Eagle Feathers #198 – The Somerville Junction

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

The oldest passenger railway line in New England was the Boston to Lowell established in 1835. In 1870, it branched off at a location between Lowell and Central Streets and was called the Somerville Junction.

It was known by many names. These junction cutoffs were known as The Fitchburg, The Somerville, The Davis Square and the Lexington and Arlington Railroad Connector. Today, the Somerville Junction Cutoff ends at Linear Park in Cambridge. It is no longer a rail line and has been paved over and landscaped into an attractive pedestrian/bike trail.
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• The first leg of the path runs from Linear Park on the Cambridge border. It skirts what was once the Civil War training field, Camp Cameron, and ends at Seven Hills Park that is located behind the historic Somerville Theatre.
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• The second leg runs from the College Avenue side of celebrated Davis Square to the building occupied by the Chamber of Commerce at Cedar Street.
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• The third leg progresses from Cedar Street to the old Lowell Street Rail Connection called Somerville Junction. The junction’s location is across the tracks from the old Derby Desk Company, now the Rogers Foam Corporation. The Derby Company was the largest office furniture company in the world in its heyday. Once known as Highland Station, the building is still in use as the Field House at Powder House Park.
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What is the Somerville Junction? It’s a missing link and connector of the 20-20 vision in 2020 to joining the Metropolitan Boston area together with its walking and bicycle trails.
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If all goes well, Somerville Junction will link the North Shore by way of a Mystic River pedestrian/bike bridge to the Minuteman Bikeway that runs from Somerville to Bedford.

Laid out in 1870, she is 150 years old this year. Happy birthday wishes to the Somerville Junction and its community path.