Franklin Mile Markers

This is a park and grab with a history lesson.

The posted coordinates will take you to a bit of local history.

You will be solving for ‘A’ and ‘B’

Final Coordinates:  N 42 33.91A    W 073 40.99B

Did Benjamin Franklin visit this area? Or did he just leave his mark?

This monument was placed here to protect a postal mile marker that dates to the late 1700’s. This is one of two that are still in existance along Routes 9 & 20 in the East Greenbush/Schodack area.

These markers were one of the improvements instituted by Benjamin Franklin when he was a postmaster general for the colonies from 1753 to 1774. In 1763, he traveled 1,600 miles surveying post roads and Post Offices from Virginia to New England. In 1775, Franklin served as a member of the Second Continental Congress, which appointed him Postmaster General on July 26 of that year. With an annual salary of $1,000 and $340 for a secretary and comptroller, Franklin was responsible for all Post Offices from Massachusetts to Georgia and had authority to hire postmasters as necessary.

The stone markers were established by Franklin as a way to gage distance along the major postal routes. Each marker lists the distance of that particular spot to a post ‘office.’ Postal rates were determined based on the distance the mail traveled. The term ‘…post road’ takes its name from the early post office that would service that area.

Started between Boston and Springfield, Massachusetts, using a simple version of an odometer that he invented, Franklin apparently attached it to a wagon wheel to determine the exact mileage as he traveled the Boston Post Road. At each mile mark, a stake was placed. A crew followed behind and a stone mile marker was placed at the site. The stones were five and one-half feet high, fourteen inches in width and six inches in thickness.  They were placed in the ground to a depth of three feet.

As you look at the monument, answer these questions:

• What post office did this mile marker originate from? Subtract 3 from the number of letters in that name for ‘A’

• What is the distance in miles from that post office? Subtract 4 from that number for ‘B’

Difficulty level based on muggles! BYOP