Industry of East Cambridge
This plaque is part of an installation of eight or more plaques placed on the grounds of the Middlesex Country Registry of Deeds by the Cambridge Historical Commission in 1976. It focuses on the historical industries of East Cambridge. I was most interested in the section labeled "Experimental Monorail," which reads as follows: "In 1886, an experimental elevated railroad using only a single rail was built in East Cambridge as a demonstration. It operated on an oval track above what is now the Msgr. O'Brien Highway and was considered to be a success. The pioneering design by Joseph V. Meigs was not accepted by the Boston street railway interests, however, and Boston's elevated rapid transit system was built in the conventional manner."
Submitted by: Wade Roush www.soonishpodcast.org