument are near by, and the roads back to the city are of the highest sand-papered variety.
• Route Fifty-Nine. To Gloucester. (opens in a new tab)

  Forty-seven miles by Harvard Square (3), Porter's Station (4), Medford (7 1-2), Malden (9 1-2), Maplewood (11), East Saugus (13 3-4), Lynn Common (16 3-4), the Essex House at Salem (22 3-4), Beverly (24 1-4), Pride's Crossing (26 1-2), Beverly Farms (27), Manchester-by-the-Sea (29 3-4) and Magnolia (32 1-2). Gloucester sends out about 650 fishing vessels; the Bay View and Lanesville quarries, Eastern Point Lighthouse, Bass Rocks and the fifteen-mile ride 'Around the Cape' are described, with the Pavilion Hotel recommended to wheelmen.
• Route Sixty. Chestnut Hill Reservoir, to Dedham. (opens in a new tab)

  From the Reservoir by Beacon, Hammond, Newton, South, Church and Centre streets to West Roxbury (5 1-4 miles), then Spring Street, the Charles River, Bridge and Ames streets and Washington Street to Dedham at 7 3-4 miles.
• Route Sixty-One. To Walpole. (opens in a new tab)

  By Huntington Avenue, West Chester Park, Westland, Parker and Centre streets to Jamaica Plain (3 miles), then by the Soldier's Monument, Weld and Maple streets and Centre Street to West Roxbury (7), through Dedham Centre (10) and Washington Street to Norwood (14) and Walpole at 19 miles.
• Route Sixty-Two. To Albany, N. Y. (opens in a new tab)

  Route forty-two to Fitchburg (58 miles), then West Fitchburg, Westminster (66), South Gardner, East Templeton, Templeton (74), Athol (82), Orange (89), Millers Falls (99 1-2), Turner's Falls (104 1-2), Greenfield (108 1-2), Shelburne Falls (117), East Charlemont, the Hoosac Tunnel (135), Zoar (131), North Adams (145), Williamstown (152), North Pownal Vt. (159), Troy, N. Y. (188) and Albany at 195 miles, with the surface graded fair or poor for most of the way.
• Route Sixty-Three. To Keene, N. H. (opens in a new tab)

  Route forty-two to Fitchburg (58 miles), then West Fitchburg (59 1-2), Westminster (65), South Gardner, Gardner (70), Winchendon (80), Fitzwilliam, N. H. (89), Troy (94), Marlboro (100) and Keene at 106 miles; the roads are poor from Gardner onward.
• Route Sixty-Four. Gloucester to Gloucester, around Cape Ann. (opens in a new tab)

  From the Pavilion Hotel by Bennett Street to Bay View (5 miles), Lanesville (7), Pigeon Cove (8 1-4), Granite Street to Rockport (10), then Main Street and Eastern Avenue back to the hotel at 14 3-4 miles. Known as 'around the cape', it is hilly but of unusual interest and in sight of the ocean the whole way.
• Route Sixty-Five. To Hartford, Conn. (opens in a new tab)

  Same as Route twenty-three to Worcester (45 miles) and Route sixty-nine to Springfield (106), then Thompsonville (113 1-2), Enfield (115 1-2), Warehouse Point (117 1-2), East Hartford (130) and Hartford at 132 miles, the road good throughout.
• Route Sixty-Six. To South Natick, via Echo Bridge. (opens in a new tab)

  Via Route twenty-one to Echo Bridge, then Chestnut Street and Boylston Street, the old Boston & Worcester Turnpike, to Wellesley Hills (13 miles), Wellesley (14 1-2) and Washington Street to South Natick at 16 3-4.
• Route Sixty-Seven. To Boston via. Watertown, Arlington and Medford. (opens in a new tab)

  By Boylston Street, West Chester Park and Back Bay Park to Commonwealth Avenue, Allston (3 miles), North Beacon Street and Brighton (4 1-4), then Market, Arsenal and Coolidge Avenue to Hill's Crossing (7 1-2), Grove, Brighton and Pleasant streets to Arlington (9 1-4) and Height Street to Medford at 12 miles. Return to Boston by reverse of Route 30; the roads are superb.
• Route Sixty-Eight. To Boston via. Milton, Hyde Park, E. Dedham, Dedham, Dedham and Needham. (opens in a new tab)

  Same as Route twelve to Milton Lower Mills (6 1-2 miles), then River Street to Mattapan (7 3-4), Hyde Park (9 3-4), East Dedham (11 3-4), High Street to Dedham (12 3-4), then Common, West and Dedham streets to Needham (16 3-4), Highland Avenue to Newton Centre and Beacon Street back to Boston at 27 miles, over some of the finest roads in eastern Massachusetts.
• Route Sixty-Nine. To Springfield. (opens in a new tab)

  Same as Route twenty-three to Worcester (45 miles), then New Worcester (47), Valley Falls (48), Cherry Valley (49 1-2), Leicester (51 1-2), Spencer (57), East Brookfield (60), Brookfield (64), West Brookfield (66 1-2), Warren (70), Palmer (81), North Wilbraham (95), Indian Orchard (99 1-2) and Springfield at 106 miles, the road fair from Spencer onward.
• To Boston via Worcester and Providence, R. I. (opens in a new tab)

