Boston and Maine Railroad depot

A bustling moment in early 20th-century Salem, Massachusetts, captured outside the Boston and Maine Railroad depot at Riley Plaza, around 1910. A steam locomotive, billowing smoke, emerges from the arched gate of the fortress-like station, while pedestrians, horse-drawn wagons, and a few early automobiles animate the cobbled streets below a maze of overhead telegraph and electric wires.

The Boston and Maine Railroad was the dominant railway in northern New England, and stations like this were central to daily life—moving goods, mail, and people between cities in a rapidly industrializing America. The gothic-revival style of the station building added a sense of grandeur and permanence to the modern marvel of train travel.

This image beautifully encapsulates the intersection of old and new technologies, where steam met electricity, and carriages met iron rails—defining the rhythm of a growing and connected New England town.

📍 United States, Salem, Massachusetts — Circa 1910

🗂️ Tags: Boston and Maine Railroad, Salem MA, historic train stations, steam locomotives, Riley Plaza, urban infrastructure, 1910s America, transportation history, cobblestone streets, early 20th century photography

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