Today’s village of Auburndale began as a remote district of farmland, rolling wooded hills, and marsh. Even as late as 1831, only seven families held title to all of Auburndale’s land area. This all began to change, though, when the Boston and Worcester Railroad introduced passenger service to Newton, which ushered in a dramatic new era of development. By 1837, the railroad had been extended through Auburndale.

As suburban development occurred in Newton Corner and West Newton, sharp-eyed real estate speculators looked elsewhere for more opportunities. In 1847, William Jackson and his North Auburndale Land Company opened up Auburndale for a new type of Newton resident - the suburban commuter. Jackson’s company laid out many of the streets north of Auburn Street, a colonial highway established in 1729, and similar development to the south began almost simultaneously.

Auburndale’s main asset, besides its favorable location for transportation, was the languid reach of the Charles River which bordered it to the west. The village was firmly established by the 1860s, and Auburndale residents and visitors looked to the river for recreation. Canoeing and skating were popular pastimes, and several formal boat clubs built boathouses at the river’s edge.

River activity was greatly increased in the 1890s when the Newton Street Railway opened Norumbega Park, a 21-acre recreation facility boasting a restaurant, deer park, concert hall, and canoeing areas. In the 1930s and 1940s, the Totem Pole Lounge featured the sound of the Big Bands. Access from Boston by streetcar made the Park an immensely popular family playground.