The Newbury Stones are roadside markers that take us back to the early 1700s, when without the aid of travelling gadgets such as Waze or Google Maps, people relied on rudimentary things such as stone markers to guide them from town to town. Ten stones still exist from the original Newbury collection, which are famous for being some of the most elaborate stone markers in all of New England.
Many of the stones had become lost over the centuries, only to be discovered in recent years either face down on the ground or tucked away on private property. Four of them were crated and shipped to the Smithsonian Museum of American History, one is in a private collection and has been replaced by a replica, but remarkably, five are back standing in the same spots they were placed nearly three hundred years ago, roadside in Newbury where anyone can drive right up and see them.
Located on a small patch of land within the intersection of Middle Road and Elm Street, is the 33 marker.
Look closely at the stone and you'll see a variety of things. On the left is the number 5 above the letter N, indicating that the center of Newbury was five miles in that direction. The right side contained the number 33 and letter B, which meant that Boston was 33 miles thataway. And below all this is the date the stone was carved, 1708.
Exactly one mile north is the only replica of the collection, the 34 marker. This was recreated from a partial piece that is now in the hands of a private collector. Arrows point you either toward Newbury or Boston, and it also contains the date of the original stone, 1709.
By the 35 marker, travelers were close enough to Newbury it didn't seem necessary to mention it, so this stone came with only a 35 and a B, letting travelers know they had now progressed 35 miles from Boston.
In addition to being informative, each of the stones came with its own unique designs, which on this one consisted of two circles containing pie slices in each corner as well as a wavy pattern that runs along the bottom. With these clues, historians were able to piece together the identities of the various stonecarvers by matching them against similar designs carved into gravestones of nearby cemeteries.
As you arrive at the 36 stone you might just think you've run yourself in a circle, because at a glance this one appears to be the number 30. But don't be fooled, even though it looks like a cartoon bomb with a fuse sticking off it, this is a number 6. And although there's no date on the 36 stone, the triangle design did get fancier with some added loops and lines below.
The remaining mile marker is the 37 stone, which is also the least obvious to spot from the road.
Although partially sunken into the earth, the B and the 37 - plus a pinwheel on each corner - are still visible. The other side of the stone contains a mile marker for the nearby town of Ipswich, but because I short-cut my research and didn't know this at the time, I can only show you a picture of its front.
There is one more stone in the Newbury collection, and although it's not a mile marker this is the most elaborate of them all. It is called the Father Stone, featuring a two-dimensional figure dressed in 17th century garb, and was created as an entrance marker to the mansion of the family who commissioned many of the Newbury Stones, the Dummer family. That last sentence does not contain a typo. The Dummer family were prominent members of early New England society, and among their many accomplishments, their bequeathed estate led to the foundation of the Governor Dummer Academy, referred to now as just the Governor's Academy.
There is pleasure to be had in an afternoon ride, even more so when you can turn that ride into an afternoon scavenger hunt. There is also pleasure to be had in experiencing history, especially when it's history that took place close to your home. And there is pleasure to be had in the faces of passersby, as they watch from their car while you pose with a rock on the side of the road.
* To find the location of each of these stones, go to our Adventure Map and zoom in on the town of Newbury, in eastern Massachusetts.
See also:
- The Mother Stone, now in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
- To learn more about the history of the Newbury Stones, visit www.stonestructures.org
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