Busy Medford Square

In the 1950's, walking through Medford Square was an invigorating experience for a child. The entire Square was full of people and traffic.  It was the era before shopping malls and only the beginning of big box store shopping, like at Wallmart and Zayre's. So if you were doing small errands or food shopping, Medford Square was generally the best place to go.

At that time, Medford Square was so busy that a Medford police officer was always in the central shopping area of the Square, at the corner of Riverside Ave and River Street, waiting to stop the traffic and cross pedestrians. Traffic moved in both directions on all streets in the Square at the time, and all streets were busy with cars and buses. The sidewalks were crowded with shoppers of all sizes and shapes, moving shoulder to shoulder, going in and out of stores or food shops. In addition, the square was full of travelers, walking to a particular bus stop or standing along the storefronts waiting for the next large MTA bus to take them to some other part of Medford or to Charlestown to make a subway connection. People were everywhere, and many of these people you knew from your school, your neighborhood, or were even your relatives! The Square was teeming with life. It's just how it was pre-mall, crowded and busy.

The Square was also full of stores with a variety of merchandise, just like the busy malls of today. Food was found at the A & P or First National. For everyday items, there was Grant's 5 & 10 or Woolworth's. For clothing, people shopped at Gilchrist's, Lerner's, Ruth's Dress Shop, O'Brien's, or Lad and Lassie. Shoes could be found at Morse Shoe, toys at Tuck's Toy Store, and china, silver and collectables at Ward's Gift Shop to name only a few. For more expensive purchases, as many wanted at Christmas time, a ten minute bus ride to Charlestown stopped at the elevated station for trains to Boston where upscale stores lined street after street.

At Christmas time, Medford Square was even busier than usual, the atmosphere energized by holiday decorations found everywhere -- along the streets, in windows displays, and within every store,  where Christmas music played all day, starting right after Thanksgiving. Today whenever I hear the lyrics to the Livingston and Evans song "Silver Bells," I'm immediately transported back to the Medford Square of my childhood, where the holiday world was a beehive of friendly anticipation.

"City sidewalk, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style.
In the air there's
A feeling of Christmas.

Children laughing, people passing,
Meeting smile after smile,
And on every street corner you'll hear:

Silver bells, silver bells,
It's Christmas time in the city.
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring,
Soon it will be Christmas day.
City street lights,
Even stop lights,
Blink a bright red and green,
As the shoppers rush home
With their treasures..."

Picture 1 from1950s Christmas shopping, old educational poster: Pinterest
(c) copyright 2016 Malvena Baxter