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56-496: Chester William Chapin (December 16, 1798 – June 10, 1883) was an American businessman, president of the Boston and Albany Railroad from 1868 to 1878, and U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts . He was a multimillionaire at his death in 1883, and controlled one of New England’s most important rail lines. Chester W. Chapin was born in Ludlow, Massachusetts , to Ephriam and Mary Smith Chapin,

112-532: A commuter loop. "The Circuit," as this route was called, officially opened in May 1886, providing double-track operation from downtown Boston through Brookline to Newton Highlands , then north into Riverside , and four tracks on the mainline from Riverside back to downtown so that commuter and mainline operations did not conflict. By 1889, as many as 35 trains traveled the Circuit daily, providing commuter service. In 1899,

168-570: A dairy building; he also provided designs for passenger cars. At the same time, the B&;A hired landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to design the grounds of several stations and to work with the railroad to establish a landscape beautification program for other stations. After Richardson's death, the B&A commissioned his successors, Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge , to design 23 additional stations between 1886 and 1894. The B&A's innovative program of well-designed stations and landscape served as

224-499: A day. Chapin quickly went into business for himself, opening a store, and in 1822 was appointed town tax collector, for which he received $ 80. Around 1826 he bought an interest in the stage line from Hartford, Connecticut , to Brattleboro, Vermont , and soon held extensive mail and stage contracts. In 1831, when steamboats began to run on the river between Hartford and Springfield, Massachusetts , he bought an interest, soon became sole proprietor, and for about 15 years controlled all

280-484: A model for several other railroads around the turn of the 20th century. Mileposts noted here reflect the 1899 opening of South Station, which extended the line about 0.2 miles (0.32 km) from the previous Kneeland Street terminal. The Puritan (Springfield, Massachusetts) The Puritan is a bronze statue by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens in Springfield, Massachusetts , which became so popular that it

336-781: A multimillionaire in Springfield on June 10, 1883, and was interred in Springfield Cemetery . His son inherited his estate, despite being himself already a millionaire, and he acquired various homes including a 20,000 acres estate in the Catskills Mountains in New York State, about 100 miles from Manhattan. He died in 1912, leaving an estate of about 5 million dollars. Chapin’s great-uncles, Harvey Dexter Chapin and Abijah White Chapin, married Louisa D. Wilcox and Sarah M. Wilcox, cousins of manufacturer Burrage Yale , and members of

392-518: A new rail yard at Selkirk, New York , to avoid the steep NYC grade from the Hudson River up West Albany Hill. Berkshire locomotives were designed to provide faster freight service over the B&A. In 1883, the B&A acquired track then owned by the New York and New England Railroad as far as Newton Highlands, and, in 1884, began the construction of a line northwest to the B&A mainline, creating

448-471: A sculpture of his forefather, Deacon Samuel Chapin; the end result, The Puritan , was not released until 1887, four years after Chester Chapin's death. The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company / New England Steamship company ( Providence Line ) passenger steamer Chester W. Chapin of 1899 (served until 1923) was named after him. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of

504-609: A significant program of improvement and beautification in the 1880s and 1890s. The B&A hired architect Alexander Rice Esty who designed the Boston passenger station which was completed in 1881, the year of Esty's death. That same year, the B&A hired architect Henry Hobson Richardson to design a series of passenger stations. Over the next five years, Richardson was responsible for nine B&A stations (Auburndale, Chestnut Hill, Elliot, Waban, and Woodland (Newton, MA), Wellesley Hills, Brighton, South Framingham, and Palmer), as well as

560-624: Is State Line Tunnel in Canaan, New York, about 2 mi (3.2 km) west of the Massachusetts state line. The original bore was augmented by an improved-alignment second tunnel in 1912, and the original bore was abandoned in the late 20th century. The Castleton and West Stockbridge Railroad was incorporated in New York in 1834 as the New York part of the Western Railroad, and changed its name to

616-584: The American Civil War , and it was in Springfield that Brown first organized the militant Underground Railroad movement, the Subterranean Pass Way with Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman . Chester Chapin's business associate Ethan S. Chapin owned the Massasoit Hotel, which acted as a safe house for escaped slaves to hide beneath its staircase, and Brown's lodging prior to his move to

