History
Originally, the area was merely swampland between Spy Pond and Fresh Pond, drained by Alewife Brook. What is now Concord Avenue was laid out sometime 1805-12 as the eastern part of the Cambridge and Concord Turnpike, proceeding directly from the new West Boston Bridge to the center of Concord, Massachusetts.
The Fitchburg Railroad opened in 1843, with stations on either side of the wetlands (Blanchard Road and Brickworks). A spur to serve freight customers was constructed before the rest of the local street grid, explaining some of the unusual present-day property lines. It ran diagonally from northeast (near the bend in Fawcett Street) to southwest (terminating near customers on Concord Ave at Smith Place). As of 2013, abandoned sidings can still be found south of the Fitchburg main line, which still operates MBTA Commuter Rail service as the Fitchburg Line (though with no stops in Cambridge Highlands). The Watertown Branch Railroad began construction in 1847, diverging from the Fitchburg main line near Brickworks. It skirts Fresh Pond to the east, and provided passenger service to Waltham until 1938. Freight service continued until 2007 or 2009; the railroad was officially abandoned in 2011 and is being turned into a rail trail in segments. The curve of the Watertown Branch defines the rear boundary of the Fresh Pond Mall and the curve of the industrial buildings on New Street.
By 1903, there was still little development improvements, other than the railroads, Concord Ave, and a few nearby industrial buildings. The neighborhood was urbanized into a largely industrial area in the 1900s. The second Joyce Chen Restaurant was in the neighborhood before it closed.
Read more about this topic: Cambridge Highlands
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