North End in Boston in Suffolk County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
John Francis Fitzgerald
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, November 6, 2026
1. John Francis Fitzgerald Marker
John Francis Fitzgerald
1863–1950
Mayor of Boston
1906–1907 & 1910–1913
Member of the Boston Common Council 1892
Member of the Massachusetts Senate 1893–1894
Member of the 54th–56th Congresses 1934–1948
A grateful Commonwealth has named this expressway in commemoration of his distinguished services
Erected 1958 by Commonwealth of Massachusetts; City of Boston.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1958.
Location. 42° 21.735′ N, 71° 3.297′ W. Marker is in Boston, Massachusetts, in Suffolk County. It is in North End. It is at the intersection of North Street and John F. Fitzgerald Surface Road, on the left when traveling north on North Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Boston MA 02109, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Historic Boston. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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 marker: Fitzgerald Expressway Plaque (here, next to this marker); Callahan Tunnel (within shouting distance of this marker); Tony DeMarco (within shouting distance of this marker); Boston Timeline (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Boston Timeline (about 400 feet away); Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway (about 400 feet away); Zipporah Potter Atkins (about 400 feet away); Sacco and Vanzetti Defense Committee (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map
this page online
More about this marker. The plaque is affixed to a large stone slab, which was placed at this current location in 2008. Etched into the slab below the plaque is newer text explaining the history of this plaque; the slab has its own listing.
Regarding John Francis Fitzgerald. John F. Fitzgerald was born in Boston's North End, the fourth of 12 children born to Irish immigrants Thomas and Rose Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald emerged as a leading Boston political figure in the 1890s and was not yet 30 years old when first elected to the Massachusetts Senate. He later served three terms in the U.S. Congress and two terms as mayor of Boston; in later years he also unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate and the Massachusetts governorship.
In 1946, Fitzgerald's grandson, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, son of his eldest child Rose and her husband Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., successfully ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, after a campaign in which Fitzgerald had provided assistance and joined him in public appearances.
Fitzgerald died in 1950. About a decade afterwards, John Kennedy, the newly elected
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, November 6, 2026
2. John Francis Fitzgerald Marker
The text below the plaque is about its relocation to this spot after the above-ground Fitzgerald Expressway was dismantled and replaced by a tunnel during the road project best known as the "Big Dig."
The highway through downtown Boston known as the Central Artery was named in honor of John F. Fitzgerald when it opened in 1958. That highway was dismantled in 2003, replaced by a tunnel that was constructed as part of a project most popularly known as the "Big Dig." In 2008, much of the above-ground land that had been used for the old expressway was rededicated as the Rose Kennedy Greenway, named after Fitzgerald's eldest child. Sen. Edward "Ted" Kennedy, Rose's son and John Fitzgerald's grandson, was on hand for the dedication.
Also see . . . The John F. Fitzgerald Expressway. A clio.com entry about the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway, the raised highway that opened in downtown Boston in 1958.
Excerpt: "Today, the Rose Kennedy Greenway winds its way through downtown Boston and gives shape to its most central neighborhoods. Its manicured plazas, gardens, and art installations give character to the city and in part define the waterfront. But long-time denizens of the city know it for what it came to replace. Prior to the Greenway’s construction,(Submitted on November 10, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)an incredibly disruptive raised highway cut through downtown Boston. The John F. Fitzgerald Expressway, now long gone and reduced to rubble, once bisected the city and loomed unattractively over its oldest neighborhoods."Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, November 6, 20263. John Francis Fitzgerald Marker near the Callahan TunnelThe tunnel's terminus at I-93 (the O'Neill Tunnel) is below this location.
Theodore Marceau, photographer; Courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, circa 1906
4. John F. Fitzgerald (1863-1950)
This photo shows a 43-year-old Fitzgerald at the time that he was first elected mayor of Boston.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 10, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 7 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 10, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