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672-602: The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail , but tourist passenger trains now (2021) operate between North Adams and Adams. The Hudson and Berkshire Railroad was chartered in 1828 to build a line from Hudson, New York to the Massachusetts state line. Construction began in 1835 and was completed in 1838. The company was leased to the Berkshire Railroad , along with the connecting West Stockbridge Railroad , in 1844, but

728-609: The Cheshire Railroad in Winchendon . The first section, from Palmer to Gilbertville , opened in 1870, and the rest in 1873. Until 1873 it was leased to and operated by the New London Northern Railroad ; at that time the lease was transferred to the B&A, as a reorganization of the earlier company. The Athol and Enfield Railroad and Springfield and North-Eastern Railroad were chartered in 1869, and succeeded by

784-669: The Grafton /Millbury line to Millbury . The Providence, Webster and Springfield Railroad was chartered in 1882, opened in 1884, and always leased to and operated by the B&A. The line formed a branch of the B&A from Webster Junction in Auburn to the Worcester and Norwich Railroad in Webster , with a short branch (East Village branch) in Webster to East Village . The Spencer Railroad opened and

840-648: The Springfield, Athol and North-eastern Railroad in 1872, opening in 1873 as a branch from Athol Junction in Springfield to the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad in Athol . The B&A bought the line in 1880. The majority of the line was closed in the 1930s due to the formation of the Quabbin Reservoir . The Chester and Becket Railroad was chartered in 1896 and opened in 1897 from Chester west to quarries in Becket . It

896-591: The Yale family . Lucy's husband, Eli Wilcox, was Justice of the Peace and Board director the State bank of Connecticut, and her brother, Dr. Leroy Milton Yale Sr. was a Harvard graduate, fishing ships owner, and father of Dr. Leroy Milton Yale Jr. . Chester was also the great-granduncle of Sarah Yale Chapin, daughter of Abijah W., and granddaughter of Col. Harvey. In 1881, Chapin commissioned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to produce

952-599: The 11.97 mile (19.3 km) Milford Branch , splitting at Framingham , opened. A connection was later made at Milford to the Milford and Woonsocket Railroad and Hopkinton Railway . Most of the right-of-way (except for the short active section in Framingham) has been converted to part of the Upper Charles Rail Trail. The 3.07 mile (4.9 km) Millbury Branch opened in 1846 from a split at Millbury Junction on

1008-578: The Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad (chartered May 5, 1836, organized May 20). Construction began in December 1840 and the line opened from Greenbush (east of Albany ) to Chatham on December 21, 1841, and to the Massachusetts state line on September 12, 1842. It was leased to the Western Railroad for 50 years from November 11, 1841. This railroad replaced the Hudson and Berkshire Railroad east of Chatham, which

1064-691: The Atlantic coast and the Connecticut River is a rock cut 57 mi (92 km) west of Boston. The Western Division, through the Berkshire Hills , opened in sections from both ends from the state line to Pittsfield May 4, 1841, West Springfield to Chester May 24, 1841, Springfield to West Springfield (across the Connecticut River) July 4, 1841, Pittsfield to "Summit" August 9, 1841, and Chester to Summit September 13, 1841. The summit through

1120-571: The B&A bought part of the Charles River Branch, and in 1884 they built a line from Riverside to the branch, forming the Highland branch , Newton Highlands branch, or " Newton circuit ". Service ended in 1958, and the MBTA Green Line D branch light rail line started using the tracks in 1959. The short 1.25-mile (2.01 km) Newton Lower Falls Branch opened in 1847, splitting from

1176-485: The B&A for 99 years from July 1, 1900. This lease passed to the New York Central Railroad in 1914; throughout this, the B&A kept its own branding in the public eye. The NYC merged into Penn Central on February 1, 1968. New York Central began a major modernization program in 1924. The Castleton Cut-Off with a very large hi-level bridge over the Hudson River was built from the B&A at Post Road to

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1232-642: The B&W introduced season passes to West Newton for $ 60, effectively introducing the concept of commuter rail . The Western Railroad was chartered February 15, 1833 and incorporated March 15, 1833 to connect the B&W to the Hudson and Berkshire Railroad at the New York state line. Construction began in 1837, and the Eastern Division to the Connecticut River in Springfield opened on October 1, 1839. The summit of Charlton Hill drainage divide between

