About 10 years ago, my company won a historic preservation award for saving a rock which had been involved in an incident with a car. At the time of the incident the rock was just a being a rock, minding its own business on sidewalk in Allston. The other protagonist in this story was just being a car ,moving as requested by its human down the street. However, because this is Boston, the line between sidewalk and street is vague and car struck the rock. The rock broke in two.

The rock had likely spent much of its first 100 million years or so just laying around as rocks do. However, in the year 1729 the rock was called into duty and became a Marker. We know this because carved into its face was the inscription “BOSTON/ 6 MILES/ 1729/ P.D./”. In the early 1700’s this was rock joined about 100 other rocks of various sizes and petrography that were placed along a route known as “OId-Boston Road”. The group of markers were used by people to navigate the land before we had cars, sidewalks or GPS. Our Marker, located 6 miles from the Parting Stone (in Roxbury) stood in Allston for almost 300 years, watching as Boston turned from a sleepy outpost to a vibrant city.

Daedalus was hired by Mass DOT, which is the legal caretaker of the markers on the old Boston post road, to repair and protect the damaged artifact. About a later, The Boston Preservation Alliance gave a preservation award to this tiny project. A few years after Milemarker6 was repaired a plan was put in place to repair and preserve all of the remaining markers along the Old Boston Road, including several more markers in Boston. A cool caveat to the story is that when I went to Mass Dot’s offices to discuss this larger project, the first thing I noticed when I got off the elevator was a framed Boston Preservation Alliance Award for the repair of Milestone 6. I can’t help but to think that the recognition of the good work done helped get a larger project off the ground, led to more preservation and more awareness of this important part of our shared cultural history. The next phase of treatments happened because the care takers were invested in the project.

Our built environment connects us to the past, these connections help make Boston a wonderful place. Some of the oldest built artifacts in this country can be found in our city and the people who made them, many of them immigrants, connect us to other parts of the world and the skills they used were passed down for generations. These conglomerations of bricks, stone, wood, metal and hard work can’t speak for themselves. If we want to keep these connections, it is vital that we have advocates for their preservation.

Over the last decade, Daedalus has been a proud sponsor of the Boston Preservation Alliance. From small markers to large buildings they are an important voice advocating for the preservation of our shared cultural heritage. This year I was fortunate to be invited to join their board of directors. May is preservation month and we are running a mini fund-raiser to help support the Alliance's mission. In honor of Milemarker6 my fund-raising  goal is $1,729, I will get started by donating $229. Any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

For 45 years the Boston Preservation Alliance has served the residents of Boston as a nonprofit organization that protects and improves the quality of Boston's architectural and cultural heritage. Through advocacy and education, we bring people and organizations together to influence the future of Boston's historic buildings, landscapes, and communities.

Without our members, donors, and community partners, our voice would fall silent–a growing membership makes our voice stronger because together we make Boston better. 

Check out the projects we're currently engaged in and thank you for your continued consideration and support.