The High Road and Mass. Ave.

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Mon Jan 14 16:35:40 UTC 2013


At 1/13/2013 05:03 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>For example, the main street in Cambridge MA is Mass(achusetts) Ave(nue).

And in Menotomy (AKA Arlington) and Lexington too.

In context, Larry was asserting that in the colonies the main street
was not generally called "the High Street", or even "the high
street", in contrast to England.  But at least for Massachusetts
Avenue, it had a higher name even than "the High Street": it was
called "the King's Highway"* -- until the Revolution.  In Boston,
King St. and Queen St. lost their titles at about the same time.

* Sometimes "the Great Road".
Joel

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