Weymouth's Four Village Centers
One thing that distinguished Weymouth from most other New England towns is that it does not have a clearly identifiable central commercial area or "downtown" area. Instead, four smaller village centers evolved, probably emerging from what began as clusters of houses and small shops at a particular crossroads. The four villages remain distinct and identifiable today, although their importance and commercial stability has been progressively undermined by the development of large shopping malls and entertainment complexes elsewhere on the South Shore that can be reached by car (e.g., South Shore Plaza in Braintree, The Derby Street "Shoppes" in Hingham", and the Hingham Shipyard, which now provides a movie theater complex and an array of restaurants and shops.
Bicknell Square in North Weymouth
Bicknell Square is now the focal ;point for commerce in North Weymouth along what is now Bridge St. or Route 3A. One can stat at the intersection of Sea St and Bridge St. (Route 3A). You can visit the area via Google Earth by typing the address "413 MA-3A" into the Search box at the upper left corner of Google Earth.
Columbian Square in South Weymouth
You can visit Columbian Square via Google Earth by typing the address "56 Columbian St., Weymouth, MA" into the Search box at the upper left corner of Google Earth. The photo below on the left shows the Fogg Opera House around 1900; in the photo on the right it is the brick building at the far right.
Lower Jackson Square (Commercial Square) in East Weymouth
You can visit Lower Jackson Square via Google Earth by typing the address "961 Broad St., Weymouth, MA" into the Search box at the upper left corner of Google Earth. Niko's Restaurant with the red awning is at the site of Burrell's Store (there is a green street sign on the corner that says "Burrell's Corner". Across the street one can still see the original Washington St. School built in 1887 (the large blue building on the corner of High St. and School St. In the photos below the peaked building on the left was Burrell's store (now Niko's restaurant), and the Washington St. School building is on the right side of the image (blue building in the distance just left of the Citgo sign in the image on the right).
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Weymouth Landing
To visit Weymouth Landing with Google Earth type "49 Commercial St, Weymouth, MA" into the search box, and then drag the person icon onto the street to see the street view and the shops as they are today.
