James Walter Mullally Crossing
Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Marker Inscription
James Walter Mullally Crossing On the evening of October 11, 1920, James Walter Mullally, a crossing tender on the Boston & Maine Railroad at the North Cambridge Station, which was located nearby, lost his life ina vain attempt to rescue the aged Mrs. Emma Osgood from an oncoming train. A fund of $10,000 was raised by public subscription for the support of his widow, Mrs. Annie Mullally, and to ensure the education of their five children. Mr. Mullally was posthumously awarded the Carnegie Medal for Heroism. Erected by order of the Cambridge City Council September 24, 1989 Cambridge Historical Commission
Erected by Cambridge Historical Commission
The Story
On the evening of October 11, 1920, James Walter Mullally, a crossing tender at North Cambridge Station on the Boston & Maine Railroad, was killed trying to pull elderly Emma Osgood from the path of an oncoming train. The public raised a fund to support his widow and five children, and he was awarded the Carnegie Medal for Heroism; the city named this crossing in his memory.
Why it matters
In the crowded age of the American railroad, the crossing tender stood between everyday life and sudden death, and Mullally's sacrifice memorializes the ordinary workers whose vigilance the era depended on.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Griffin Museum at Digital Silver Imaging1.4 mi away
- Cyrus Dallin Art Museum1.7 mi away · 611 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA
- Smith Museum Archives1.9 mi away · 5;7 Jason Terrace, MA
- Jason Russell House1.9 mi away · 7 Jason Street, Arlington, MA
- Old Schwamb Mill3.1 mi away · 17 Mill Lane, Arlington, MA
- Edmund Fowle House3.2 mi away · 26;28 Marshall Street, Watertown, MA
Attractions
- Harvard Square1.8 mi away
- Arlington Center Historic District1.8 mi away
- Central Street Historical District1.9 mi away
- 1899 MIT Observatory site3.8 mi away
- Pickerel Rock3.9 mi away
- Stone Chimney4.5 mi away
Food & drink
- Lexington House of Pizza5.0 mi away
- Dunkin'5.7 mi away · 10 Woburn Street, Lexington, MA
- Formosa Taipei5.9 mi away
- Clay Oven5.9 mi away · 1666 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA
- Bruegger's Bagels5.9 mi away
- Spirit of India5.9 mi away
Places to stay
- Homewood Suites0.4 mi away · 1 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA
- Hilton Garden Inn6.4 mi away · 450 Totten Pond Road, Waltham, MA
- The Inn at Hastings Park6.5 mi away
- Best Western6.5 mi away · 380 Winter Street
- Holiday Inn Express6.5 mi away · 385 Winter Street, Waltham, MA
- Extended Stay America6.5 mi away · 52 Fourth Avenue
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · James Walter Mullally
- · Emma Osgood
Related events
- · Mullally's rescue attempt, October 11, 1920
- · Carnegie Medal for Heroism
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Cradock Bridge
Medford, MA
This spot marks one of the oldest crossings of the Mystic River, first bridged in 1638 in the early years of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The name honors Matthew Cradock, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Company, who backed a plantation here at Medford though he never crossed the Atlantic himself. For generations the Cradock Bridge carried the main road north out of Boston, and the 1638-1880 span on the marker traces the working life of the early wooden and timber structures before they gave way to later reconstructions. A modest crossing by modern eyes, it was a vital artery of colonial New England commerce and travel.
Milestone
Arlington, MA
Carved in 1790, this milestone dates from the earliest years of the new American republic, when stone markers were the highway signs of their day—counting the miles along the well-traveled road between Boston and Concord. Standing eight miles out from the city, it once guided travelers, post riders, and teamsters through what was then Menotomy (now Arlington), a village that had already seen the running battles of April 19, 1775. Milestones like this one were often set by order of local towns or public-minded citizens, and their survival for more than two centuries makes them rare, tangible links to the age of horse-and-carriage travel.
The Harvard Bridge
Boston, MA
Completed in 1891, the Harvard Bridge stretched across the Charles River to link Boston with Cambridge, carrying the growing traffic of two cities in the industrial age. Though it bears the name of the Puritan minister John Harvard, the span itself is a work of late-19th-century engineering, rebuilt in 1988–1990 atop its original granite piers and abutments. It remains one of the busiest crossings of the Charles.
Longfellow Bridge (Boston–Cambridge)
Boston, MA
The Longfellow Bridge, opened in 1906 and named for the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, carries road, rail, and pedestrians across the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge. Its distinctive stone towers — nicknamed the "salt-and-pepper shakers" — make it one of the region's most recognizable crossings. This marker commemorates the bridge's major 2017–2018 rehabilitation, which restored the century-old structure while pairing engineering with public art.