Wayland George Washington Highway Marker - Wayland, MA - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

In 1932, the country celebrated the bicentennial of George Washington's birth. The route Washington took through Massachusetts in 1775 and again in 1789 was named the George Washington Memorial Highway. Several monuments were placed along his route.

Washington traveled from Connecticut into Massachusetts at Agawam twice, On June 30, 1775, Washington traveled through Agawam while en-route to Cambridge to take command of the Continental Army. Fourteen years later, as President, Washington entered Agawam on October 21, 1789, en-route to Boston while visiting New England.

Washington crossed the Westfield River and continued through West Springfield to reach the ferry crossing on the Connecticut River. As General Washington, he forded the Westfield River in horseback. As President Washington he rode in a coach across a new bridge across the river. The ferry crossing of the Connecticut River brought Washington to Springfield where he travelled along the Boston Post Road through Palmer, across central Massachusetts to Wayland and on to Boston.

The monument contains a rectangular bronze bas relief sculpture about 4' in height. It is mounted on an approximately 6' diameter circular granite millstone mounted vertically on a similar circular granite millstone resting horizontally on the ground. The vertical stone is decorated with diagonal lines. The horizontal stone is decorated with curved lines.