Centre Street is an old road, originally known as “the road to Dedham” when it was laid out in the 1600s. It celebrated its 350th birthday in 2012 (having an official start date in City records of 1662). The Dudley family was a major one in Roxbury (the area that was known as Dudley Square had their name). They were always interested in the public good/public service. For that reason, Paul Dudley erected a series of milestones along Centre Street to alert travelers. He put them up between 1729 and 1744 and many of them can still be found. We have three in Jamaica Plain alone.
This milestone now embedded in the side of the building for safety reads:
B:4 (meaning Boston 4 miles)
1735
PD ( for Paul Dudley)
This is a smaller stone and uses abbreviations. The one that we visit on the Monument Square tour is the largest and best preserved. We have several articles on the Dudley Stones on our website https://www.jphs.org/colonial-era/colonial-stones-mark-miles-from-old-roxbury-to-old-state-house.html