Contributed by Cumberland Historical Society

Description

This 2004 photograph shows the carved mile marker stone B 136 (with a plaque installed on a smaller stone alongside) located on today's Route 88 a little northeast of the short road to Cumberland Town Landing.



It marks the 136 mile point from Boston on the Boston to Machais "King's Highway." The plaque states that this mile marker was "set in 1781 by order of Benjamin Franklin, Postmaster General."



Franklin was postmaster general for the colonies from 1753 to 1774. Some accounts say that Benjamin Franklin drove along the King's Highway with his invention, the odometer, attached to a wheel of the wagon, and that Franklin placed a wooden marker every mile.



Other wagons were said to follow him replacing his wooden markers with the carved stone markers, some of which survive to today.

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About This Item

Title: King's Highway marker, Cumberland, 2004

King's Highway marker, Cumberland, 2004 Creation Date: 2004

2004 Subject Date: 2004

2004 Town: Cumberland

Cumberland County: Cumberland

Cumberland State: ME

ME Media: Photographic print

Photographic print Dimensions: 8.8 cm x 12.1 cm

8.8 cm x 12.1 cm Local Code: 2009.0134

2009.0134 Object Type: Image

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For more information about this item, contact:

Cumberland Historical Society

PO Box 82; 4A Blanchard Road, Cumberland, ME 04021

(207) 829-5820

More Info This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. No Permission is required to use the low-resolution watermarked image for educational use, or as allowed by the applicable copyright. For all other uses, permission is required.

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