On Memorial Day 2018, I walked the Freedom Trail in Boston in its entirety. Here are pictures of each stop on the trail. In most cases, I have two select pictures from each stop.
While I limited pictures strictly to stops on the Freedom Trail, I included two non-stops that are worth stopping at if you want something to eat or drink. Links to pictures are provided.
1. Boston Common (1634)
Significant as the oldest public park in the United States, and possibly the oldest urban public park in the world. It was used as a training ground for militia, and as a site for political rallies leading up to the Revolution.
2. Massachusetts State House (1797)
Significant as the current capitol of Massachusetts. Designed by noted architect Charles Bulfinch. Fourth-oldest state capitol in the United States. One of the first domed government buildings in the United States.
3. Park Street Church (1810)
Significant for abolitionist history. William Lloyd Garrison gave his first speech against slavery here, in 1829. At 217 feet tall, it was the first landmark that many travelers saw when approaching Boston.
4. Granary Burying Ground (1660)
Significant as the final resting place of many Patriots. John Hancock, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, Boston Massacre victims, and the family of Benjamin Franklin, are among those buried here. The third-oldest burying ground in Boston. The oldest gravestone dates to 1666.
5. King's Chapel (1754)
Significant as the first Unitarian church in the United States. Originally a loyalist Anglican church, until after the British occupation of Boston. Became a Unitarian church in 1785. First use of Quincy granite in Boston. Surrounding burying ground is the oldest in Boston, from 1630.
6. Site of Boston Latin School (1645-1745)
Significant as the first public school in the United States. Attended by Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Cotton Mather, among others. The original Boston Latin School was demolished in 1745. Old City Hall, circa 1865, now stands on the site; a statue of Benjamin Franklin is out front.
7. Old Corner Bookstore (1718)
Significant for being the home of Ticknor and Fields, one of the most famous publishing companies in the 1800s. Ticknor and Fields published works from authors such as Charles Dickens, Alfred Tennyson, Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Oliver Wendeli Holmes, and more. Many of these authors met regularly at the bookstore.
8. Old South Meetinghouse (1729)
Significant as the organizing point for the Boston Tea Party in 1773. The British occupied the church in 1775 due to its Revolutionary connections. The British gutted the church and filled it with dirt to practice horse riding during this occupation.
9. Old State House (1713)
Significant as the first state capitol of Massachusetts, after independence was declared in 1776. Before independence, it served as the center for the provincial government. It is the oldest public building in Boston. The Boston Massacre occured right outside, below the balcony at the gable end on the east side.
10. Boston Massacre Site
Significant as the place where the Boston Massacre took place on March 5, 1770. Five people were killed from the Redcoat gunfire: Crispus Attucks, Samuel Gray, Samuel Maverick, James Caldwell, and Patrick Carr. Attucks, the first to die, is notable as half-Black and half-Native American. As the first death of the Boston Massacre, Attucks is considered the first casualty of the American Revolution.
11. Faneuil Hall (1742)
Significant for being the home of the Sons of Liberty. The market place held the first town meeting in America. Colonists first protested the Sugar Act and Stamp Act here in 1764. Samuel Adams gave speeches here.
12. Paul Revere House (1680)
Significant as the home of Paul Revere, who rode to Lexington (and attempted to ride to Concord) on April 18, 1775, to warn of the British army coming. Revere purchased the house in 1770. A third story had been added by the time of purchase. It became a tenement in the 1800s, and storefronts, and was saved from demolition in 1905. It was restored to include both 17th century and 18th century elements.
13. Old North Church (1724)
Significant for being where the lanterns were hung to notify that the British were coming. At Paul Revere's instruction, two lanterns notified Patriots in Charlestown that the British were coming by water; Revere then carried the message on to Lexington. It is Boston's oldest religious building.
14. Copp's Hill Burying Ground (1659)
Significant as the second-oldest burying ground in Boston. Cotton Mather, Increase Mather, Robert Newman, and Phyllis Wheatley, are among those buried here. The grave of smuggler Capt. Daniel Malcolm, a member of the Sons of Liberty who routinely avoided the British duty, is riddled with the marks of bullets from vengeful British soldiers. Oldest grave dates to 1661.
15. USS Constitution (1797)
Significant as one of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794, and for its role in the War of 1812. It is the world's oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat. Its first duties were in the First Barbary War. The Constitution defeated five British ships during the War of 1812: The HMS Guerriere, Java, Pictou, Cyane, and Levant. The ship was never defeated in battle.
16. Bunker Hill Monument (1843
Significant for commemorating the Battle of Bunker Hill, which occurred here. The monument was one of the first in the United States. The monument is actually on Breed's Hill, which was part of the Battle of Bunker Hill; Bunker Hill is just to the west-northwest, and was where fortification was originally ordered. Granite from nearby Quincy was used for the monument.
BONUS:
One block after Stop #11 (Fanueil Hall), get lunch at the Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in the Unitied States. Oysters or other seafood are a must. Then get a beer across the street at the Bell In Hand Tavern, the oldest tavern in the United States (disputed by many, including me). These two buildings are literally about 50 feet from each other, across an old colonial street.
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After Stop #16 (Bunker Hill Monument), walk downhill to part of the oldest section of Charlestown and reward yourself with a beer at Warren Tavern, the oldest tavern in Boston and possibly the oldest tavern in continuous use in the United States. The tavern was built in 1780, after being burned down by the British after the Battle of Bunker Hill.
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- I had no idea you were a Minuteman tour guide, that was one of my dream summer jobs when I was a kid. That and Duck Tour operator.
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