1288-517: The Berkshires is known as Washington Hill. Eastbound trains climb 6 mi (9.7 km) of 1.4% grade while westbound trains climb 10 mi (16 km) of slightly steeper grade to reach the 4 mi (6.4 km) of fairly level track across the drainage divide between the Connecticut and Hudson Rivers. On October 4, 1841, the first train ran along the full route. The only true tunnel on the B&A

1344-630: The Eastern). The Brookline branch split from the main line in the west part of Boston 's Back Bay , running southwest for 1.55 mi (2.5 km) to Brookline (the current location of Brookline Village station). It opened in 1847. In Summer 1852 the Charles River Branch Railroad extended the line to Newton Upper Falls ; this would eventually become part of the New England Railroad , an alternate route to New York . In 1882

1400-535: The South for their antinomian individualism and rebeliousness. The anti-war congressman Samuel S. Cox considered that "[a]bolition is the offspring of Puritanism [which] introduced the moral elements involved in slavery into politics." Saint-Gaudens remains best known for his Civil War memorial works, including the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial on Boston Common honoring the 54th Massachusetts Infantry ,

1456-581: The Springfield City Library built in 1912. The base is inscribed: 1595 Anno Domini 1675 Deacon Samuel Chapin One Of The Founders Of Springfield No authentic portraits of Deacon Samuel Chapin were available for the statue's design. The Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site says it was modeled after Deacon Chapin's descendant Chester W. Chapin , as asserted by the artist himself. However, contemporary accounts also describe

1512-704: The United States Congress Boston and Albany Railroad When the Erie Canal opened in 1825, New York City 's advantageous water connection through the Hudson River threatened Boston's historical dominance as a trade center. Since the Berkshires made construction of a canal infeasible, Boston turned to the emerging railroad technology for a share of the freight to and from the Midwestern United States . The Boston and Worcester Railroad

1568-514: The branch to Northborough , and to Pratts Junction in 1866. It was leased by the B&W in 1853, but consolidated into the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad in 1876 and leased to the Old Colony Railroad in 1879 after changing its name to the Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad in 1867. This company also used the Framingham branch as part of its main line. In 1847,

1624-500: The city in the 1840s. Chester Chapin had been a War Democrat himself, paying for the uniforms of 10th Regiment at the start of the Civil War. In John Brown, Abolitionist (2005), historian David S. Reynolds refers to Brown as "The Puritan", as Brown often cited the inspiration of figures such as Jonathan Edwards and Oliver Cromwell . Puritan beliefs strongly influenced the abolitionist movement, and were condemned by divines of

1680-622: The earliest advocates of a bridge over the Hudson River at Albany, New York . He served as president and a director of the Western Railroad Corporation from 1854 to 1867, president of the Boston and Albany Railroad from 1868 to 1878, and a director until 1880. Before his time in Congress, Chapin served as a delegate of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853 and, as a War Democrat , purchased

1736-577: The early part of the 20th century, commuter rail service was provided east of Worcester , with intercity rail continuing on west. During the 1940s period of peak passenger volume, the New Haven Railroad (with the cooperation of the New York Central) ran several Boston-New York City trains along the route to Worcester and Springfield and then south. The service included an overnight train with sleeping car service. The last passenger service on

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1792-445: The face as "no portrait of any Chapin, but a composite in the sculptor's mind of the family type". In 2014, Chicopee city historian Stephen Jendrysik submitted the theory that the figure was a surreptitious portrait of the militant abolitionist John Brown , who was also a direct descendant of Deacon Chapin and a devout Calvinist . Brown was a leading militant figure in the escalating tensions between North and South which lead to

1848-547: The first African-American Union regiment. At the monument's unveiling, the singing of the war ballad John Brown's Body reminded the sculptor of an emotional moment 30 years prior, when a corps of New England infantry had sung it while marching to war past his office . The statue was so popular that Saint-Gaudens, seeing a business opportunity, decided to produce smaller versions under the title The Puritan . Today more than 25 slightly altered copies can be found in museums, art galleries, universities, and private collections around

