F-M-NA-W - Norfolk and Bristol Counties at Foxborough-Mansfield-N. Attleborough and Plainville, MA - U.S. Historic Survey Stones and Monuments on Waymarking.com

From Morningside Drive in Plainville, you can approach and view this monument that marks the corner of four Massachusetts municipalities: Foxborough, Mansfield, North Attleborough, and Plainville.

To get to the mark, from I-495 take the exit for US Route 1, South toward Plainville, then turn left onto Taunton Street, then left onto Mass. Route 106, then right onto Meadowbrook Road, then Landau, then Morningside Road to the cul-de-sac. From the cul-de-sac, walk by the generator surrounded by a fence and look across a retention basin to a small rise between two dirt paths, then walk along the dirt path to the monument.

The monument is a four-sided granite stone marker about 3 feet high. The marker has the following letters on each side: "F-M-NA-W."

Comparing the initials with the towns, one initial and name do not match, "Plainville" and "W." Plainville was created from the town of Wrentham in 1890. Thus, the monument was set before 1890. The other towns are pretty old. Mansfield was established in 1775. Foxborough was established in 1778. Wrentham was established in 1673. I just don't think that the monument is that old. Thus, a date halfway between 1778 and 1890 was used - 1835.

The line that this marker is on is far older, however. In 1639, the line was surveyed between Massachusetts and Plymouth County. It extended from Boundary Rock at the Scituate-Cohasset line to the Angle Tree (now a stone marker), the straight west to the Rhode Island border. The two colonies later merged to form the present day Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The line remains as the border between Norfolk County and Plymouth and Bristol Counties.

A note about access. Ownership of the land is not clear. The monument is by a retention basin which is probably for the subdivision. Thus, that would make a common area. In addition, online maps indicate that there may be open space around (not sure if there is access via another direction). However, you can see the monument from the generator, and that is sufficient enough (take the picture, still!).

Source:

Slade Associates (The Survey System of the Old Colony):
(visit link)

Answers.com (Massachusetts Bay Colony):
(visit link)

Monumentation Type: Stone post Monument Category: County/Municipal boundary marker Accessible to general public: yes Historical significance: This is where four municipalities meet - Mansfield, Foxborough, North Attleborough, and Plainville - as well as two counties - Norfolk and Bristol. Historically, it is along a line originally established to separate Massachusetts Bay Colony from Plymouth Colony - one of the oldest surveyed lines in the U.S. Monument Website: [Web Link] County: Norfolk-Bristol Approximate date of monument: 01/01/1835 Monumentation Type (if other): Not listed Monument Category (if other): Not listed Explain Non-Public access: Not listed USGS Quad: Not listed NGS PID: Not listed Other Coordinates: Not Listed Other Coordinates details: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
1. A closeup photo of the monument is required.
______
2. A 'distant' photo including the monument in the view is highly recommended. Include the compass direction you faced when you took the picture.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.