One of five mile markers that remain in the early Roxbury town limits (including West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain until 1851), untouched for the most part by politics, urban redevelopment, and other forms of change and still performing their original function. These milestones show the distance to the Boston Town House (now the Old State House). Pictured here is the five mile marker installed in 1735 and located by the monument at Centre and South Streets in Jamaica Plain. While this marker currently stands closer to the monument, it is shown here as previously located on the opposite side of street from the monument.
These milestones have a common name associated with them. Dudley, a family that lived in the town of Roxbury in colonial times and which served prominently in the colony’s politics and acted generously toward the town’s Latin school and the local college, Harvard.
Paul Dudley (1673-1750) was born in Roxbury and educated at Roxbury Latin (Class of 1686) and later at Harvard (Class of 1690). He studied law in London, and he returned home to become a successful attorney general of his colony. Dudley was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court and elected Chief Justice in 1745.
He left a permanent legacy by erecting milestones. From 1729 onwards Dudley erected several granite milestones showing the distance to the Boston Town House (now the Old State House) with the judge’s initials usually added. All distances assume a route along Washington Street to Eliot Square in the heart of Roxbury, where, as a crowning touch in 1744, Dudley had a Parting Stone carved. The stone still remains and can be seen at the junction of Centre and Roxbury Streets. A high resolution version of this image can be downloaded here.
