1761 Milestone

The 1761 Milestone is a grey slate stone located at the corner of South Main Street and Smithfield Road in Woonsocket. The stone displays distance information to Boston carved in handwriting style typical of the colonial period.

The stone was placed in 1761 at the intersection of the Great Road connecting Providence and Mendon as a navigation aid for colonial travelers and merchants. The Daughters of the American Revolution restored it to its original location in 1898 after it was rediscovered during electrical road construction.

The Daughters of the American Revolution took responsibility for preserving this milestone in 1898, returning it to its original location during road construction.

The stone is set into a retaining wall at the corner of South Main Street and Smithfield Road, making it simple to locate. It remains visible and accessible at this public location throughout the year.

The stone was rediscovered buried in the ground during electrical line work and could have been lost forever. Its weathered inscription remains a rare surviving example of carved navigation aids from the colonial era.

GPS coordinates: 41.98964,-71.53156

Latest update: December 14, 2025 11:00