Two new Harborwalk interpretive signs, with content provided by Friends of the Boston Harborwalk (FBHW), were installed this week at Harborview condos next door to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown.
The signs highlight site-specific history, enriching people’s enjoyment of Boston’s 43-mile public Harborwalk.
One new sign tells the story of U. S. Navy wooden ships that were transformed into floating barracks during the second half of the 19th Century—including the U.S.S Constitution.
The second sign focuses on the lives of the Massachusett, when they lived on what English settlers would later name Charlestown.
“I worked closely with the Massachusett Tribal Council, in particular Ren Green, Medicine Sac’hem, to develop the text for this sign,” explains Liz Nelson Weaver, leader of FBHW’s signage team. “I also followed council members’ suggestion for the main image.”
The FBHW signage team looked for key places along Boston’s waterfront where the Native American story can be highlighted, and found one at this point of land in Charlestown. Six additional Harborwalk signs are in production for installation in East Boston, and another dozen are in various stages of development.
The FBHW is a volunteer organization, affiliated with Boston Harbor Now, that regularly hosts educational tours and other events to promote greater awareness and public enjoyment of Boston’s Harborwalk.