We set up Roslindale.US in 2006 as a way of bringing attention to Roslindale’s many interests. It is by no means a complete listing, but we welcome additions from anyone. All we ask is that the link you send us is relevant to Roslindale.

Broken links? Please send those along anytime. Quite often web sites move or change their internal addressing. It would be a full time job to keep track of these so if you find a broken one that we missed, please let us know.

Roslindale (Zip Code 02131) is a community within the City of Boston. We are not a township on our own, but a part of Boston, MA. Questions regarding municipal interests are best looked up at the City of Boston web site.

Roslindale is a socially and racially diverse community in Boston, Massachusetts, located in the southwest corner of the city, and removed by several miles from the downtown business district. It is viewed as one of Boston’s up-and-coming neighborhoods, and if one considers recent housing and business development, that would appear to be a fair assessment.

Originally a part of Roxbury, and later West Roxbury after the original city boroughs were sub-divided, Roslindale was again hived-off from West Roxbury as it grew to be a community on its own. It is greatly accepted by many historians that it is named after Roslyn, Scotland because of its topographical similarities to that part of the world with both flat areas and rolling hills with plush vegetation. The name Roslindale was adopted, rather than “South Street Crossing” after a local railroad station adjacent to the local business district.

Roslindale and West Roxbury were, at one time, considered the deep suburbs of the City of Boston, and even a vacation cottage destination away from the urban part of the city at one time. In the 1800s, a railroad accident known as the Bussey Street Bridge Disaster is often cited as one of the major factors contributing to the upswing in Roslindale’s initial settlement.

The railroad branch now serving Boston to Needham that goes through Roslindale Square was at one time a main line railroad that served to connect cities south of Boston to the state capital. Much of the original rail bed that extended from Roslindale, through West Roxbury, and into Dedham is long gone and associated land went into redevelopment. However some parts can still be traced following available satelite services.

The original Bussey Street Bridge was a steel structure over which steam trains moved several times a day. It’s failure, which resulted in the train collapsing to the street and land areas below and the numerous deaths that resulted, was a major catastrophe in its day. Wreckage of this type in the suburbs in the 1800s would last for days if not weeks and many people came to Roslindale to see the remnants of the accident. Seeing the area as pleasant and affordable, many of those same curiousity-seekers eventually settled in Roslindale.

The Bussey Street Bridge disaster resulted in a major rewrite of the country’s construction standards that forever changed the method by which train trestles and buildings would be built throughout the USA from that day forward.

The present bridge located a short distance from where the original structure stood is at the corner of Archdale Rd. and South St. just outside of Roslindale Square and is made of granite stone. A placque which commemorates the accident is on one side of its enormous arch. Today, MBTA commuter trains traverse this bridge with confidence and safety. The line is now a branch service extending to the Town of Needham and no longer carries main line traffic.

After economic down-turns in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and thanks to the efforts of the Roslindale Village Main Streets organization, urban revitalization began and in the ensuing 40-plus years Roslinbdale Square, also known as Roslindale Village (a “Main Streets” business zone funding designation) has become a destination spot for residents and visitors alike. It has numerous restaurants and bistros, specialty shops, coffee shops, and much more. Additional redevelopment in the business district is underway.

Roslindale’s connections to the public transit system and commuter rail service makes it convenient to the downtown district and neighboring communities.

- Site Webmaster

Roslindale Historical Society

Roslindale - A Boston Neighborhood (City Government Web Site)

Roslindale at Wikipedia.org

Boston Public Library - Roslindale Community Pages