1904-503: The head in the original statue, I used as a model the head of Mr. Chapin himself, assuming that there would be some family resemblance with the Deacon, who was his direct ancestor. But Mr. Chapin's face is round and Gaelic in character, so in the Philadelphia work, I changed the features completely, giving them the long, New England type, besides altering the folds of the cloak in many respects,

1960-581: The legs, the left hand, and the Bible." The copy, dubbed The Pilgrim , was placed on the South Plaza of City Hall, then relocated to its present site in Fairmount Park in 1920. Numismatist and art historian Cornelius Vermeule , in his volume on U.S. coins and medals, suggested The Puritan was one of American sculptor Cyrus E. Dallin 's influences in designing the portrait of Governor William Bradford on

2016-762: The line on April 30, 1971, before the creation of Amtrak was an unnamed Chicago-bound successor to the New York Central's New England States . The intercity trips were taken over by Amtrak on May 1, 1971, and, on January 27, 1973, the MBTA acquired the line east of Framingham . Service beyond Framingham was discontinued October 27, 1975, as the state did not subsidize it. Conrail took over Penn Central on April 1, 1976. On September 26, 1994, some rush hour trains started to serve Worcester on Conrail trackage (which became CSX trackage on June 1, 1999), extending to other times beginning on December 14, 1996. The MBTA acquired

2072-498: The main line just west of Riverside to Newton Lower Falls . The Saxonville Branch opened in 1846, running 3.87 miles (6.2 km) from Natick to Saxonville . It hase been converted into the Cochituate Rail Trail . The Framingham branch opened in 1849, running 2.06 miles (3.3 km) from Framingham to Framingham Centre . The Agricultural Branch Railroad was incorporated in 1847 and opened in 1855, continuing

2128-475: The new South Station union station opened in Boston, a few blocks northeast of the old terminal. That terminal had been located on the west side of Utica Street (Boston, from Kneeland Street south to Harvard Street, now part of the South Bay Interchange . Even earlier, the terminal was in the block bounded by Kneeland Street, Beach Street, Albany Street (now Surface Artery ), and Lincoln Street. By

2184-399: The old city library, which would later become part of Springfield's Quadrangle cultural center, where it has remained. The move was contrary to creators' preference, but one writer for The Republican opined in 1886 that "a position on the city library grounds, on the contrary would exhibit the artist's intent to the best advantage." In 1983, City Councilor Mary Hurley sought to restore

2240-578: The passenger traffic on that route. He also became a large or principal owner of the steamship lines between New York City , Hartford, and New Haven, Connecticut . He later extended his interests into railroads and banking, becoming founder, principal, or president of many companies, including the Western Railroad , the Agawam (National) Bank, and the Connecticut River Railroad . He was one of

2296-581: The renowned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to create a bronze likeness of his ancestor, Deacon Samuel Chapin (1595–1675), one of the early settlers of the City of Springfield. By 1881, Springfield had become one of America's most innovative industrial and manufacturing centers, and was one of the wealthiest cities in the United States. The sculpture, which was cast at Bureau Brothers Foundry in Philadelphia ,

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2352-479: The rest of the line from Framingham to Worcester as part of an agreement announced in 2009. As part of the deal, clearances on the line west of Interstate 495 were improved, permitting full double stack service from Selkirk Yard in New York to an expanded CSX intermodal freight facility in Worcester and a transload facility near I-495. The deal was closed on June 17, 2010. CSX's Boston Subdivision retains

2408-569: The right to use certain MBTA-owned track. Since 1959, the former "Circuit" line, later called the Highland branch, has been used as the grade-separated right-of-way of the MBTA's Green Line D branch light rail line. The Boston & Albany hosted many named long-distance trains of the New York Central system. Below is a list of named trains effective as of November 12, 1939. The Grand Junction Railroad

2464-677: The statue to its original location in Stearns Square. This move was initiated in part due to the restoration of the Turtle Fountain and other fixtures at that location, but the proposal lacked support. Then-mayoral candidate Richard Neal opposed the move, as did the descendants of Deacon Chapin, arguing that the statue had become a fixture of the Quadrangle's museums and that the original move had rescued it from vandalism during its short stay in Stearns Square. The sculpture now stands next to

