Boston Common
The starting point of
the Freedom Trail,
Boston Common is the
oldest park in the
country. The park is
almost 50 acres in size.
The "Common" has
been used for many
different purposes
throughout its long
history. Until 1830,
cattle grazed the
Common, and until
1817, public hangings
took place here. British
troops camped on
Boston Common prior to the Revolution and left from here to face colonial
resistance at Lexington and Concord in April, 1775.
Celebrities, including Martin Luther King Jr., Pope John Paul II, and Gloria Steinem
(advocate of the feminist revolution), have given speeches at the Common.
Massachusetts State House
Built in 1798, the "new" State House is located
across from the Boston Common on the top of
Beacon Hill. The land was once owned by
Massachusetts first elected governor, John
Hancock. Charles Bullfinch, the leading architect of
the day, designed the building.
The dome, originally made out of wood shingles, is
now sheathed in copper and covered by 23 karat
gold which was added to prevent leaks into the
State House.
In the House of Representatives chambers hangs a
wooden codfish which is called the Sacred Cod. The
Sacred Cod signifies the importance of the fishing
industry to the Commonwealth. At the top of the
golden dome sits a wooden pinecone which symbolizes logging in Boston during the
18th century.
Park Street Church
Park Street Church, the site of the old town granary where
grain was kept before the Revolution, dates back to 1809. Its
217 foot steeple was the first landmark travelers saw when
coming into Boston. Park Street Church is located at
Brimstone Corner which may have received its name
because preachers spoke of fire and brimstone in Hell to
their congregation or because sulfur was stored in the
basement of the church.
This Evangelical Church of "firsts" is the location of the first
Sunday school in 1818 and the first prison aid in 1824. On
July 4, 1829, William Lloyd Garrison gave his first public
anti-slavery speech here.
Granary Burying
Ground
Founded in 1660, the Granary is the
third oldest burying ground in
Boston proper. In 1737, when grain
was stored where the present Park
Street Church stands, the burying
ground was renamed the Granary.
Along with Massachusetts
Governors, Clergymen, and Mayors,
three signers of the Declaration of
Independence, Samuel Adams, John
Hancock, and Robert Treat Paine,
are buried here.
Approximately 5000 people are buried at Granary even though there are only 2300
headstones. Since funerals were expensive, there would be one headstone per
family. Each grave contains at least 20 bodies.
King´s Chapel and Burying Ground
King's Chapel, designed by Peter Harrison, was constructed on land taken from the
burying ground. To insure the presence of the Church of England in America, King
James II ordered an
Anglican parish to be
built in Boston. Since
none of the colonists
were interested in selling
suitable land for the
Church, the King ordered
Governor Andros to seize
a corner of the burying
ground for the Church of
England.
King's Chapel Burying
Ground is the oldest
burying place in Boston
proper. The burying
ground is the final resting
place for many colonists,
including John Winthrop,
the Colony's 12 term
governor; Hezekiah
Usher, the colony's first printer; Mary Chilton, the first woman to step off the
Mayflower.
First Public School Site and Ben Franklin Statue
The first public school in America was established by Puritan settlers in 1635 in the
home of Schoolmaster Philemon Pormont and was later moved to School Street.
Boys from various socio-economic backgrounds attended Boston
Latin School until
1972 when girls
were also accepted.
A portrait statue of
Benjamin Franklin
overlooks the
former site of
Boston Latin School
which Franklin,
Samuel Adams, and
John Hancock once
attended. Franklin's
place of birth was just one block away
on Milk Street, across from the Old
South Meeting House.
located in Boston's Fenway neighborhood.
The Boston Latin School is now
Former Site of the Old Corner
Bookstore
Many famous books were published here, including
The Scarlet Letter, Walden, and the Atlantic
Monthly magazine.
The Bookstore was built in 1712
as an apothecary shop, office and
home of Thomas Crease. The
outspoken Anne Hutchinson, who
was exiled from the Bay State,
owned the store before it was
given to Timothy Harrington who
turned it into a bookstore.
The Old Corner Bookstore is one
of Boston's oldest surviving
structures. Today, the building is occupied by a jewelry store.
Old South Meeting House
Visit Boston's famed, National Historic Landmark where
liberty found its allies and the American Revolution
gained its voice. Within the walls of Old South Meeting
House, meeting by meeting, vote by vote, a revolution
began.
Since 1729, when it was built as a Puritan meeting
house, Old South Meeting House has played an important
role in American history. It was on this site that the
Judge Samuel Sewall publically apologized for his role in
the Salem Witch Trials. It was on this site that Benjamin
Franklin was baptized.
In the years leading to the American Revolution,
thousands of colonists gathered at Old South Meeting
House to challenge British rule, most famously to protest
the Boston Massacre and the tea tax. The largest building
in colonial Boston, Old South Meeting House was the
stage for an overflow meeting on December 16, 1773,
which adjourned to Griffin’s Wharf for the infamous event that would become
known as the Boston Tea Party.
Almost a century later, Old South Meeting House was
threatened with destruction. In 1876, Bostonians fought
to save the building from the wrecker’s ball in the first
successful historic preservation effort in New England.
Old State House
Also known as Boston's "Town House", the Old State
House dates back to 1713. This Georgian style structure
was occupied by the British during the Revolution and
was a continuous reminder to the settlers of British
dominance and presence in the colony.
