Was it the rumble of the Green Line or the scent of exhaust fumes that first drew people to Packard’s Corner? Packard’s Corner. A place where the echoes of horse hooves mingle with the whir of trolley cars. Packard’s Corner. A place named not for a car, but for a stable. John D. Packard and his sons, Albion and Herman, established Packard’s Sales Stable and Riding School here in 1885. Imagine, at this very spot, thoroughbreds prancing and Shetland ponies giving rides to giggling children. Over 250,000 horses were sold here before the stable closed in 1920. But the Packard name lived on, thanks to Alvan T. Fuller. Around 1910, Fuller, a forward-thinking businessman and future governor, built his Packard Motor Car Company building here at this intersection of Commonwealth and Brighton Avenues. Packard’s Corner became a hub of the burgeoning automobile industry. This area, once a swampy backwater, transformed into a bustling “auto mile.” The architectural legacy of that era remains. The imposing concrete structure of the Packard building, designed by famed industrial architect Albert Kahn, still anchors Packard’s Corner. This was one of Kahn’s earliest auto factory designs. You can almost hear the clang of machinery and the excited chatter of salesmen within its walls. The intersection became a crossroads of progress. The Green Line’s B branch rumbles through, a constant reminder of the area’s evolution. And looming above it all, the Packard building stands as a testament to a time when horses gave way to horsepower. Packard’s Corner. A place where the past and present collide. A place where the whispers of history mingle with the roar of the city.
Rumney Marsh Burial Ground
A chill wind whispers through the aged headstones. This is Rumney Marsh Burial Ground. This historic cemetery dates back to