These advertisements from Greenfield, Massachusetts, in the 1840s show the transition from the canal/stagecoach era in the early 19th century to the era of the railroads. For several decades, passengers and goods moved through the region in a variety of ways. Products from Albany, New York, for example, traveled to Westfield, Massachusetts, by railroad and then to the “Cheapside” section of Deerfield by canalboat. By the late 1850s, however, railroads had almost entirely replaced canal transportation in the region. (Note the photograph of the second Cheapside railroad bridge).
Finer, Steven. [Pages from “A New Pictorial History of Greenfield” on railroads.] Greenfield Historical Society, 1975. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l07-011/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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