BOSTON & PROVIDENCE RAILROAD, B&P 1831, GOLD COLOR SLEEVE OR VEST BUTTON

Description

A B&P 1831 sleeve or vest button from the Boston & Providence Railroad. Measures approximately 5/16" across. Please see photographs. Reads D. EVANS & CO. EXTRA. Carefully shipped via USPS with tracking information.  This button is at least 133 years old.
The
Boston and Providence Railroad
was a railroad company in the states of
Massachusetts
and
Rhode Island
which connected its namesake cities. It opened in two sections in 1834 and 1835 - one of the
first rail lines in the United States
- with a more direct route into Providence built in 1847. Branches were built to Dedham in 1834, Stoughton in 1845, and North Attleboro in 1871. It was acquired by the
Old Colony Railroad
in 1888, which in turn was leased by the
New Haven Railroad
in 1893. The line became the New Haven's primary mainline to Boston; it was realigned in Boston in 1899 during the construction of
South Station
, and in Pawtucket and Central Falls in 1916 for grade crossing elimination.
The line became part of the
Penn Central
system in 1969; the section in Massachusetts was purchased by the state in 1973, while
Amtrak
acquired the Rhode Island section in 1976. The line was electrified in 2000.