Historical Markers in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts

A Quincentennial Commemorative to Christopher Columbus Acton Minutemen Acton Minutemen Adelbert Ames American Revolution Memorial An Evolving Legacy April 19, 1775-The Dawn of Revolution Arlington Reservoir At This Well Battle of Lexington Monument Bedford Minutemen Bedford Minutemen Benjamin Franklin Butler Billerica Billerica & Bedford Rail Road Blending Old and New Bloody Angle Bon Marche Building British Soldier Brooks Historical Area Brown, Fay, and Watson Houses Buckman Tavern Buckman Tavern Cambridge Cambridge Farms Cambridge Soldiers and Sailors Monument Camp Stevens Muster Ground Captain Cooke’s Mill Lane Captain David Brown House Site Captain Isaac Davis Captain Isaac Hall Hitching Post Captain John Heald Captain Thomas Wheeler House Casey’s Home Central Fire Station Central Street Charles Follen Chelmsford Chelmsford Chelmsford’s “Minuteman Boulder” Cherry and Webb Building Chief of the Penacooks Christ Church City of Waltham Centennial Memorial Civil War Soldiers Monument Concord Battle Monument Concord Fight Concord Massachusetts Civil War Memorial Concord Massachusetts Spanish American War Memorial Concord Massachusetts War Memorials Concord Massachusetts World War I Honor Roll Converse Bridge Cooper’s Tavern Cuba China Philippines Danforth Homestead Davenport Car Manufactory Davis Block Debating Slavery Dinosaurs in New England District No. 1 School Doughboy Monument Dunstable Dunstable Ebenezer Fiske House Site Ebenezer Fiske House Site End of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride Ephraim Wales Bull Evolution of a Millyard Faulkner Homestead First Long-Distance Phone Call First Meetinghouse in Hopkinton First School for Lip-Reading First Town Center First Town House Florence Patti Marion Fort Washington Fourth Meeting House Gen. Casimir Pulaski Gen. Henry Knox Trail Gen. Henry Knox Trail Gen. Henry Knox Trail Gen. Henry Knox Trail Gen. Henry Knox Trail Gen. Henry Knox Trail Gen. Henry Knox Trail Gen. Thaddeus Kosciuszko George Dilboy George L. Duncan Dedication Plaza and Fountain George Washington Memorial Highway Grave of British Soldiers Groton Hancock - Clarke House Harnessing Waterpower Harriet A. Jacobs Harris Delta Hartwell Tavern Historical Area Haynes Garrison House Henderson Inches Sawmill Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau High School Common Hollis Hall Homage to Women Hop Brook Mill House and Farm of Colonel James Barrett House of John Cutter House of Jonathan Harrington House of Rev Peter Bulkeley Hudson Veteran's Memorial Human Construction In the Shadow of the Mills Indian College Indian Meetinghouse Institute Building Irish Labor J.C. Ayer & Company Laboratory Jake & Earl's Dixie BBQ James Walter Mullally Crossing Jason Russell House Jethro’s Tree John Harvard's Land John Rogers Homestead John Tinker / John Shattuck Josiah Nelson House Keepers of the Gate Knox Trail Landscape Changes Lexington Green Lexington Meeting Houses Lexington Minuteman Lexington Ship Memorial Lieut Wm. Munroe Brigham Jr. Park Life on the Corporation Line of the Minutemen Locomotives in Lowell Lowell Gas Light Building Lowell High School Clock Restoration Lowell Institution for Savings Building Lowell Manufacturing Company Major John Buttrick Major John Buttrick House Malden Spanish War Veterans Monument Mansion House Marrett and Nathan Munroe House Massachusetts Hall McCarthy Building Meetinghouse Hill Memorial to the Lexington Minute Men Meriam’s Corner Meriam’s Corner Meriam’s Corner Merrimack St. Depot Middlesex Safe Deposit and Trust Company Building Minute Man Visitor Center Minutemen Muster Location Molyneaux Circle Munroe Tavern Mystic Congregational Church Bell Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel P Banks Near this spot was the residence and garrison of John Fitch Old Belfry Old Burying Ground Old Cambridge Baptist Church Old Charlestown – Watertown Path Old City Hall Old Men of Menotomy Old Middlesex Canal Old Parsonage Oldest House in Cambridge Oldest Toll House On this Hill Orchard House Our Soldiers' Lot Parker House Paul Revere Capture Site Pike Haven Homestead Pollard Exchange Powder House Prince Estabrook Prof. John Winthrop Putnam School Raymond A. Sullivan Reading Red Granite Reflections of the Revolution Rendezvous of the Minute Men Rev. Carleton A. Staples Revolutionary War Monument Revolutionary War Skirmish Robbins Cemetery Robert W. "Red" Touchette Roger Brown Roger Clap Memorial Route of William Dawes Royall House Samuel Whittemore Sherborn Shirley Civil War Memorial Simpson and Rowland Building Sir Richard's Landing Site of Eames Massacre Site of Early Meeting House Site of First House Soldiers and Sailors Monument Spot where the British Landed St. Anne's Church Steam Railroads In New England Stearns Estate Stele for the Merrimack Stephen Daye Stow Stow Street of Lightning Sudbury Sudbury Fight Suffolk Mill The Battle Green The Bay Path The Birth of an Industrial City The Bluff & Fiske Hill The Capture of Paul Revere The First Provincial Congress The First Settlement - 1635 The Foot of the Rocks The Goodnow Garrison House The Great Gate The John Brown Bell The Larch Path The Lowell Sculptures: One, Two, and Three The Midnight Riders The Milldam The Millpond The Minuteman of Concord 1775 The Muster Field The North Bridge The North Bridge The Old Parker Tavern - 1680 The Peter Tufts (Cradock) House The Revolutionary Tavern The Road to Colonel Barrett’s The Rule of the Bell The Site of the Old Belfry The Smoot The Story Continues The Symmes Farm The Volunteer The Worker The Wright Tavern These Cannon Were Abandoned They Built the Museum of Science This Bluff This Flag Pole Thomas Eames Thomas Nelson Jr. House Thoreau House Replica Thoreau’s Cabin Thorning Boulder To Education Trades along the Battle Road Two Revolutions Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House Veteran's Memorial Mall Victorian Garden W.A. Mack Building W.H. Parker Building Waltham Revolutionary War Memorial Waltham Soldiers and Sailors Monument Waltham Spanish-American War Monument Wannalancet Washington at the Wayside Inn Washington Elm Washington’s General Orders Watertown Watertown Way to Charlestown Weapon of the Day Welcome to Lowell National Historical Park Wentworth Building Wetherbee, Kelly, Rose, Maynard, and Ward Houses Whittemore House Whittemore Park Williams Tavern Woburn "Flame of the Marathon Run" "Francis’ Folly" "Quiet as the Grave" “Grandfather’s House” “Jingle Bells” Composed Here
In 1837, Harvard University held a "prostitute parade" where students marched through Boston with prostitutes to protest a law that would have made it illegal to hire women for "immoral purposes."
Middlesex County, MA, located in the eastern part of the state, has a rich and diverse history dating back to the early colonial period. It was established in 1643 and was one of the original counties created in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The region was initially inhabited by Native American tribes, including the Massachusett and Nipmuc peoples.