The Old State House was the center of all political life and debate in colonial
Boston. On July 18, 1776, citizens gathered in the street to hear the Declaration of
Independence read from
the building's balcony, the
first public reading in
Massachusetts. The Royal
Governor presided here
until the new State House
was built on Beacon Hill in
1798.
Today, the building is run
by The Bostonian Society
as a Boston history
museum.
Boston Massacre Site
In front of the Old State House, a circle
of cobblestones commemorates the
Boston Massacre.
At this site, tensions between the
colonists and British soldiers erupted into
violence on March 5, 1770. A minor
dispute between a wigmaker's young
apprentice and a British sentry turned
into a riot. The relief soldiers that came
to the aid of the British were met by an
angry crowd of colonists who hurled
snowballs, rocks, clubs, and insults. The
soldiers fired into the crowd and killed five colonists. Samuel Adams and other
patriots called the event a "massacre".
Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall has served as a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742. Funding
was provided by a wealthy merchant, Peter Faneuil, for the construction and local
artisan to create the grasshopper weather vane that still perches on the building's
cupola. Inspirational speeches by Samuel Adams and other patriots were given at
Faneuil Hall. These oratories became the footstool for America's desire to obtain
independence from the British.
Faneuil Hall was expanded in
1806 by Charles Bulfinch.
When Boston became a city
the use of Faneuil Hall as a
government meeting place
came to an end, but it was
still regularly used. Today,
the first floor is still used as
a lively marketplace and the
second floor is a meeting hall
where many Boston City
debates are held.
Paul Revere House
Built around 1680, this house is
the oldest building in downtown
Boston. It served as the home
of silversmith Paul Revere and
his family from 1770 to 1800.
Paul Revere is famous for his
"midnight ride" to Lexington,
Massachusetts informing
Samuel Adams and John
Hancock that the British were
coming to arrest them.
In the 19th century, hundreds
of Irish, Italian, and Jewish
immigrants to the North End
lived in the Paul Revere House
and in the 20th century, the house was restored and converted to a museum. The
site is owned and operated by The Paul Revere Memorial Association.
Old North Church
Known as "Christ Church in the
City of Boston", this Episcopal
church was built in 1723 and is
Boston's oldest Church building.
On the steeple of this church,
Robert Newman signaled with
lanterns the approach of the
British regulars; "One if by
land, and two, if by sea".
The
steeple
is 191
feet tall,
making it the tallest steeple in Boston. The bells within the
steeple were the first bells ever brought to America. Paul
Revere was one of the neighborhood bell ringers. The
interior high box pews and brass chandeliers, as well as the
Church's first clock are all original.
Copps´s Hill Burying Ground
Copp's Hill Burying Ground is Boston's second oldest burying ground. It was first
founded in 1659 as Windmill Hill. The area was named after shoemaker William
Copp who once owned the land.
Thousands of artisans,
craftspeople, and
merchants are buried on
the Hill. Additionally,
thousands of African
Americans who lived in
the "New Guinea"
community at the base of
Copp's Hill are buried in
unmarked graves on the
Snowhill Street side.
Also buried at Copp's Hill
are Robert Newman,
best known for placing
the signal lanterns in the steeple of the "Old North" Church on the eve of the Battle
of Lexington and Concord; Shem Drowne, the weathervane maker who crafted the
grasshopper atop Faneuil Hall; and Prince Hall, the anti-slavery activist and
founder of the Black Masonic Order.
USS Constitution and Charlestown Navy Yard
USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. It was first
launched in 1797. Constitution is one of six ships ordered for construction by
George Washington to protect America's growing maritime interests. The ships
greatest glory came during the war of 1812 when she defeated four British frigates
which earned her the nickname "Old Ironsides," because cannon balls glanced off
her thick hull. The ship was restored in 1927 with contributions from the nation's
school children.
The Charlestown Navy Yard was
built on what was once Mouton's or
Morton's Point, the landing place of
the British army prior to the Battle
of Bunker Hill. It was one of the
first shipyards built in the United
States. During its 174 year history,
hundreds of ships were built,
repaired and modernized, including
the World War II destroyer USS
Cassin Young. Today, thirty acres of
the Navy Yard are preserved by the
National Park Service as part of
Boston National Historical Park.
Bunker Hill Monument
The Bunker Hill Monument stands 221 feet
tall at Breed's Hill, the site of the first
major battle of the American Revolution
fought on June 17, 1775. Control of this
high ground near the harbor was important
to the British occupation of Boston. When
colonial forces chose to fortify
Charlestown, they bypassed the more
dominant "Bunker Hill" and dug in on
Breed's Hill which was lower and closer to
the water.
"Don't fire until you see the whites of their
eyes" is the legendary order attributed to
Colonel William Prescott to make sure that
each shot would count. The poorly trained
and ill prepared colonial forces repelled
two major assaults by the British Army
before retreating. Almost half of the British
soldiers were either killed or injured.
Although the colonists lost the battle, their
bravery and strong showing against the
British encouraged them to fight on.
Visit the Bunker Hill Monument and climb
the 294 steps that lead to the pinnacle.
There are no elevators in the monument;
however, the amazing vista at the end of
the journey is well worth it.