I have an ancestor who has an "Atkins Road" named after him in Sandwich...just part of the history lesson! Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: David & Chris Chirokas <chirokas@comcast.net> Date: Monday, February 28, 2005 10:06 am Subject: RE: [MaBarnstable] Speculation on the origin of Air Line Rd, East Dennis > Ray: In the July 1979 issue of the Dennis Historical Society > newsletter, the > origin of the name of Airline Road is discussed. The editor says > the road > appears on the 1880 map of the town but is not named. She says Mr. > DeanSears believes it received it's name because it is the > shortest route > between South Dennis and East Dennis. She said it also might be > because of > the hills and valleys of the road might make a person airsick. But > yourtheory on it being a railroad term is interesting. If you find > anythingdefinitive you might want to let someone, particularly > Nancy Thacher Reid, > at DHS know! > > I agree that we can learn a lot by looking at road names on the > Cape. My > family lived on Ferry Street in West Dennis and never occurred to > me they > actually operated a ferry there across Bass River until I started > readingabout Dennis history. > > Chris Chirokas > Westford, MA > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Ray Sears [lrsears@capecod.net] > Sent: Monday, February 28, 2005 7:44 AM > To: MABARNST-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [MaBarnstable] Speculation on the origin of Air Line Rd, East > Dennis > > > There is a road that runs along the eastern border of the Town of > Dennis on > Cape Cod called Airline Rd. I understand it was there long before the > advent of flight. In recent years developers have added roads > off Airline > Rd in East Dennis called Pilot Dr, Jet Way, Propeller Way, Wing > Lane, and > Landing Lane but I think their derivation is mistaken. > > > > I believe Air Line Rd was named after a common railroad practice > of the time > (1850s-80s) of building a railroad in a straight line from one > city to > another. My Grandfather, Leslie R Sears was a mechanical engineer > trainedat MIT and worked for the New Haven and Hartford railroad > and I even have > inherited his railroad watch. I wish he was here to ask but I am > sure he > could confirm my suspicions about Air Line Rd. It just happens > that the > ancient Sears Cemetery > (http://www.searsr.com/searscem/searscemetery.htm) is > at the northern terminus of Air Line rd just before it becomes > School St on > Quivet Neck. Any railroad buffs out there who can certify this > speculation? > > > > I think we can gain a great deal of genealogical information by > examiningroad names on Cape Cod. I plan to add these names to my > Cape Cod Gazetteer > (http://www.searsr.com/ccgz/index.asp ) > > > > Other sources: > > http://www.srmduluth.org/Features/gwinnettrail.htm > > As Atlanta grew in importance, it was natural that railroad > advocates would > consider building a railroad along a straight line from Atlanta to > Charlotte, North Carolina to Richmond, Virginia. Such a railroad > route is > known as an "Air Line." > > > > > > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jdevlin/town_hist/chatham_1884_hist > .htm > > > > The Air Line Division of the New York, New Haven & Hartford > railroad enters > the town on an iron bridge 70 feet in height over the pond of the > CobaltManufacturing Company, and extends by a circuitous route > across the town > from west to east. It crosses the valley over Cobalt Brook on a > fill 80 feet > in height, and, entering what is now known as Great Hill Cut, half > a mile in > length, and from 15 to 60 feet in depth, swings around to the > northward over > Muddy Gutter Stream on a fill 60 feet high, enters the village of East > Hampton, north of the residence of William E. BARTON, and, > crossing the main > street, between the Free Methodist Church and the store of C. O. > SEARS & > Co., and Pine Brook, near the residence of D. W. WATROUS, on iron > bridges,enters the cut known as BISHOP's Cut, or HALL's Summit, > the highest point of > the grade in the town, being something over 400 feet above the > level of the > river. > > > > L. Ray Sears, III > > LRSears@CapeCod.net > > > > > > > > ==== MABARNST Mailing List ==== > Want to post to this list from work or elsewhere? Send a note to > the List > Administrator, give him the e-mail address you want to add, and > ask him to > add you to the "Accept List." You will then be able to post from that > address without having to subscribe a second time. > > > > > ==== MABARNST Mailing List ==== > Search the Barnstable List Archives at: > http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=MABARNST > or > Browse the Barnstable List Archives at: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/MABARNST/ > >