“Potato, potato, potatoes” is part of the engraving proudly displayed on Boston’s historic yet lesser-known Millers River Potato Monument. As comical as the monument may seem out of context, it pays tribute to a significant period in Boston’s history.
The Potato Sheds
The Millers River Potato Monument, also known as the Potato Shed Memorial, commemorates a time when massive potato sheds lined the river, filled with millions of potatoes. Locals visited the sheds weekly to stock up on the starchy vegetables which sat along the Boston and Maine Railroad and Millers River Basin.
Tragic end and commemoration
Sadly, in 1962, the potato sheds burned to a crisp, destroying all the structures and the potatoes stored in them. While the sheds were never rebuilt, the Millers River Potato Monument was placed there in 2009 as an ode to the integral potato sheds that served as a hub for Boston agriculture.
Monument details
The cast stone monument includes four sacks of potatoes, stacked, with the top sack spilling. A plaque explains the significance of the Millers River Potato Sheds that housed millions of potatoes. A Tweet about the monument from Cartographer, Andy Woodruff, literally placed the spot on the map and made it go viral, with hundreds visiting.
Creation process
The monument’s realistic appearance is intentional. Spearheaded by local artist, Ross Miller, the project began with stacking real burlap potato sacks filled with potatoes to create a mold. Miller insisted on using New England potatoes for authenticity. He wanted the word “potatoes” displayed across the first half of the plaque in various sizes to emulate the different sizes of potatoes tumbling out of the sack.
The monument officially finished in 2012 along with the pedestrian walkway called the Millers River Littoral Way, which celebrates the area’s historic past. It marks where the storage sheds were once located and serves as a reminder of the area’s importance as a transportation center, with railway lines tracing the shores of what was once a thriving waterway.