Three new interpretive signs were installed on the Boston Harborwalk at Boston East condos along Border Street in September. The engaging interpretive signs celebrate East Boston’s remarkable waterfront history. Each sign has a QR code that directs readers to a companion website with Spanish translations and additional information on related topics. They are the first of dozens that will be added along Boston’s 43-mile Harborwalk — each one with text and images that members of the Signage Committee, Friends of the Boston Harborwalk (FBHW) have carefully researched, written, and curated.
A team that included landscape architects, graphic designers, property owners, staff at Boston Harbor Now, and members of FBHW created a template for Harborwalk signs. With approval of the template and format from the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA), the interpretive signs program will be expanded across more neighborhoods. The East Boston signs will soon be followed by more signs in Charlestown, the North End, and the Wharf District.
A team of volunteers from FBHW has taken on the multi-year project to provide content for the signs. Team members met with East Boston residents to hear their waterfront stories and did extensive research at local institutions and beyond. The content was carefully vetted by experts. “Each sign takes about 50 to 60 hours to pull together,” explains project lead, Liz Nelson Weaver. “We have a wonderful team of people who love history and enjoy discovering the less-known stories and terrific images.”
You can learn more about Boston’s wooden shipbuilding center, East Boston’s local Industries, and the neighborhood’s ship repair facilities online or on the new signs.
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