2520-546: The uniforms of the 10th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry at the outset of the American Civil War . Chapin was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877), and served on the Committee of Ways And Means. He ran unsuccessfully for reelection in 1876. Chapin married Dorcas [Chapin] on June 1, 1825; they had four children: Abel Dexter, Margaret, Anna, and Chester W. He died

2576-413: The world. Prominent examples appear in Boston 's Museum of Fine Arts , New York City 's Metropolitan Museum of Art , and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art . The statue has become a popular motif in advertising, as well as a symbol for the New England Society of New York . The New England Society of Pennsylvanians commissioned a replicas, with some changes in the figure's dress and face: "For

2632-399: The youngest of seven children, and six generations removed from Puritan forebearer, Deacon Samuel Chapin . The family moved to Chicopee and in 1806 his father died, leaving Chester and his brothers to work their farm. He attended common schools and Westfield Academy , Westfield, Massachusetts . One of his first paying jobs was when local cotton mills were being built, when he earned $ 1.50

2688-425: Was abandoned around 1860. The connection from Boston to Albany formed the longest and most expensive point-to-point railroad yet constructed in the United States. Two mergers, on September 4, 1867, and December 28, 1870, brought the three companies, along with the Hudson and Boston Railroad , together into one company, known as the Boston and Albany Railroad . The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad leased

2744-504: Was always operated by the B&A. The Pittsfield and North Adams Railroad was incorporated in 1842 and opened in 1846, having been already leased to the Western Railroad. It ran from North Adams Junction in Pittsfield to North Adams , where it connected to the Troy and Greenfield Railroad . Surviving structures along this branch include the Pittsfield & North Adams Passenger Station and Baggage & Express House in Adams, Massachusetts . Most of this line has been turned into

2800-440: Was bought by the Western Railroad in 1854. The name was changed to the Hudson and Boston Railroad in 1855, and the part east of Chatham was abandoned around 1860, as it duplicated the newer Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad (part of the B&A main line). The rest of the line formed a cutoff between the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad towards New York City and the B&A. The Post Road branch or Selkirk branch

2856-399: Was chartered June 23, 1831 and construction began in August 1832. The line opened in sections: to West Newton on April 16, 1834; to Wellesley on July 3; to Ashland on September 20; to Westborough in November 1834; and the full length to Worcester on July 4, 1835. The original single-track line was double-tracked from Boston to Framingham in 1839, and on to Worcester by 1843. In 1843

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2912-435: Was chartered in 1847 as a reincorporation of the 1846 Chelsea Branch Railroad , meant to connect the lines north and west of Boston . The first section, from East Boston to Somerville , opened in 1849, and the extension to the B&W in Allston opened in 1856. The Eastern Railroad leased the line from 1852 to 1866, using part of it as their new main line. In 1866 the B&W bought the line (keeping trackage rights for

2968-427: Was leased to the B&A in 1879, as a short branch from South Spencer to Spencer . The B&A outright bought it in 1889. The North Brookfield Railroad was chartered in 1874, incorporated in 1875 and opened in 1876, branching from the B&A in East Brookfield and running to North Brookfield . It was leased to the B&A from opening. The Ware River Railroad was chartered in 1868, running from Palmer to

3024-423: Was originally built as part of the Hudson River Connecting Railroad , a southern bypass of the Albany area. It opened in 1924, and the part of it from the B&A at Post Road Crossing (the crossing of the Albany Post Road ) to Schodack Junction on the east side of the Hudson River became the B&A Post Road branch. The rest became the New York Central Railroad 's Castleton Cut-off. The B&A undertook

3080-457: Was reproduced for over 20 other cities, museums, universities, and private collectors around the world, and later became an official symbol of the city , emblazoned on its municipal flag. Originally designed to be part of Stearns Square , since 1899 the statue has stood at the corner of Chestnut and State Street next to The Quadrangle . In 1881, Chester W. Chapin , a railroad tycoon and congressman from Springfield, Massachusetts , commissioned

3136-425: Was unveiled on Thanksgiving Day , November 24, 1887 in Stearns Square, between Bridge and Worthington streets, was a collaboration between Stanford White of the leading architecture firm McKim, Mead, and White , and the sculptor Saint-Gaudens. The statue featured numerous landscape details to enhance the sculpture. In 1899, the statue was moved to Merrick Park , on the corner of Chestnut and State Streets next to

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