The Freedom Trail Part Four

Yum! The men would slice them open right in front of you!

When last we parted we were at the New England Holocaust Memorial. From there I traveled along the Blackstone Block, a charming cobblestone-street lined with old brick buildings dating back to the 1600s. Along this strip is Union Oyster House, a restaurant occupying the oldest brick house in Boston. Within the walls of Ye Olde House (as it is sometimes referred), Boston's first town crier lived, the Massachusetts Spy newspaper was printed, and Louis-Philippe, later to become king of France, taught French upstairs. Not only that, but in 2012, I ate oysters there!

Yes, that's my orange shirt reflected in the sign!

Continuing along the cobbled streets of the Blackstone Block, I came across the Ebenezer Hancock House. According to the placard, it is the only remaining house in Boston associated with John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence and the man who forgot to sign his own will! Please note how well-preserved the buildings are in Boston. This building dates back to 1767 and still looks fantastic. Boston truly has done an excellent job preserving its history. Americans should be grateful!

According to my guide book, I was supposed to find the Boston Stone, a stone ball used as the point from which all distances from Boston were measured, embedded in a building just across from the Ebenezer Hancock House. I failed. I wandered this cobbled corner for about 5 minutes, still coming up short. However, I did find the Green Dragon Tavern, the unofficial commemoration of where the Boston Tea Party was planned and from where (allegedly) Paul Revere was sent on his famous ride to Lexington. The actual Green Dragon Tavern was demolished in the 19th Century, but this modern version is a nice homage.

I continued north for the second half of The Freedom Trail, officially having finished my first walking tour and embarking on my second. I walked through a lovely park before I entered the delightful North End and all its Italian cafes and restaurants. I meandered through the streets, bobbing and weaving between some slower Freedom Trail walkers -- why I decided I needed to speed walk The Freedom Trail, I'll never know. But you all have seen me walk through the hallway -- I'm a woman on a mission!

Eventually I walked into North Square and immediately noticed two very striking and well-preserved buildings: Paul Revere House and Pierce-Hichborn House. The Paul Revere House is the oldest wooden house in downtown Boston. It was built in 1680. Can you believe that? Revere moved into the house in 1770; the house is currently a non-profit museum furnished much as it was when Revere lived there. The Pierce-Hichborn House was owned by a cousin of Revere and mostly has significance in terms of its architectural departure of wooden Tudor houses of the previous century.

From here I journeyed to the Paul Revere Mall, past St. Stephen's Church, the bell of which is one Paul Revere cast himself, and enjoyed a leisurely stroll through what North Ender's refer to as the Prado, or the Paul Revere Mall. The shaded brick courtyard, fountain, and plaques gave me a nice respite from the sunny streets, and allowed me to snap a picture of a statue of Paul Revere. Join me for the rest of my journey on the other side of the Prado!

Click here to jump to Part Five

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

The Freedom Trail Part One

Happy Summer Break, history students! True to form, I spent my first full day in Boston exploring all the corners of revolutionary American history! Follow me on my journey along The Freedom Trail!

Now, my journey was a bit more meandering than just The Freedom Trail. My guide book offered a number of walks to see other points of interest in the city while sticking to most of the trail -- this is precisely what I did!

I started from my hotel, the Boston Mariott Copley Place, a nice spot situated between a number of good sites. I headed east to the beginning of my walking trail: Boston Common. Boston Common is a beautiful, open park, much like New York City's Central Park, though not nearly so large. It was once used as a community grazing field as well as practice grounds for militias. In its more grisly history, the park was also used for public hangings from its ancient elm trees. As I walked along the edge of the park, searching for the red bricks to mark the beginning of my journey, I passed an old graveyard, the first of many I would encounter during the day.

At the Southeast corner of the park, I meandered past the Central Burying Ground, where many British who parished in the Battle of Bunker Hill were buried, the Parkman Bandstand, and up Telegraph Hill to see the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. I must admit I had confused myself when reading about Telegraph Hill, until I remembered there is also a like-named hill in San Francisco, where Mark Twain once lived, and upon which Coit Tower stands, a commemoration to fire fighters. In any case, they are not the same hill!

Along the base of Telegraph Hill is Frog Pond, a dismal memory of what was once a fun summertime location. As my guide book says, "In colonial times, sheep and cows slaked their thirst at this watering hole. Later, Bostonians fished in it for minnows in the summer and ice-skated on it in the winter." Today it is lined with concrete, filled with a murky green water, the signs posted along it forbid wading in or drinking from the water, and the only frogs to note are golden statues at the end of the pond. Even they loom depressed.

After exiting the Common, I continued north on Tremont Street, passing Park Street Church, where William Lloyd Garrison would denounce slavey in the mid-1800s. Just beyond the church, where I passed a school tour group being led by a man dressed in colonial garb, I entered the Old Granary Burying Ground, extremely hallowed ground in American history, as many of our revolutionary figures were buried here, including John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Paul Revere.

Fun fact to note: John Hancock is famous for his large signature on the Declaration of Independence. People often refer to a signature as a "John Hancock." Well, get this -- John Hancock forgot to put his John Hancock on his own will! According to the colonial tour guide I was eavesdropping on, this quite upset Mrs. Hancock, as she was left without any entitlement to his estate.

Here are the photos of Paul Revere's original tomb, monument, and the fun colonial tour guide.

Stay tuned for more Freedom Trail fun!d

Click here for Part Two!

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