Historic Boston Avenue

Historic Boston Avenue

Check out some of the photos of Businesses and Buildings that once lined Boston Avenue!

The map below lets us travel back in time and see photographs of street views of Heeren Straat, Main Street, and Boston Avenue beginning in about 1898. Pins indicate an individual photo associated with the site. A dot with a number in the center indicates there are multiple photographs at or near the location. That could be due to multiple photographs of a single address or because addresses (pins) are so close together and are not easily discernable as separate locations.  Not all pins may fit on a single map. To the upper right, you may see multiple page numbers, i.e. 1 of 3. If so, just click the arrow to the right or left to scroll through additional pages of the map.

For brief information about Boston Avenue, see the description "Boston Avenue Is Full of History" which appears below the map.

Boston Avenue Is Full of History

“Nearing the R. R. station of Nederland, there we find a lot of activity in shipping of goods and people. It is deemed one of the important stops between stations of the Kansas, Pittsburg and Gulf R. R. From this station one finds wooded pavement to Hotel Orange. On Heeren Straat (Street) we pass the blacksmith’s shop of Mr. Rienstra and the grocery store and dry goods business belonging to Mr. Kilsden. (Excerpted from the first of a series of articles which appeared in the Port Arthur News in 1897. That edition was printed entirely in Dutch as a tribute to the coronation of Queen Wilhelmina Helena Paula Maria of the Netherlands. The excerpt appeared in the Port Arthur News, 6 Sep 1973, pg. 7.)

Thus began a tour of Nederland and its main street in 1897. Other newspaper articles indicate that only two blocks of Heeren Straat were shelled. The rest was little more than a dirt road at the time. Board walks were laid down along the fronts of the buildings so that people wouldn’t have to walk in the dirt or mud. As Nederland developed, so did Heeren Straat.

As Nederland grew, so did Heeren Straat, eventually changing its name to Main Street. In 1935, the street dead-ended at Ninth Street on the east and at 15th Street (in front of the Old Andrew Johnson house) on the West.

In 1949, Main Street was paved with concrete. On June 17, 1949, it was formally dedicated and reopened as Boston Avenue.

After purchase of the Andrew Johnson house in 1962, the house was removed and Boston Avenue was opened between 15th and 17th Streets.

Mr. W. T. Block, in his article “Nederland As I Remember It, 1935-1960,” has an excellent description of what Boston Avenue was like during that time period. It can be read at https://wtblockjr.ned.lib.tx.us/asi.htm.

Links to articles about Boston Avenue:

“Boston Avenue Paving Completed.” Midcounty Review, June 2, 1949, pg. 1

“Gala Celebration Opens New Nederland Street.” Chronicle, June 23, 1949, pg. 1

“Citizens In Nederland Ask For Street Opening.” Chronicle, December 1957, pg. 1

“First Step in Opening Boston Ave. Is Taken By Council.” Nederland Midcounty Review, November 29, 1962, pg. 1

“Boston Avenue blooms with variety of businesses.” Chronicle, April 22, 1987, pgs. 1-2

“Then and now.” MidCounty Chronicle, January 21, 1998, pg. 1-B

“Ware family businesses prominent in downtown Nederland.” MidCounty Chronicle, January 21, 1998, pg. 3-B

“Pharmacy roots run deep.” MidCounty Chronicle, January 21, 1998, pg. 5-B

“Boston Avenue is full of history.” MidCounty Chronicle, September 16, 1998, pg. 6A

 

Additional Articles appeared in the Port Arthur News (No links available.)

“Street looks the same, but names, faces have changed,” October 16, 1977

“Familiarity buzzword on Boston,” October 8, 1995, pg.2