Old Connecticut Path - Old Field 1800 Marker - Framingham, MA - Ancient Traces and Roads on Waymarking.com

In Framingham, at the northeast corner of Framingham's South Common, is this tablet and another behind it marking the location where Native Americans were once traveled and buried here.

The tablet is literally at the corner of the small, rectangular common, on the Concord Street end, facing the sidewalk and road.

The marker is several feet tall and made of dark stone and flanked by two grey granite stone fence posts. The marker has three bronze plaques, near the top, of scenes with Native Americans. The left one shows people sitting except one who appears to be making an offering. The center one shows people hauling burdens. The right one shows women preparing children for travel.

Text on the marker is as follows:

"This the 'Old Field of 1800' was an Indian burial ground -
A town common since 1854 - The gift of Lovell Eames

This stone erected under will of William Harvey Smith 1946

The bronzes represent local Indian life. The center - carrying of corn to the hungry Bay Colonists in 1630 - The nearby trail later called "Old Connecticut Path.""

Part of Mass. Route 126, at the north end of Framingham by Lake Cochituate, still bears the name "Old Connecticut Path." A Wikipedia article on this path relates the history. It supports the statement about bringing corn to the Bay Colonists. Nipmucs in the Connecticut River valley brought their surplus crops to Massachusetts Bay and traded for copper, iron and woolen items. Parts of the path are now covered by roads, such as Mass. 126 and 9, while some parts are not and are hard to trace.

A web site that is a traveling gude to the Connectitut Path, partly finished, provides history and descriptions of segments, including comparing different descriptions of where the Connecticut Path actually went. While the Framingham section is not complete, the Ashland section does mention the two routes. Also, in the section for Tolland and Hartford, CT, it mentions that if the Conn. path went to Hartford, it had to to have followed the Nipmuc Trail. Thus, I marked one end of the trail as being at Hartford.

Feature Discription: An old Indian Trail later called "Old Connecticut Path" Web address for the route: [Web Link] Secondary Web Address: [Web Link] Beginning of the road: Cambridge, MA about Havard Square End of the road: Hartford, CT

Visit Instructions:
We ask that if you visit the site, please include a unique picture with your impressions of the location. If possible, and if you are not too shy, please include yourself and your group in the photo. Extra points will be given for your best buffalo imitation or if you are licking something salty.

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