City Opens Nominations for Boston Historic Markers
Residents can nominate people, places and events for 25 new markers through January 29, 2027.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Civic Engagement
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The City of Boston has opened public nominations for the Boston Historic Markers Program, which recognizes people, places and events across the city's neighborhoods. Nominations are open through January 29, 2027, and applications are available in six languages.
Why it matters
The program aims to commemorate up to 400 stories before Boston's 400th anniversary in 2030, with an emphasis on underrepresented histories. It gives residents and community groups a direct role in shaping how the city's past is publicly recognized.
The city will install 25 new markers in this round, with applications available in English, Spanish, Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole, Simplified Chinese and Vietnamese. The panel's selections and installation dates have not yet been announced.
The players
Boston Office of Historic Preservation
The city office that hosts the program's public information sessions and oversees historic recognition efforts in Boston.
Embrace Boston
A Boston organization partnering with the city on its Everyone250 initiative to recognize places tied to civil rights and social justice.
The details
Residents, community groups and others submit nominations through boston.gov/historic-markers. A panel of historians, historic site managers and civic leaders will review submissions and recommend 25 stories; nominations not selected will be documented for future rounds and may be featured on the Bloomberg Connects platform.
Timeline
March 2026: The program launched as part of Boston's 250th anniversary commemoration of the American Revolution.
November 13, 2026: Public nomination period opened.
November 17, 2026: First public information session, at 5 PM.
January 29, 2027: Nomination period closes.
2030: Boston's 400th anniversary, the target year for commemorating up to 400 stories.
Political Context
The program grew out of Boston's 250th anniversary commemoration of the American Revolution, and it extends that effort toward a 2030 goal of up to 400 stories. Its focus on underrepresented histories and partnership with Embrace Boston's Everyone250 initiative shape which stories the city chooses to recognize.
Boston residents and community groups can submit nominations for people, places and events they want recognized through January 29, 2027. Applications are available in six languages, so residents can apply in the language they are most comfortable with.
The takeaway
Residents who know a person, place or event that deserves recognition can nominate it before the window closes. Nominations not selected this round may still be documented for future rounds.
What happens next
Information sessions on the program are scheduled for November and December 2026, and nominations close January 29, 2027.
Further reading
Explore more on Civic Engagement to see how residents shape local public programs like this one.
More information
Submit a nomination or review program details on the Boston Historic Markers nomination and information portal.
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Should Boston spend public money on more neighborhood history markers?
