The Freedom Trail Part Six

Plaque along The Freedom Trail

When last we parted, dear ones, I was finishing up my fun and fortuitous stop at the Old North Church!

From there I headed along Hull Street and stopped to take a picture of the Old North Church from the outside. I wanted to be sure to capture the steeple, as that steeple changed American history! What do you think would have happened if Paul Revere hadn't thought to alert Charlestown that the British were moving? Would the British have gotten to Lexington and Concord before Revere did?

At that point, I finally thought to take a picture of The Freedom Trail I had been following for the last few miles. How silly of me for not taking a picture sooner.

See, you know it's really me because of the shoes.

Just up the hill from my shoe was Copp's Hill Burying Ground. This is Boston's second oldest burial ground (behind King's Chapel Burying Ground). I did not spend much time in this cemetery, though I did notice one gravestone in particular, that of Captain Daniel Malcolm. His headstone is speckled with dark spots. As I looked in my guide book, I saw that there was a bit of a story to Captain Malcolm. He was famous for smuggling goods into the port without paying the fee. Before he died he asked to be buried "in a Stone Grave 10 feet deep," to prevent his body from being vandalized or harmed. His body was never harmed, though his headstone did not fare so well. The speckles on his headstone are the results of the British using his grave for target practice.

From Copp's Hill Burying Ground I wandered my way down the hill (Copp's Hill, as it were) toward the Charles River. I crossed the river on a busy roadway and pedestrian bridge, taking a brief moment to soak in the sight of seeing water and old, still-working locks that help control the water into the harbor. Sadly, however, I did not think to take a picture for when I might be water-thirsty back in the desert.

Once across the bridge, I realized I was in Charlestown, that famed town that Paul Revere had scouts in to see the steeple of the Old North Church. The city itself is actually two years older than Boston, but who's counting? I turned onto a lovely little street and stopped at a cafe for lunch (that's right, I'm just getting to a lunch break!). I had a delightfully tasty prosciutto, fig, and goat cheese sandwich and enjoyed it in the breezy air of the Charles River.

Look at that deliciousness.

After my little break, I continued along Constitution Road toward the Charlestown Navy Yard. Inside the Charlestown Navy Yard is the USS Constitution, the world's oldest warship still in operation. It's not used for missions (thankfully), but maintains its operational title by being pulled into the harbor every Fourth of July before being returned to its home, according to my guide book. The USS Constitution was built in Boston and first sailed in 1797. The fun nickname of the Constitution is "Old Ironsides."  According to my guide book, Ironsides won 42 battles from 1797 to 1855 when it was retired from active duty. Its nickname is said to come from an interaction with the British ship Guerriere in 1812; when the cannonballs of the British seemed to bounce off the sides of the ship, a sailor exclaimed, "Her sides are made of iron!" In fact, the ship's sides were not made of iron, but instead from live oak, a wood reported to be five times stronger than white oak.

I did not wait in line to get a tour of Old Ironsides from the guides sporting 1812 sailor garb. Instead, I wandered toward the edge of the water and snapped a couple pictures, one of the ship, and one looking back over the Charles River to Boston and Copp's Hill. Can you see what I see?

Before leaving the Navy Yard, I stopped at another ship that was resting in the dry docks, receiving some repairs and TLC. This ship, the USS Cassin Young, served in the Pacific during World War II. Compare that to the Constitution, used less than 100 years before it!

From the Navy Yard I wandered the streets of Charlestown, diverting from the Freedom Trail temporarily, and taking in the beautifully kept gardens and houses of Charlestown. Much of it is reminiscent of San Francisco, and I found myself smiling as I climbed through the streets.

Eventually I merged back up with the trail and came upon Winthrop Square, once a training field for the young men (boys) of Charlestown to learn and train for the militia. At the corner of the park is a plaque honoring all those lost on June 17, 1775. More on that in a bit.

I walked through the square and up a slight hill until a large obelisk rose before me. The Bunker Hill Monument. Now, don't be as confused as I was. The obelisk itself is not on Bunker Bill, but Breed's Hill. Right? Confusing. The actual battle was fought just north of the commemoration site.

I climbed a number of stairs to be confronted with quite the statue, the statue of Colonel William Prescott. Prescott is famed with (allegedly) saying, as the British approached during the Battle of Bunker Hill, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!", a kind reminder to the inadequately trained militia to hold their fire until they were sure it could make an impact. In my picture, the obelisk is rising starkly behind Prescott's tilted hat.


It may be appropriate now to give a bit of history to the Battle of Bunker Hill. This battle is one of the more notable battles, not because it was a victory for the American revolutionaries (because it wasn't), but because it showed the tenacity and perseverance of the colonial fighters. Also, the British victory didn't really give the Brits any sort of advantage. Both sides suffered tremendous losses and the territory gained did not outweigh the loss of life for the Brits.

To put it simply, the British were expected to try to take both Bunker and Breed's Hills north of Boston in order to secure the area around Boston more fully. When Colonel William Prescott and his comrades heard about this, they quietly occupied the hills and set up troops across the Charlestown area. The British attacked the next day, June 17, 1775, failing at the first two attempts and losing many men. They finally succeeded in their third attempt as the colonial groups retreated to Cambridge.

Feeling that I hadn't walked quite enough that afternoon, I decided to climb the 294 stairs to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument, feeling it important to see Boston from one of its highest vantage points this side of the river. Now, it was breezy and cool, though sunshiny at the time. I was ill-prepared for the climb and how sweaty I would become at the top of the twisty, twisty, spiral staircase. The room at the top is absolutely tiny; there were about 8 of us up there and we each had to take turns shuffling around the hole in the floor (where the stairs were) so we didn't fall or push each other down. However, there were four windows from which to peek upon the town below! In some of the pictures you will see rings -- it is from these rings that flagpoles were secured and flags flew from the windows of the monument when it was completed in 1842.

Looking south/southeast toward Boston.

Looking west/southwest through one of the flag holders.

Looking west/southwest, not through the flag holders.

Looking north/northwest toward the battle site and river.

Looking southeast toward Boston. Can you see the steeple of the Old North Church? The USS Constitution?

After descending the 294 stairs, I hustled across the street, past the statue of Prescott, and into the Bunker Hill Museum to find some paper towels to dab myself dry. I'm warning you: if you climb this monument, you will sweat. Take a towel.

At this point, I checked my watch and found it time to start the trek back to Boston for dinner.  I continued to follow parts of the trail and the walking tour. I did find the Warren Tavern (though I had since abandoned the end of The Freedom Trail), an establishment dating back to 1780, where both Paul Revere and George Washington once stayed.

I found my way to a T station (that's the Boston subway) and rode back into the city. As I walked back to my hotel, I decided to stop inside the beautiful and historic-looking Boston Public Library. That's right, I go into libraries when on vacation. And, trust me, if you go to Boston, you should stop at this library, too. It's quite the labyrinthian building and I wandered many hallways as I explored. But my wanderings were well rewarded! Lion statues flanked a grand staircase upon entering the library. It took some slinking around windows, but I finally found this magnificent courtyard in the middle of the library, equipped with a fountain AND a restaurant!

And, OMG, how spectacular is this room? I could read here every day!

While this concludes my journey along The Freedom Trail, it does not conclude my trip to Boston! Stay tuned for one more blog post about my trip to Hahvahd (that's Harvard to the rest of us).

Click here to read about my trip to Harvard!

Click here to read about the book I used for my tours and information.