Historical Markers Thread

[MattTuck]

I thought we had done this before, but I can't find the old thread (if there was one) -- so I'll go ahead and start a new one.

I like those roadside plaques/signs that give historical details. Over the next couple weeks, think about some rides that go by interesting historical markers and take a picture of them to post in this thread, with a link to the actual location (google maps would be good).

What got me thinking about this was a carved rock in my hometown, which I visited this weekend, and rode past:

From my hometown of Groton, MA. The story of the Longley Family that was raided by Indians, the parents and some children being murdered and some being kidnapped, and ransomed.

More information can be found here.

Google Maps Link

[Mark McM]

If I stopped to take a picture of historic marker as I rode by, I'd never get anywhere. Living in Concord, MA, there's plenty of historic markers in my town plus all the surrounding towns, covering everything from the Colonial period, the Revolutionary War period, and the early Industrial Revolution period. I could easily ride by 2 dozen of them on any given ride.

Not to mention that there are a few markers for "fake" historical events, such as the Westford Knight statue in Groton, which marks the grave of a 14th century Scottish knight that died on a visit to the 13th century (NOT), and the Norumbega Tower in Weston, which marks the location that the Viking Leif Eriksson established the settlement of Vinland (also NOT).


This isn't my photo, but one of my favorite obscure historical markings is a statue of the little lamb on the Sterling, MA, town common, commemorating Mary Elizabeth Sawyer, who reputedly brought a little lamb to school one day, and inspired the famous children's poem, "Mary had a little lamb".

[Jgrooms]

Continuing the Native American theme, here is a sanitized marker referencing the 1825 Indian Removal Act. Often forced, illegal & sometimes genocidal the portrayal on historical markers of this sad long chapter of North America is a story unto itself.



9900 Shawnee Mission Pkwy
Shawnee, KS 66203
United States

https://www.kshs.org/shawnee_indian




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cicli]

Red Gate Woods marker. Sort of cool. You can mountain bike all around it.
It had been defaced through the years but you get the idea.

[bobswire]

On the corner of Mission and Harrington streets San Francisco.

IMG_0285 by bobswire, on Flickr

[Bruce K]

Yup, living in New England they are everywhere.

Here in Gloucester, MA we have a bunch, including the big one on the boulder at the cross venue.

But we also have Dogtown, where you can find over 2 dozen boulders carved with inspirational (one word) messages.

BK

[choke]

This is a few miles east of Worland, WY.

[weisan]

[Birddog]

There are several Historical Markers along the Katy trail in Missouri where it parallels the Missouri River marking the route of Lewis and Clark. It was perhaps more meaningful to me as I had read "Undaunted Courage" before riding the trail and taking in the sights. The part of the trail along the river runs for about 160 miles from Machens to Boonville, though most people start or finish in St Charles.

[oliver1850]

Nice thread Matt. I've posted several markers in the past, there are lots of them around here. If you look closely near the top of the columns at the corners of the bridge you can see the stacks of cast iron counterweights. The chains are attached to the deck of the bridge at each corner, go over the pulleys and are hooked to the stacks of counterweights. Bridge was lifted with a hand crank via the rack and pinion on each column. This bridge is one of the few original bridges on the 100 mile canal that can still be crossed in a car. I remember wood decked girder bridges crossing the canal nearly every mile, but I don't think any of them are still open to traffic and most are long gone - replaced by big culverts. Colorado II courtesy of bicycletricycle, wheels from LouDeeter.

[MattTuck]

That bridge is impressive. Just so some farmers could get to their land... think of the cost of making that contraption!

I enjoy these little "footnotes to history".

[seanile]

came across this one in north-central montana during my cross country trip.

[Idris Icabod]

This lives in the village that I grew up in the UK. My family still lives there. It was placed there in 938 AD, so is almost 1,100 years old. It was a large column with a cross on it but was broken around 1550 after Henry VIII sought to remove the power of the church during the Reformation.

"In medieval times justice was often dispensed quickly at the hands of the mob, or by family vengeance. Refuge for people on the run could be found in a few large churches that offered the privilege of sanctuary"

http://walkington-life.co.uk/home/th...nctuary-stone/

[Mark McM]

Henry David Thoreau wrote an important essay entitled, ""Resistance to Civil Government" (later re-titled "Civil Disobedience"), about people's duty not to acquiesce to injustices committed by their governments. Later civil rights leaders, including Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., cited this essay as very influential on their thoughts and actions.

A plaque in Monument square in Concord, MA marks the location of an event that played a large role in his essay. I go by this plaque frequently.

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

That bridge is impressive. Just so some farmers could get to their land... think of the cost of making that contraption!

I enjoy these little "footnotes to history".

It would be interesting to know what the law required for access to private land circa 1900. In IL you can't be landlocked from your land, but I'm not sure anyone (the state) is required to build a bridge so that you can access it.