~  Benjamin Franklin's 1755 Milemarkers  ~

The Milemarkers located on the North Fork of Long Island were placed there by Benjamin Franklin in 1755 to mark the Post Road to Boston.  The roads through Connecticut were too poor to be used, and so the Post Road came out from New York City onto Long Island to the tip of Orient Point.  There a small ferry could take the Postman to far eastern Connecticut where he could travel on to Boston, Massachusetts.

Marker numbers 1-6 were located west of Laurel, and no longer exist (some believe they may have been wooden and did not survive).  Robert P. Long's 1991 book on the Markers has a number of errors regarding the existing stones and those that were lost or replaced.  Below are images of all of the existing North Fork markers in their current state (Updated May 2010).

               MISSING              

Milemarker #7                       Milemarker #8                   Milemarker #9

Granite (original)                   Granite                               Granite (original)

Laurel, Old Rte 25                 Mattituck, Rte 25               Mattituck, Rte 25

Milemarker #10                  Milemarker #11                 Milemarker #12

Granite (original)                Granite (original)                Granite (original)

Mattituck, Rte 25                Mattituck, Rte 25               Cutchogue, Rte 25

Milemarker #13                 Milemarker #14                  Milemarker #15

Granite (original)               Granite (original)                Granite (original)

Cutchogue, Rte 25            Cutchogue, Rte 25             Peconic, Rte 25

Milemarker #16                  Milemarker #17                Milemarker #18

Granite (original)                Granite (original)               Granite (original)

Southold, Rte 25                Southold, Rte 25               Southold, Boisseau Ave

Milemarker #19                  Milemarker #20                 Milemarker #21

Granite (original)                Granite (original)                Slate (original)

Southold, Rte 48                Greenport, Rte 48              Greenport, Rte 48

Milemarker #22                  Milemarker #23                 Milemarker #24

Granite (original)                Granite (original)                Granite (original)

Greenport, Rte 48              East Marion, Rte 25          East Marion, Rte 25

Milemarker #25                  Milemarker #26                 Milemarker #27

Granite (original)                Granite (original)               Granite (original)

East Marion, Rte 25           ST Hwy Dept. Storage     ST Hwy Dept. Storage       

Milemarker #28                  Milemarker #29                 Milemarker #30

Granite (original)                Granite (original)                Granite (original)

Orient, Rte 25                     Orient, Rte 25                     Orient, Rte 25