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A small building situated at Copeland Street erected and occupied 40 years ago by Mr. Frank Read and known as Read’s Pharmacy. This building was wired for electric lights in August 1888, and was the first building in West Quincy to have electric lights.
Farnum’s Block, Copeland Street was erected 1885 by Mr. Harry Farnum. The first floor is arranged for stores. On the second floor there is a hall which has been occupied for many years by the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
Building located at corner of Willard and Crescent Streets. This building was erected about 40 years ago [c.1890] and was occupied as a grocery store. A few years ago it was converted into a two family house.
Saint Mary’s Hall located on Willard Street was erected in 1888-9 and dedicated February 1, 1889. The one story addition at the left was constructed in 1912. This building occupies the site of a previous building which was erected in 1876, and on Dec. 24, 1887 was destroyed by fire. These buildings have always been occupied by the Saint Mary’s Catholic Temperance Society which was organized in the year 1873 and revised their charter in 1875.
The shop of William H. Glennon, located on Willard Street. Mr. Glennon was of an inventive turn of mind and was also an eccentric character of West Quincy 40 years ago.
In 1883 he obtained a patent in cranes and derricks to be attached to tree masts, but as far as I know the appliance was not extensively used.
It was not a rare case in this period to see Mr.Glennon rolling along the sidewalks of Quincy on a pair of especially constructed roller skates. The roller skating rinks being in popular favor at that time.
In 1870, the Old Colony Railroad Corporation purchased of the Granite Railway Company a portion of their road bed, and with authority from the Legislature extended their lines to a point about two hundred feet beyond this station. This railroad followed [the] old road bed nearly to Bunker Hill Wharf, at this point the new construction was curved easterly and continued through Montclair and across the marsh land to a point near the Atlantic Bridge on Hancock Street in Atlantic, where it joined the main line. This road was completed and opened for travel on October 7, 1871. And in 1873 the road was continued southerly to near Capen’s bridge in Braintree where it again joined the main line.
In June, 1888 the Quincy Railway Company commenced to lay their tracks on Copeland Street and on July 26, 1888 the first car was run from Quincy Square to the West Quincy depot.
