Revere Beach in Revere, Massachusetts, north of Boston, became the first public beach in the United States in 1896 after the shoreline was secured for public use and reshaped under a plan by Charles Eliot. Formerly called Chelsea Beach, it had grown popular in the late nineteenth century, especially after rail service made excursions easy. Railroad tracks were moved inland and many beachfront structures were cleared, helping create a broad public resort that drew enormous crowds from its opening day. The beach later became a major amusement district, declined after the nineteen fifties, and revived after reopening in 1992. It remains a prominent, accessible waterfront and historic landmark.