Milestone
Why it's listed
A small slate milestone beside Boylston Street (Route 9) in Brookline carries the words "To Boston" and the date 1810. It sits on a grassy triangle near Warren Street, close to a bus shelter and the sidewalk. The stone has a slightly damaged top and was moved here to protect it. It is one of two known milestones in Brookline; the other, dated 1729, is on Harvard Street. The marker dates from the year this stretch of the Boston/Worcester Turnpike was finished. Construction of the turnpike began in 1806 to give traffic a more direct route west. It replaced the Sherburne Road, now Walnut and Heath Streets, which had been the town's main road west. The turnpike bypassed Brookline's first civic center and helped Brookline Village develop as the town's main commercial center through much of the nineteenth century. The milestone was listed as part of one of the earliest 19th-century routes leading west from Boston.
Significance in brief: The milestone was placed in 1810, the year this section of the Boston/Worcester Turnpike was completed. The turnpike replaced the older Sherburne Road as the main route west and helped Brookline Village grow into the town's commercial center. The nomination argues it meets Criterion A as part of one of the earliest 19th-century transportation routes west from Boston.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 85003300, listed October 17, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Boylston St., Brookline |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | October 17, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85003300 |
| Resource type | Object |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation |
| Level of significance | National, State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition fair; the top is slightly damaged and the stone was moved to its present location for preservation. Vehicle emissions from Route 9 are noted as a threat. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.32878, -71.13266 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 85003300.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.