Marlborough in Middlesex County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
Honoring Marlborough's Finest
Marlborough, Massachusetts
| | The Museum in the Streets | |
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 30, 2024
1. Honoring Marlborough's Finest Marker
The largest Marlborough marker is the Civil War monument dedicated in 1869, which specifically identifies the battles in which members of the Marlborough military participated, and lists the names of all the fallen Civil War soldiers. The eagle at the top of the monument had to be replaced when it fell during the public ceremony nearly injuring the spectators.
Other monuments downtown include the Spanish-American War statue near the library, the World War I Doughboy in front of the Walker Building, the joint Korean War and Vietnam War Memorial on one side of the entrance to City Hall, and the World War II Memorial on the other side. Downtown monuments are also dedicated to the nation's POWs and MIAs, and to Capt. Robert Red Touchette, a Korean War veteran, who heroically sacrificed his life in a peacetime training accident in Alabama saving the lives of numerous nearby civilians.
In addition to monuments, the history of the early Marlborough militia is one of the important in American history. It was formed in 1660 to defend against the threats of Indian attack. That same unit continues to this day as the 125th Quartermaster Company of the Massachusetts National Guard, the
this page online
[Captions (from top)]
Memorial Day celebration 1910. You can just make out the Baptist Church behind the monument. The trees are gone, but the fire hydrant stands in roughly the same location.
Vintage postcard showing the Volunteer monument. Note that it refers to the World War Memorial. When this card was made, neither world war had happened yet.
Erected by The Museum in the Streets. (Marker Number 2.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Military. In addition, it is included in the The Museum in the Streets: Marlborough, Massachusetts series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1869.
Location. 42° 20.786′ N, 71° 33.209′ W. Marker is in Marlborough, Massachusetts, in Middlesex County. It is at the intersection of West Main Street (U.S. 20) and Mechanic Street when traveling west on West Main Street. Marker is in Monument Square, on the edge of the road at a very busy intersection. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Marlborough MA 01752, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Boston. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 30, 2024
2. Honoring Marlborough's Finest Marker
Marker is in front of Marlborough's Civil War-era Soldiers and Sailors Monument.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Soldiers Monument - Marlborough, MA. Waymarking.com entry on the monument includes the names of Marlborough soldiers who died and four key battles they fought in the Civil War. (Submitted on November 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. Marlborough Massachusetts Military Monuments. Photographs of war memorials and other military monuments in Marlborough taken by Richard Marsh, who aims to photograph such monuments in all 352 towns in Massachusetts. (Submitted on November 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Additional commentary.
1. 125th
Daderot via Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0), February 20, 2012
3. Marlborough's Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
The local Grand Army of the Republic post erected the monument to honor the 831 soldiers (including 91 who died) from Marlborough who served during the Civil War. It was dedicated on June 2, 1869.
Below is the Wikipedia entry on the unit's history:
The 125th Quartermaster Company traces its history back to December 3, 1660, when the Company of Foot, Middlesex Regiment, was organized in the Massachusetts Militia at Marlborough. When the Middlesex Regiment was expanded in 1680 to form the 1st and 2nd Middlesex Regiments, this company went into the 2nd Middlesex Regiment. Thus, the 125th Quartermaster Company shared its early history with the 181st Infantry (see above).
While remaining in Massachusetts service during the Revolutionary War, this company additionally formed Captain Michael Barn's Company, Ward's Regiment, on June 14, 1775, which was adopted into the Continental Army.
Barn's Company became a company in Wesson's Regiment on January 1, 1777, and then a company in the 9th Massachusetts Regiment on August 1, 1779.
In the meantime, when the 2nd Middlesex Regiment was expanded on February 19, 1776, to form the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th Middlesex Regiments, the company in the 2nd Middlesex Regiment destined to become the 125th Quartermaster Company was reorganized as the 2nd Company, 4th Middlesex Regiment.
From the end of the Revolutionary War until 1873, the predecessor of the 125th Quartermaster Company served as an Infantry company in a series of different units, becoming Company E, 6th Regiment of Infantry, by which time the predecessor of the 181st Infantry had become the 6th Regiment of Infantry. The lineages of the 125th Quartermaster Company and the 181st Infantry continued to be linked until 1965 when Company C, 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry, was reorganized as Company A, 26th Supply and Transport Battalion, which was reorganized as the 125th Quartermaster Company in 1996.
Since companies are not issued Distinctive Unit Insignia, soldiers in the 125th Quartermaster Company wear the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 164th Transportation Battalion, the battalion to which it is assigned. The shield of the DUI of the 164th Transportation Battalion is the coat or arms approved for the old 241st Coast Artillery Regiment within a gold border, indicating descent from that organization. The Headquarters Detachment of the 164th Transportation Battalion traces its origin to the Headquarters Battery, 2-241st Coast Artillery.
— Submitted November 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 7, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 478 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 7, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on November 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Clear daytime closeup photograph of marker. • • Can you help?
