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Follow Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey Manual instructions for completing this form.
FORM C ! OBJECT
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Photograph
Topographic or Assessor's Map
Assessor’s Number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number
Boston
North
Town: Lexington
Place (neighborhood or village):
Address or Location: Massachusetts Avenue at
Woburn Street
Name: Triangle Marker
Ownership: __x__ Public ____ Private
Type of Object (check one):
___ statue
___ bust
___ group composition
___ religious shrine
___ monument
___ milestone
_x_ marker
___ boundary marker
___other (specify)
Date of Construction: c.1920
Source: see text
Designer/Sculptor: Lebanon Machine Co.
Materials: cast metal
Alterations (with dates): none
Condition: good
Moved: _x_ no ___ yes Date
Acreage: NA
Setting: triangular landscaped island in middle of road,
junction of Mass. Ave., Woburn St., Fletcher Ave.
Recorded by: Lisa Mausolf
Organization: Lexington Historical Commission
Date (month / year): Oct. 2009
INVENTORY FORM C CONTINUATION SHEET LEXINGTON MASS AVE.
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Continuation sheet 1
___ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
If checked, you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement form.
DESIGN ASSESSMENT
Describe the design features of the object and evaluate in terms of other similar types of objects within the community.
The metal signboard located in the triangular island at the corner of Woburn Street and Massachusetts Avenue is mounted
between two metal posts and displays an arched top. Raised, painted letters offer the distance to neighboring towns accessible
via Massachusetts Avenue as well as local landmarks. A small supplementary sign mounted on the top states the mileage to
additional towns (Woburn, Winchester and Stoneham) which can be reached from Woburn Street.
Raised (but unpainted) letters at the bottom of the signboard indicate that it was manufactured by the Lebanon Machine
Company of Lebanon, New Hampshire.
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE
Explain the history of the object and how it relates to the development of the community.
This metal directional marker appears to have been erected by the Lexington Field and Garden Club c.1920. The Club was
initially formed by a small group of public-spirited and progressive men in 1876 but was formally incorporated in 1891. It was
dedicated to preserving and enhancing certain town assets including its aesthetics. Among its projects was the improvement of
the land in front of the Lexington Center Depot (Emery Park), maintaining Hastings Park and improving and protecting the
appearance of the Green. The triangle at the junction of Hancock and Revere Streets was one project as was the triangle in
East Lexington at the junction of Massachusetts Avenue and Pleasant Street.
The Field and Garden Club’s involvement in the triangular plot at the junction of Massachusetts Avenue and Woburn Street is
noted in general terms in the town history (Hudson, vol. 1, p. 486). A brief mention appearing in the Lexington Minute-man on
October 6, 1906 notes that the Club had recently finished the triangle at Woburn Street and Massachusetts Avenue. No
additional information is given.
Cursory research into the maker of the sign, Lebanon Machine Co. of Lebanon, New Hampshire suggests that it was
manufactured in the late 1910s or early 1920s. Directories indicate that the company opened for business sometime between
1915 and 1919; it is no longer listed in the Lebanon directory of 1929. An advertisement in the 1924 directory indicates that they
were makers of traffic beacons, street signs and markers, guide boards and traffic controllers.
INVENTORY FORM C CONTINUATION SHEET LEXINGTON MASS AVE.
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Continuation sheet 2
ENTIRE INSCRIPTION (if applicable):
Main sign:
TOWN OF
LEXINGTON
MASSACHUSETTS AVE.
4 < BEDFORD
5 < LINCOLN
5 < WALTHAM
7 < CONCORD
16 < LOWELL
ARLINGTON >5
BOSTON > 12
________________
< HANCOCK-CLARKE HOUSE
< OLD BELFRY
< BATTLE GREEN
< BUCKMAN TAVERN
MUNROE TAVERN >
JONATHAN
HARRINGTON
> HOUSE
Top piece:
WOBURN ST.
___________
5 > WOBURN
6 > WINCHESTER
9 > STONEHAM
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES:
Hudson, Charles. History of the Town of Lexington from its first settlement to 1868 (Revised and Continued to 1912 by the
Lexington Historical Society). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1913, vol. 1, p. 486-7.
Lebanon, NH Directories, 1915-1929.
Lexington Minute-man, October 6, 1906.
INVENTORY FORM C CONTINUATION SHEET LEXINGTON MASS AVE.
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Continuation sheet 4
1919 Advertisement