Once referred to as the "Suburb Superb," Roslindale was at one time part of the town of West Roxbury, which had been set off from Roxbury in 1851. The rapid development of Roslindale, which was annexed to the city of Boston in 1874 and was then known as the South Street District, was largely due to the Boston and Providence Railroad and the streetcars that connected the area to Forest Hills Station. By the twentieth century, Roslindale had developed as a distinctive neighborhood that attracted residents of all walks of life, with dells and valleys reminiscent of Roslin, Scotland, from which it received its name. Roslindale chronicles the growth of this neighborhood from the birth of photography through today by combining vintage images with modern photographs of Roslindale Square, Washington Street, and noteworthy buildings and businesses.
