Just realized our town's historical marker has a major error in it

I've been photographing old sites around town for a personal archive. Noticed the marker by the old mill has the wrong date. Census records prove it was built in 1798, not 1805. This is a HUGE error for historical accuracy. I reported it to the historical society, but they won't fix it. Now I'm adding corrections to my own website. It's SO frustrating when they don't care about the TRUTH.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_alice1mo ago

Seriously though, that's a solid find. My only history skills are remembering what I had for breakfast, and I'm pretty sure I've gotten my own anniversary date wrong before. It's wild they won't fix a seven year gap with census proof. Those committees move slower than my grandma's dial-up internet. Putting the right info on your site is the best move since they won't budge.

ross.cameron1mo ago

I used to trust those markers without question, figuring they were checked by experts. Hearing about your find with the census records really opened my eyes. It's wild that they won't fix such a clear mistake. Putting the right info on your own site is a solid move. Stuff like this makes me doubt other signs around town too. Good on you for chasing down the truth even when no one else cares.

nathan_jackson161mo ago

But from my experience, those markers are right most of the time. Like the plaque at the city park about the old bandstand, it matched up perfectly with photos from the library archive. Sure, some errors exist, but changing official signs involves paperwork and committee reviews that drag on. It's more about slow systems than experts not caring. I still trust the majority of them because they're based on solid research.