Movies of the Grand Opening

On August 23, 1951, each town from Wellesley up to Wakefield held its own ribbon-cutting, which featured Governor Dever, DPW commissioner William Callahan, and other dignitaries. In Woburn, Robert Peary shot the opening ceremony for Route 128 with his 8mm camera. He graciously provided it for use on this web site. You can view the mpeg file by clicking on the associated thumbnail.
 

Governor William Dever accepts a gift of a leather briefcase from Mayor Francis H. Murray of Woburn.  DPW Commissioner and Route 128 champion William Callahan is on the far left
Scissors in hand, Governor Dever prepares to cut the ribbon for this section of Route 128
Governor Dever's motorcade heads north on Route 128 to the next ceremony, which was in Reading
And look at this!  Behind the Governor's car is the first traffic jam on Route 128
The parade also featured antique cars and a military escort, both shown in this clip

 

(Courtesy of Jim Haggerty and the Woburn Times)
 

(Courtesy of Jim Haggerty and the Woburn Times)
 

(Courtesy of Jim Haggerty and the Woburn Times)