Is it West Roxbury or is it Roslindale–Zip Codes vs. Deeds

Posted by: Lisa Sullivan
Posted on: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Categories: Home Buying, Home Selling, Main Streets, Zoning, Zoning, Main Streets, West Roxbury, Home Buying, Home Selling, Roslindale

Did you ever wonder why some homeowners in West Roxbury have a Roslindale zip code?  In the mid-1800’s, there were post offices established in Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury.   After more people settled in these areas some residents decided that they needed a post office of their own. They asked the U.S. Postal Service to establish a new post office, but in order to do this they needed a name and permission from the closest postmaster. A manufacturer by the name of John Pearce suggested that they name it after Roslyn, Scotland because it was similar to that area, the name Roslindale was formed. 

In 1879, a new post office was established near the corner of Florence Street and Cummins Highway. There boundaries were determined by the post office which is why your deed could say West Roxbury but your zip code could be Roslindale. Approximate boundaries are determined by the post office delivery routes. If you wanted to look up and get information on your deed you can go to www.FreeRecordsRegistry.com

Looking for more news about the Boston real estate market? Consider subscribing to this blog's RSS feed and have articles like this delivered to your favorite feed reader whenever a new article is published.

Other posts you may find interesting

Share This

Comments

5 Responses to “Is it West Roxbury or is it Roslindale–Zip Codes vs. Deeds”

  1. Mr. Mojo on May 29th, 2007 5:25 pm

    Is this in the United States? I’m thinking about buying a post office. How much do they cost?

  2. Maureen Rossi on May 29th, 2007 6:22 pm

    Mr. Mojo or Mister Demento?

  3. Mrs. Reflections on May 30th, 2007 5:42 pm

    Dear mr. Mojo,

    This is in West Roxbury, massachusetts and yes if you would like to buy a post office you can contact the federal goverment. Now go to bed and wake up at 4:30 with a smile on your face!!! Oh by the way….if you know of anyone looking to buy or sell, please have them contact me……

    Mrs. reflections

  4. Carole White on May 31st, 2007 12:21 pm

    Hi Lisa,
    Excellent post. Just to add-on that the boundaries of properties are determined by the owner’s deed. The post office re-districting has caused considerable confusion and distress over time. Thanks for making the distinction.

  5. A History of Roslindale, Ma. : Dahubbub.com on June 15th, 2007 1:51 pm

    […] the railroad crossed South Street at the street level.  However, when the community applied for a post office district of its own, it was told that “South Street Crossing” was an unacceptable name in the Commonwealth. […]

Got something to say?





Close
E-mail It