In the late 17th century, Middlesex County became an important center of trade and agriculture, with towns like Concord and Cambridge playing significant roles in the American Revolution. The famous Battle of Lexington and Concord, the first military engagements of the war, took place in Middlesex County in 1775.

During the industrial revolution in the 19th century, Middlesex County experienced rapid urbanization and economic growth. The county's proximity to Boston and ample water resources allowed for the development of mills and factories, especially in cities like Lowell and Lawrence. These industrial centers became important hubs for textiles, manufacturing, and technology, drawing immigrants from around the world to work in the growing industries.

In the 20th century, Middlesex County continued to evolve. The county became a thriving center for higher education, with renowned institutions such as Harvard University and MIT located in Cambridge. The booming tech industry in the Silicon Valley of the East also contributed to the county's economic prosperity, attracting companies like Raytheon and Oracle.

Today, Middlesex County remains a dynamic and diverse county, with a mix of urban areas and historic towns. Its rich history, cultural institutions, and educational opportunities make it a vibrant and sought-after place to live, work, and visit.

This timeline provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of Middlesex County, Massachusetts.

  • 1643: Middlesex County is established as one of the original counties in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
  • 1656: Cambridge, later known as Cambridge Village and then Newtown, is established.
  • 1676: King Philip's War affects the county, with several towns attacked and many residents killed or captured.
  • 1754: The county seat is moved from Cambridge to Concord.
  • 1774: Lexington and Concord, two towns in Middlesex County, play a critical role in the American Revolutionary War with the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
  • 1803: Framingham becomes the county seat, replacing Concord.
  • 1825: Charles River Bridge, connecting Boston and Charlestown in Middlesex County, is the first major suspension bridge in the United States.
  • 1863: Arlington is established as a separate town from the western part of Cambridge.
  • 1974: Middlesex County government is abolished, and most governmental functions are assumed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.