Why is this seemingly ordinary stone embedded in the foundation so intriguing? This is the Boston Stone. It stands as a silent witness to centuries of Boston’s evolution.
The Boston Stone is a flattened sphere about two feet in diameter. It has a hollowed side. This unassuming stone is embedded in a building’s foundation on Marshall Street. Marshall Street is a narrow alley in the Blackstone Block Historic District.
Below the Boston Stone, a plinth reads “Boston Stone 1737”. Some call it an artifact of the early paint industry. Others see it as evidence of early industrial activity. Some even consider the Boston Stone the oldest paint-mill in the United States. Despite its significance, the Boston Stone has no plaque or official status.
Around 1701, painter Tom Childs imported the Boston Stone from England. The Boston Stone was a millstone. It was also called a muller. Childs used it for grinding paint pigments in a long stone trough. The stone was displayed with a painted plaque. It included Child’s initials and the date 1701.
John Howe purchased Child’s estate. He found the stone while building the present building around 1737. Howe moved it to his property’s corner. This prevented vehicles from damaging the building.
When James Davis rebuilt the building in 1835, the Boston Stone was placed in the brick wall. It was placed above another stone carved to read “Boston Stone 1737”. Howe’s daughter said their neighbor proposed making the paint mill into a landmark. The neighbor had seen the famous London Stone.
The new building popularized the Boston Stone. In 1839, a replica of the stone made of sugar was exhibited at a fair. Poet John Greenleaf Whittier mentioned it in his poem “Landmarks”. He lamented the loss of Boston’s early landmarks.
Legend says the Boston Stone is the geographic center of Boston. Surveyors used it as the zero point for milestones. These milestones showed the distance to Boston. However, contemporary records don’t indicate this. It may have been an advertising ploy. The Marshall House inn advertised the original inscription of the Boston Stone’s plinth. A 1921 guide suggested it provided directions to nearby shops. This imitated the London Stone.
Today, the building above the Boston Stone houses the Boston Stone Gift Shop. Despite lending its name to a souvenir store, the Boston Stone remains largely anonymous. It is among the city’s colonial-era attractions.
So, next time you’re near Faneuil Hall, take a detour to 9 Marshall Street. Discover the Boston Stone. Consider its place in Boston’s vibrant history. It is more than just a stone. It’s a link to our past.