Local History

Markers Note the Long and Vast History That Happened Here

By Published On: September 1st, 2026

We’re surrounded by history. If you don’t think so, start noticing the many historical markers when you go out and about. They tell tales of people, places, and events of the past that range from interesting to amusing, and are always worth a, “Wow, I never knew that!”

We took a couple of rides around to find some to share.

In New York State, the markers stand out. They’re usually blue, or sometimes red, and too often rusty. Most are by the building they describe, but they may just as may be beside a blank area where the long-gone subject of their story once was.

Older ones usually were part of a program managed by the Education Department’s State History office and started to commemorate the American Revolution Sesquicentennial in 1926. Public funding ended for this in 1939, after some 2,800 signs were installed around the state. In the early 1960s a new program funded larger signs in highway rest areas, giving an overview of the area’s history.

The William G. Pomeroy Foundation Historic Roadside Marker Program ran from 2006 to 2019, giving grants for over 500 signs in New York. No approval is needed for a marker erected on private property, but an application reviewed by the State Education Department is needed for one to be on state property.

In Massachusetts, the markers are not handled by the state, but by individual localities, and thus the type, style, and installment of them varies. A search for some found metal plaques set on rocks, simple black and white roadside signs, and painted wooden signs in period-appropriate style affixed to buildings. 

The jaunts through New York plus a bit of Connecticut, turned up a healthy historic collection, from locally important sites to the path of the Knox Trail of the Revolution to an alien abduction to a boxing prize fight. 

Come along to see some of what took place around our places. •

“Through this place passed General Henry Knox in the winter of 1775-1776 to deliver to General George Washington at Cambridge the train of artillery from Fort Ticon-deroga used to force the British Army to evacuate from Boston. Erected by the State of New York during the Sesquicen-tennial of the American Revolution” Routes 23 and 71, North Hillsdale, NY.
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This Know Trail marker, in North Egremont, MA, adds a tribute to lives lost on 9-11. “This monu-ment is dedicated to the thousands of innocent and brave men, women and children killed by terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. They died for our country and our freedom. We shall not forget. Dedicated on September 11, 2002”.
The Sheffield Declaration of 1773 was adopted in the First Congregational Church, also the original town meetinghouse. A small sign at the corner of the building reads: “Old Parish Church of Sheffield Town, First Congregational, Orga-nized 1735, Erected 1760” Main Street, Route 7, Sheffield, MA.
Also known as Claverack College, the school’s most famous alumni was 8th President Martin Van Buren; it was unique for its time in being co-ed. The buildings are long gone. Route 9-H, Claverack, NY.
Either of the two buildings across the road from the sign may have been the one noted by it, both looked to be the right age. The cornfield did not give any clues. Rudd Pond Road, north of Millerton, NY.
The Upper Sheffield Covered Bridge was the oldest in the state when destroyed by arson vandalism in 1994; the marker describes the reconstruction of a replica of it. Cross it to a marker and park dedicated to the most notable event here, the alien abduction of the Reed family. Covered Bridge Lane, off Route 7 north of Sheffield, MA.
The building still stands, but a portico over the 1799 Columbia Turnpike, busy with goods coming from Mas-sachusetts to the Hudson River, is long gone. Friends of East Gate are working to restore the building, at this sign on Route 23 east of Hillsdale, NY.
Toll houses were a regular fixture on roads heavily used by farmers and manufacturers taking goods to the Hudson River. This classic stone building is in the shadow of a crumbling ce-ment plant, another bygone area industry. Route 23B, Hudson, NY.
Boxing was illegal in New York City, so tiny Boston Corners, NY, with a natural amphitheater and railroad access, won a coin toss to be the site of a still famous boxing match in 1853. Undermoun-tain Road (Photographed by Marc Belanger, April 14, 2012, used with permission of HMdb.org).
“These trees have been dedicated to the memory of our men of the town who gave their lives in World War II” the plaque tells. A semi-circle of trees outlines the park, with a marker and mementos for each of those lost in front of theirs. Memorial Park, corner of Route 7 and Miller Ave., Sheffield, MA .
Many signs stand alone, marking where long-gone buildings once were, or events took place. This shows where the home of Samuel B. Webb, commanding officer of the 9th Connecticut Regiment of the Revolution-ary War was, many years ago, on, appropri-ately, Webb Road in Claverack, NY.
Parishioners of centuries past lie under the watchful eye of the Old Dutch Church, hidden behind trees on a knoll above the cemetery. Present-day congregations still gather in the church, on Route 9-H, Claverack, NY.
The 1858 one-room schoolhouse was moved to the center of the Millerton, NY Historic District, and is recognized as a Country School Association of Amica Landmark Schoolhouse. Main Street, Millerton, NY.
One of only two Granges still active in Columbia County, this grange in Copake began in 1902 with 65 area farmers joining. The building was erected in 1903. Membership dwindled but in 2017 a group who felt they “Could not lose the building” was formed and is restoring it. Empire Road, Copake, NY.
More time than we had could be spent in charming Salisbury, CT, exploring the many historic spots there. The marker tells some of the town history, lists of places to check out are found online. Main Street, Route 44, Salisbury, CT.
Major Bezaleel Rudd entered the Army in 1776, as a sergeant in the 7th Company under Col. Henry B. Livingstone, 4th Regiment of Foot Soldiers. His home site is now a NY State Park enjoyed by many every year. Rudd Pond Road, north of Millerton, NY.
At the Copake Iron Works, Valley View Road off Old Route 22, Copake Falls, NY.
Salisbury, CT is filled with historic places. The former Salisbury Academy is now home of the Salisbury Association. The sign on the corner of the building describes the Academy, while the relic beneath it harks back to the area’s iron mining origins. Main Street, Route 44, Salisbury, CT.
Veteran’s Park, Main Street and Dutchess Avenue, Millerton, NY.
Elizabeth Freeman, also known as ‘Mum Bet’, was a freed slave who lived in Ashley Falls, MA. More on her can be seen at the Colonel Ashley House in nearby Ashley Falls. This Highway to Free-dom is Route 7, through Sheffi eld, MA.
Boston Corners Road, off Route 22 south of Copake, NY.
These markers note where the Knox Trail crossed the state line from New York to Massachusetts. Route 71, Alford, MA/Hillsdale, NY.
Shay’s Rebellion was an uprising following the Revolutionary War; the last battle was fought here, on what is now Sheffi eld-Egremont Road between the two Massachusetts towns. If you’d like to be able to say you’ve hiked on the Appalachian Trail, take some steps along where it borders the site.
As legend has it, the largish rock in the smallish creek barely seen through the bushes is the site of a lovelorn Native America couple’s tragic demise. If you’re there at the right time, you just might see them. Spook Rock, Co-lumbia County Route 29/Spook Rock Road, Hudson, NY.
“My father lives on the second fl oor,” the man we met in the parking lot said, “I always feel it’s a little haunted. Think about the people who hitched their horses to those same posts out front! There are jail cells still in the cellar, they say.” Old Court House, Route 23B, Claverack, NY.
Toll houses were a regular fi xture on roads heavily used by farm-ers and manufacturers taking goods to the Hudson River. This classic stone building is in the shadow of a crumbling cement plant, another bygone area industry. Route 23B, Hudson, NY.