Roads, Rails, and Trails - Secretary of the Commonwealth

Beneath the surface of Roxbury Crossing, the
archaeologists were able to find the original walls and floors of
the Metropolitan Railroad Company/West End Street Railway
car house and several stables, built around 1859. The company
needed many stables because it used more than 3,500 horses to
operate its 700 cars. The archaeologists found paint chips,
railcar parts, and tools in and around the car house. Still set into
Two horse-drawn cars of the Metropolitan Rail Road
Company in action. This is a view of Tremont Street in 1857.
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the floor of the car house were the rails on which the cars had
been moved in and out. All these finds showed that the car
house was where the cars were built and maintained, and stored
when not in use. The straw-colored paint chips were consistent
with descriptions of the cars written during the time when they
were a common sight on the streets of Boston.
Archaeologists found the rails still in place in the floor of the
old car house.