As Boston’s population exploded in the late 19th century, the city constructed the Chestnut Hill Reservoir to supplement the growing demand for water. In addition to its practical purpose, the reservoir was widely extolled in period century guidebooks as “a great pleasure resort” and was a fashionable site for recreational carriage rides. At the time, it was a double reservoir, comprised of two irregular basins divided by a dam, shown here. Only the larger Bradlee Basin remains today, and continues to serve as a recreational park and a back-up water supply for Boston and several other municipalities.
IIIF Manifest