Period Maps offer more detail

August 11, 2026

I've obtained some period maps ... 1939 and mid 1950s gas station maps, and both the 1945 and 1947 Massachusetts Road Maps published by the Commonwealth's Highway Department (see this link).

The 1939 and 1945 maps clearly show that the route 128 designation did not extend to Gloucester, along present day Rt 22 and Rt 133 to Western and Essex Avenue. It was only in 1947 that the 128 designation was added to Rt 121 (now the portion of Rt 133 from Gloucester to Ipswich) and Rt 22 to Beverly from Essex.

The mid 1950's maps shows the completed A. Piatt Bridge over the Annisquam River, bit the portion of today's Rt 128 from Rt 22 in Beverly to the bridge is not completed. Old Rt 128 traffic from Essex via Essex Avenue used the new bridge to access route 127 to Lanesville, and Washington Street to downtown Gloucester.

In the southern section, I note that in the 1937 map, the Route 128 designation ends in the Accord section of Norwell, not north through to Hingham and Hull. By 1945, the Route 128 designation extended to Hull, along (mostly) what is presently Rt 228. The mid 1950's maps shows how some portions of the modern 128 are operational, yet the sections after Rt 138 are not complete. Eventually, Rt 128 will (and does today) terminate at I-95 South and the beginning of I-93 North in Canton.

All this leads to my observation that Rt 128 was a fluid designation. Our bicycle trip was very close to the 1947 Commonwealth map, except for the section using the Blue Hills River Road, which has a discontinuity at I-93.