HUB History - Our Favorite Stories from Boston History

March 14 is the anniversary of one of the worst railroad accidents that ever happened in Massachusetts. On March 14, 1887, a train filled with suburban commuters was on its way from Dedham to Park Square station in Boston, stopping in West Roxbury and Roslindale along the way. Moments before it would have passed through Forest Hills, disaster struck. By the time the engineer turned around, he saw a cloud of dust and a pile of twisted rubble where nine passenger cars should have been. In a split second, a normal morning commute was transformed into a nightmare of death and dismemberment for hundreds of passengers.

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This week’s podcast is sponsored by Liberty & Co, who sell unique products inspired by the American Revolution. See below for details on their March 2021 pre-order sale.

Disaster at Bussey Bridge

• If you only look at one resource related to the Bussey Bridge disaster, make it the report by the Massachusetts Board of Railroad Commissioners
• Initial reporting on the accident in the evening edition of the Boston Globe on March 14, 1887
• Initial reporting on the accident in a wire service story carried around the country.
• Witness statements in the March 23 Globe
• “A round million of dollars” in the August 2, 1888 Globe
• The last lawsuit is settled in the October 2, 1889 Globe
• Wakefield, M. B. “Disaster at the ‘Tin Bridge.’” The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin, no. 95, 1956
• Kellen, William V. “January Meeting, 1931. Daniel Webster; Winslow Warren.” Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, vol. 64, 1930
• Aldrich, Mark. “Engineering Success and Disaster: American Railroad Bridges, 1840-1900.” Railroad History, no. 180, 1999
• “Some Interesting Diaries.” The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin, no. 15, 1927
• An article from the 125th anniversary credits the crash with popularizing Roslindale
• 1975 narrative account of the accident in Yankee Magazine

The original Bussey Bridge Map and elevation profile of the tracks near South Street The derailed cars that remained on the embankment Smashed cars in the street below Diagram showing where each car came to rest The faulty hangers Rescue in progress Largrer version An illustration of the rescue in progress Sponsored by Liberty & Co.

This week’s podcast is sponsored by Liberty & Co, who sell unique products inspired by the American Revolution. For the next two weeks, they’re holding their biggest pre-order sale ever, with eight brand new t-shirt designs dropping on April 1st.

Boston history fans might be interested in the “Rebellious Stripes” shirt bearing the banner of the Loyal Nine that can be seen at the Old State House museum. Or you might prefer the “John Hancock Shipping Company” design featuring the most famous signature in American history superimposed over the image of a merchant ship like the ones that built the Hancock fortune. I think my favorite is “An appeal to heaven,” with those words emblazoned over a green pine tree on a white background, adopting the flag of the Massachusetts navy, from back when we had our own navy.

Remember, the more you bundle by March 31, the more you save, so check out all eight designs. This time, there’s no promo code necessary (though you can save 20% on any other purchase with code HUBHISTORY), just make sure to get your pre-order in before the end of March.