Mile Marker 24 on Boston Post Road, Rye

The plaque above reads "This is one of some 230 markers erected on the Boston Post Road in 1763. Their locations were fixed by Benjamin Franklin the Deputy Postmaster General who for that purpose drove a chaise with a distance recorder over the route. Restored to this its original position June 1st, 1927, by the village of Rye. Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers have set." (Proverbs XXII Verse 28.)" But is it the original or a replacement? It is made of fragile sandstone and similar stones in the Westchester area have been dated to the early 1800s which raises questions about the claims made on the plaque. There is also a school of thought based on Franklin's own letters and whereabouts that says he may not have supervised placement of any of the stones.

Whatever their actual date, they are still likely to be at least over 200 years old and are valuable historical resources illustrating our American heritage. Want to find other markers on the Boston Post Road? Go to the Historical Marker database at www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=34587

The Boston Post Road was originally an Indian trail called the Pequot Path; it is the oldest road in America (1672) and was called the King's Highway or King's Road in 1683. It was the first post road for sending mail by horse or coach.

In 1800 the Westchester Turnpike Company was incorporated and reconstructed the road and replaced some of the original markers. The road was widened to over 80 feet for the herds of sheep and cattle that were raised in New York and Connecticut and were driven by foot to market in New York City.

Peter Augustus Jay to his father, John Jay, in a letter dated August 21, 1800 remarked at that time:

"...While I was at Rye, I accompanied a Committee of the Turnpike Corporation while they laid out the road from Mamaroneck to Byram. The Road past uncle's farm will not be altered except that a small angle opposite the old stone house will be cut off."

Today all that remains of the original Jay estate is the 23 acre Jay Property bounded in front by the length of this stone wall on Boston Post Road from the entrance at 210 all the way to Barlow Lane. It is a NY State and Westchester County Park, open to the public for historical and educational programs.

tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1844&Resourc...

[O]ne of America's intrinsic sacred sites --'specially special,' if you like -- because a great family's great house and its great and sweeping surrounding landscape have, almost miraculously, both survived intact and are now a permanent part of the America the next centuries of Americans will build." Tony Hiss, Author, Experience of Place.

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Update!!!
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Conservation of Rye's Mile Marker 24 has begun!
Get day to day updates on our Facebook page!

www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.683777425035667.1073741...

We are excited to be working with Amanda Trienens, founder of Cultural Heritage Conservation. She has helped protect and preserve many other early American monuments including the Alexander Hamilton Monument and the Montgomery Monument both located in downtown Manhattan at Trinity Church. Other projects include the Bethesda Terrace, in Central Park; Donald Judd's Untitled Sculpture at The Glass House in New Canaan, CT; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; United States Supreme Court, Washington, DC, TWA Terminal, New York, United Nations, New York. The projects she has worked on have been recognized with awards in excellence from both the Preservation League of New York State and the NY Landmarks Conservancy.

It is also a pleasure to be working with Matthew C. Reiley of Excelsior Art Services. He is also Associate Director of Conservation for the Central Park Conservancy. Matthew is responsible for the care of Central Park’s built environment, which includes a collection of 50+ bronze and stone monuments, historic architecture, fountains, mosaics and other features. Reiley is an Adjunct Faculty Member of the the Graduate School of Architecture Planning Preservation (GSAPP) at Columbia University and a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC).

Stay tuned for more updates! Read more about all the Boston Post Road (BPR) markers on our Facebook page!

Jay Heritage Center
210 Boston Post Road
Rye, NY 10580
(914) 698-9275
Email: jayheritagecenter@gmail.com
www.jayheritagecenter.org

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Taken in: United States / New York / Rye (show map)

Taken on: September 19, 2009

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Camera:	Canon PowerShot G10
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ISO:	200
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