The Granite Railway

Established in 1826, the Granite Railway is the oldest railroad in the United States, having been laid out for the transportation of granite from quarries in Quincy to be used in the building of the Bunker Hill Monument, in Charlestown. A horse-drawn railway designed by Gridley Bryant, the cars held dressed granite brought from the stone sheds in Railway Village (now East Milton) where they were pulled to the Neponset River, placed on skiffs, and towed to Charlestown. Here, the horses and cars stop at the intersection of Adams Street and Granite Avenue in Railway Village about 1855. Adams Street (looking east) can be seen in the distance.