  An unnumbered route printed after Route Sixty-Nine: same as Route twenty-three to Worcester (45 miles), then Millbury Street to Millbury (51), Wilkinsonville, Farnumsville, Rockdale (57), Uxbridge (63 1-2), Millville (69), Blackstone (71 1-2), Woonsocket, R. I. (74), Cumberland Hill (77), Ashton (80), Berkeley, Lonsdale (83), Valley Falls (85), Pawtucket (87) and Providence at 92 miles. Return to Boston by reverse of Route forty-five, 145 miles in all.
• Route Seventy. To Revere and Crescent Beaches, Beachmont, Ocean Spray, Great Head and Point Shirley. (opens in a new tab)

  By Newbury Street, West Chester Park and the Harvard Bridge to Harvard Square (3 miles), North Avenue, Porter's Station, Medford (7 1-2), Malden (9), Maplewood (11), Linden Square, Washington Avenue and Malden and Beach streets to Beachmont, Ocean Spray, Great Head and Point Shirley (13 3-4 to 15 3-4 miles). An alternative runs by the East Boston ferry, Meridian and Saratoga streets to Winthrop Junction and Winthrop; the Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad carries bicycles free.
• Route Seventy-One. To Arnold Arboretum and Hyde Park. (opens in a new tab)

  By Columbus Avenue, West Chester Park, Harrison Avenue, Warren Street and Walnut Avenue through Franklin Park, then Morton Street to Forest Hills Station (3 1-2 miles), across the Old Colony Railroad past the Arnold Arboretum and Bussey Farm, South and Washington streets to Roslindale (4 1-2), Poplar and Canterbury streets and Hyde Park Avenue to Clarendon Hills (5 1-2) and Hyde Park at 6 1-2 miles. The Arboretum holds a nearly exhaustive collection of hardy shrubs and herbaceous plants, and Bussey Farm is Harvard's agricultural and horticultural department.
• Massachusetts L. A. W. Hotels. (opens in a new tab)

  Alphabetical list of appointed hotels from Ashland's Central House to the Dexter House at Woods Holl, open only to members showing their ticket, with rates on the card of appointment. Display entries are given for the Woodland Park Hotel at Auburndale ($3.00 a day, $15.00 a week), the Windsor House at Marlboro and Wolfe Tavern at Newburyport.
• The Proper Dress for a Lady. (opens in a new tab)

  Advice on a bicycle dress of dark flannel or ladies' cloth, made walking length about two inches from the floor, the skirt not over two and a half yards wide and faced eighteen to twenty inches up so the pedal cannot catch the hem, with no dress braid, no flowing sleeves, no corsets (a tight-fitting health-waist instead), no bustle, woollen underwear and a turban or close-fitting cap. Quotations from writers in Harper's Bazar and the London Queen follow on the next page, with a note that frost-bound winter roads around Boston give some of the finest riding of the year.
• 1893 - Bicycle Records - 1893 (opens in a new tab)

  Tables of American records against time and in competition for W. W. Windle, A. A. Zimmerman, Geo. F. Taylor, Hoyland Smith and others at Springfield, Hartford and Evansville, plus F. E. Spooner's 375 miles less 150 yards in 24 hours at Chicago, J. S. Johnson's kite-track figures at Independence, and English records from Putney and Herne Hill including F. W. Shorland's 413 3-4 miles in 24 hours. Notes Stephane's world 24-hour track record of 418 miles 1,320 yards made at Paris in September 1892.
• How Easy It Is to Forget (opens in a new tab)

  A blank personal record form for the owner's birth date and place, weight, height, watch case and works numbers, bank book number and sizes of hat, shoes, gloves, collar, cuffs, hose, shirt, undershirt and drawers, followed by an identification panel for name, address, whom to notify in case of serious accident, and the bicycle's number, maker, seller and the owner's L. A. W. number.
• Record of Miles Ridden during 189… (opens in a new tab)

  A blank ruled diary form with a line for each of the 31 days and columns for January to June; the July to December half of the same form is printed on physical page 93, after the McCune Cycle Co. advertisements.
• HELP! In Case of Accidents. (opens in a new tab)

  First-aid notes: eight numbered steps for drowning, from loosening clothing and emptying the lungs to imitating respiration about twenty times a minute and direct inflation, with the injunction 'DON'T GIVE UP!'; then lightning, sunstroke, mad dog or snake bite, venomous stings, fainting, and the mirror and pin tests of death. Continues overleaf with cinders in the eye, fire in one's clothing, a building or kerosene, and wounded veins and arteries.
• The Care of a Machine. (opens in a new tab)

  Keep the nickel bright with Putz pomade or nickel paste, wash mud off the enamel with a sponge and dry with Canton flannel, and clean the wheel weekly. Use only oil bought at a cycle agency, two drops in each bearing every 100 to 150 miles, flush gummed bearings with kerosene, lubricate the chain with graphite and not oil, clean it with benzine and a tooth brush, keep nuts and bolts tight and leave repairs to a skilled mechanic.
• Law of the Road. (opens in a new tab)

  Sets out that bicycles and tricycles are carriages within the meaning of the law, with the same rights and duties as other vehicles, and cites the Massachusetts Public Statutes on keeping roads reasonably safe (Pub. Sts. Ch. 52 Sec. 1), Hixon vs. Lowell, Vosburgh vs. Moak on games and sport in the highway, Commonwealth vs. Temple on speed and foot passengers, Blodgett vs. Boston, Macomber vs. Taunton on sidewalks, and the keep-to-the-right rule of Pub. Sts. Ch. 93 Sec. 1.