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

[pbockelman.livejournal.com]

In Massachusetts (and other New England) towns, State Law requires that the Board of Selectmen "perambulate the bounds" of the town. Usually, this was done with the selectmen from the neighboring towns. Specifically, Mass. General Laws, Chapter 42, Section 1 states that "the Selectmen shall perambulate, run and mark the boundary lines of towns every five years or appoint substitutes and erect monuments at angles on boundary lines, also where a highway crosses lines". I don't believe cities are required to do this. For many towns, this requires traipsing through woods to find the historic markers. I used to work for a town and the selectmen used to send out a runner in advance who would place certain libations on each bound to keep the selectmen going from bound to bound. We were always careful, though, to avoid deer hunting season...

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

That sounds awesome! It aught to be a whole city invited event. Can you imagine 1,000 people perambulating the city line? It could be done in colonial dress.

[ron_newman]

The next best thing would be to come on my October 13 bike tour, which will follow the border closely and pass by many of these stone markers.