Old stone Somerville boundary posts

[ron_newman]

A century or more ago, Somerville and Medford installed stone pillars at various locations to mark the boundary between the two cities. While planning the Somerville Bicycle Committee's upcoming Edge of the City Tour on October 13, I looked around for these markers -- both on the Web and on foot around the Tufts University campus.

So far, I've found seven of them, which I've plotted on a Google map. The map includes links to a photo of each marker -- one by Georgy Cohen (georgy), two by David Maze (dzm), one by Elizabeth Bolton, and three by me. Typically, the markers have S etched on one side, M on another side, and the marker number on a third side (or sometimes the same side as S or M). ETA 10/5/12: Thanks to your comments here, the map now has 10 markers, with more coming soon.

If you've seen one that isn't on my map, please comment here so that I can add it! I'd especially like to know if any markers remain for the Somerville-Cambridge or Somerville-Boston (Charlestown) borders.

Here's my photo of one on the west side of Packard Avenue, next to the Tufts tennis courts. (Click on the photo to see a larger version.)

Comments

[smammy]

There is one in the back yard of 11 Pearson Road, just beyond the head of the driveway. It definitely has the "S" and "M" marking, but I don't remember ever seeing a marker number.

[smammy]

Placemark (Turn on satellite, turn off 45° view, and zoom all the way in.)

[ron_newman]

If there is a marker number, it should be #5. It might be too worn away to read anymore.

ETA 10/11/12: Yes, it has the number 5 clearly etched on it. I took a photo this afternoon, and also added it to the Google map.

[smammy]

Weird, either that's a photo of a different marker, or it's been damaged significantly and sunk a foot or so into the ground since I lived there.

[ron_newman]

Or it might just be an illusion caused by the angle I took the photo from, or the poor quality of the camera phone. I took photos of the marker's two other etched sides here and here.

[smammy]

I was over there the other night, and checked, and sure enough!

[ron_newman]

Sure enough it sunk into the ground?

(I deleted your duplicate comment, by the way)