The Freedom Trail Part Two

Now that I have returned from my not-quite-long-enough stay in Boston, I can finish posting my walking travels around the city!

I left you previously in the Old Granary Burying Ground, among the hallowed graves of Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and the Franklin family. Just outside the burying grounds, at the intersection of Tremont and School Streets, is the Parker House Hotel, currently owned by Omni Hotels.

While I did not get the chance to go inside, according to my guide book, this hotel has been host to some significant historical and cultural figures, including Charles Dickens, who conducted literary seminars there, Ho Chi Minh, who waited tables, and Malcolm X, who worked in the kitchen. Who knew? Additionally, this hotel is famed for inventing the Boston cream pie and Parker Rolls. 

Across School Street from Omni Parker House is King's Chapel and Burying Ground. King James II commissioned this church in the 1680s, though the currently standing building dates from 1754. This choice, on King James II's part, though, was silly. The Puritans occupying theses shores of Massachusetts had fled to the colonies to avoid the Church of England, precisely what King James II was trying to set up.

Continuing along School Street is Old City Hall, which served as Boston City Hall from 1865 to 1969. It currently houses offices and a fancy steak house. Its vestibule (entryway), however, commemorates the building's historical roots, including a sign dedicated to the nation's first school, Boston Latin School, which existed nearby.

In the courtyard is a rather imposing statue of Benjamin Franklin. I found it a bit unnerving, as I looked up at him, and he appeared to glower back down at me.

Traveling along the shady School Street, a kind Bostonian stopped to compliment my shirt. I must stop to thank the people of Boston for such a warm reception. The people were kind, hospitable, and happy to share their sidewalks with me. Thank you, Bostonians!

At the intersection of School and Washington Street, I meandered about, trying to discern the location of the former Old Corner Bookstore, a popular meeting place in the 1800s for the likes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Louisa May Alcott. I laughed a bit when I figured out it was currently a Chipotle, but definitely the most historic looking Chipotle I've ever seen.

Across the street was the Irish Famine Memorial, a set of statues honoring the immigration of a great number of Irish into Boston following the potato famines in Ireland in the mid-1800s. From there I found the Old South Meeting House. I'm remiss to say that I didn't step back far enough to get a good photo of its steeple, showing its architectural heritage from 1727. However, I did cross Milk Street (the same street where Benjamin Franklin was born) to snap some pictures.

It was within these walls of the Old South Meeting House that the talks and events prior to the Boston Tea Party occurred. Enraged at the British tax on tea (among many other taxed items), colonists gathered at the Old South Meeting House to discuss a plan of action. After weeks of bartering and trying to solve the dispute legally and without violence, the colonists were again met with resistance. Finally, on the night of December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians and ran from the Old South Meeting House (along the side of the building pictured below) to the harbor where they dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor. "Boston Harbor a teapot tonight!"

Stay tuned for Part Three of my Freedom Trail/Boston Walking Tour!

Click here to jump to Part Three!

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