The 1761 Milestone is a mile marker located at 640 South Main Street in
Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsoc ...
. The stone originally marked the junction of a Colonial highway from Great Road and an east–west route from
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
to
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
. It was rediscovered during the installation of an electrical road (likely a tram). In 1898, it was restored to its original location by the local chapter of the
Daughters of the American Revolution
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War.
A non-p ...
. The stone is embedded in a low retaining wall at the corner of South Main Street and Smithfield Road. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 24, 1982, and is historically significant as a Colonial-era highway marker.
History
The 1761 Milestone is a historic marker that marked the junction of a Colonial highway. In 1761, it was located at the intersection of Great Road from
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...
to
Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,228 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Mendon is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, ...
, and an east–west route from
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
into
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
. Currently, it rests near the intersection of South Main Street and Smithfield Road (previously Great Road) and occupies the land designated by the Woonsocket Assessor as plat 4-C, lot 69.
The by marker is described by the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) nomination form as an "odd-shaped piece of grey slate, somewhat broken and effaced".
It bears a boldly cut inscription of an unknown stonecutter; the inscription is likened to 18th-century handwriting and lacks a calligraphic pattern.
The marker reads "...Miles to Boston 1761".
The stone was unearthed during the installation of an "electrical road", according to a report to the
Daughters of the American Revolution
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War.
A non-p ...
(DAR), which probably refers to a tramway; the Woonsocket chapter of the DAR restored it to its original location.
Sometime later, the DAR placed a bronze plaque on the stone, but it was absent at the time of its nomination in 1982.
The marker is currently mortared into a retaining wall at the edge of the sidewalk on 640 South Main Street at the intersection.
Importance
The National Register of Historic Places nomination states that the marker is at its original site and is historically important because it is "the only extant Woonsocket property which well recalls this era in the early history of American overland transportation," and that there are "but a handful" of stones in Rhode Island which marked colonial highways.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 24, 1982.
See also
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References
External links
*
{{National Register of Historic Places
Buildings and structures in Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Individual signs on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places in Providence County, Rhode Island
Individual signs in the United States
Milestones