National Register of Historic Places

Walden Street Cattle Pass

Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
June 2, 1994
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
94000554

About this property

The Walden Street Cattle Pass, also referred to as the cow path, is a historic site adjacent to the MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line right-of-way, under the Walden Street Bridge in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. The site, a tunnel for moving cattle between the railroad and the nearby stockyards of the 19th century, was built in 1857. The cattle yards were closed in 1868 or "about 1871", but the cattle trade continued; "until the 1920s, cows were unloaded here and driven down Massachusetts Avenue, through Harvard Square, and across the river to the Brighton Abattoir". Restoration (re-pointing) of the tunnel's brickwork was carried out during the 2007–08 replacement of the second-generation bridge dating from 1914. The third-generation bridge opened for traffic in December 2008. The Cambridge City Council discussed creation of a vantage point for viewing the tunnel, ca. 2008, but no action was taken.

Location

Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.38926, -71.12474

Categories

AGRICULTURECOMMERCECOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Nearby Historic Sites

Henderson Carriage Repository
Industrial
0.2 mi
John Winthrop Chambers, The
Industrial
0.2 mi
Warren, Langford H., House
Industrial
0.2 mi
St. James Episcopal Church
Industrial
0.2 mi
Mead, Alpheus, House
Industrial
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Boston – Cambridge Lines
1775Revolutionary War
1.3 mi
Skirmish at Menotomy (Arlington)
1775Revolutionary War
2.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Walden Street Cattle Pass listed on the National Register?

Walden Street Cattle Pass was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 2, 1994.

What type of historic resource is Walden Street Cattle Pass?

Walden Street Cattle Pass is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Walden Street Cattle Pass?

The period of significance for Walden Street Cattle Pass is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Walden Street Cattle Pass?

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