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The Sudbury Historical Commission has engaged a professional stone mason to restore and repaint the directional markings on four of the town’s historic granite markers, launching what members hope will be an ongoing effort to preserve all 29 of Sudbury’s surviving markers.
Sudbury’s granite markers are part of a broader nineteenth-century tradition of roadside guideposts and mile markers used throughout Massachusetts before the advent of numbered highways. At the time, towns were responsible for helping travelers navigate public roads by placing and maintaining guideboards at intersections and along major routes. In Sudbury, annual town reports documented the location, repair, and replacement of guideposts, often using familiar local landmarks to identify where they stood.1
Early guideposts were typically made of wood and required frequent repair or replacement due to weather, accidents, and vandalism. Over time, many communities, including Sudbury, began replacing them with more durable stone markers. Sudbury’s surviving granite markers reflect that shift and remain visible reminders of the town’s historic transportation network and civic stewardship of its roads. The first known granite marker was erected in 1876-1877 at a cost of $3.50 by Benjamin Hemingway Richardson, a prominent local resident.2
The first phase of work will focus on markers at Concord Road and Old Sudbury Road, Pantry Road and North Road, Boston Post Road and Concord Road, and Boston Post Road and Nobscot Road.
The restoration will be carried out by Richard McGrath of Lunenburg, a master stone mason and chair of the Lunenburg Historical Commission, who has extensive experience preserving historic stone markers.
The commission hopes this initial work will be the start of an ongoing effort to restore and preserve all of the town’s remaining markers. “These granite markers are an important part of Sudbury’s historic landscape,” the commission said. “Restoring them helps preserve a visible link to the town’s past for residents and visitors alike.”
1. Annual Report of the Selectmen Relative to Guide Boards (Sudbury, MA: Town of Sudbury), 1864, 2.
2. Town of Sudbury Annual Report, 1876–1877 (Sudbury, MA: Town of Sudbury), 1877, 7.