New landmarks are taking shape just across Chelsea Creek, and they glow.

An East Boston nonprofit called Project Starboard is creating The Golden Thread, a growing cultural trail that marks key places in the neighborhood's story, the East Boston Times reported.

Arches of light

The trail starts with the "Thresholds," walk-through steel arches with golden light. They are being installed in phases.

Each Threshold explores a theme: arrival, crossing, making, adaptation and neighbors. Each one is paired with a physical landmark and with multilingual digital stories that visitors can open by scanning a QR code.

Two planned stops show how it will work. The arrival Threshold at East Boston's Golden Stairs will focus on immigration and the neighborhood's history as a gateway for newcomers. The adaptation Threshold in Central Square will look at East Boston's changing shoreline and the push to make it more resilient. The project's website currently marks both stops as "coming soon."

"We designed the Thresholds to be restrained in form, yet rich in light and texture," said Tim Zeitler, an East Boston resident and architect with Zephyr Architects.

Built from the neighborhood

Project Starboard is run by Starboard Institute, an East Boston nonprofit founded by David Lank. Its partners include Meridian Insights, Zephyr Architects and Empire Builders, along with academics, engineers, artists and community groups.

"We are building a civic institution out of the neighborhood itself," Lank said. "East Boston's stories belong to everyone."

The project has public backing. State Rep. Adrian Madaro said he supported The Golden Thread with an earmark in this year's state budget. The amount wasn't reported.

The Massachusetts Port Authority, the City of Boston and East Boston Community Development Corporation are hosting sites. "Massport strives to be a good neighbor and strong partner to the East Boston community," said Massport CEO Rich Davey.

How to explore it

The project's website, thread.boston, describes the trail as "a growing network of places weaving together East Boston's story through history, innovation, and culture." It links to a map of the stops.

Organizers say walking tours and more cultural programs are planned with community partners. Starboard's longer-term goal is a harbor museum and innovation center focused on port history, coastal resilience research and public learning.

A launch celebration

Starboard scheduled its first annual celebration, called ONWARD!, for Oct. 24 from 5 to 8 p.m. at The Tall Ship in East Boston. Tickets were listed at $75, with optional guided previews of the trail. An inaugural walking tour was listed as sold out. Details are on Project Starboard's website.

What to watch

The project's website marks Golden Stairs and Central Square as "coming soon." The newspaper and the project website also list some different stop locations, so check thread.boston for the latest stops and updates before you go.