Massachusetts, Part 2

We couldn't believe how much we were cramming into our 10 days in Mass, and a highlight was certainly Boston.  So wonderful, it deserved it's own blog entry! The capitol and largest city in Mass, it is also one of our country's oldest.  In 1630, Puritan colonists founded the city and in the late 18th century it was home to many major events during the American Revolution.  After American Independence was attained, Boston became a major shipping port and manufacturing center.  It is now an international center of higher education, a leading finance center, has one of the highest costs of living in the U.S. and is a destination rich with our country's history, attracting millions of visitors a year.
And we were here to do the same by walking Boston's Freedom Trail- a 2 1/2 mile route through the city, marked by a red line.

We started the day with a first-ever visit to Dunkin' Donuts.  Making it's start right here in Mass in 1950, Dunkin's marketing push as "America's favorite coffee" has it placed on practically every street corner in the Northeast... kind-of like Starbucks is at home.  Of the nearly 10,000 chains, only 75 are located west of the Mississippi!

The trail began at the Boston Common (America's oldest public park), a 44-acre park that once belonged to Boston's first white settler, William Blackstone, who arrived in 1622.  When the Puritans came in the 1630's, the grassy area became common land-"the common"- occupied by grazing cattle & eventually used as a training field for the military. Adjacent to the Common is the Public Garden, established in 1837 as America's first public botanical garden.

This beautiful area is home to the equestrian statue of George Washington by Thomas Ball in 1869,

a set of bronze duckling statues from Robert McCloskey's children's book Make Way for Ducklings,

I could only capture this one little duckling since the rest of the statue was smothered by preschoolers:)

 and the famous Swan Boats that have taken visitors on peaceful rides through the waters of the lagoon since 1877.

Next we came to the Massachusetts State House; the oldest building on Beacon Hill whose cornerstone  was laid by Samuel Adams & Paul Revere in 1795.  Its stunning golden dome was adorned with copper from Paul Revere's company in 1802 and later gilded following the Civil War.

Massachusetts State House

With its 217-foot steeple, Park Street Church was for many years the first landmark seen by travelers approaching Boston.  The church was built in 1809 and has been home to the launch of William Lloyd Garrison's passionate crusade again slavery from the pulpit in 1829 & the first public singing of Samuel Smith's hymn "America" at the Fourth of July celebration in 1832.  For nearly two centuries, the church has organized its life around the Christian Gospel and been a pioneer in human concerns.

Park Street Church

Next to the church was the Granary Burying Ground where the first body was interred in 1660.

It is the final resting place of Samuel Adams, John Hancock & Robert Treat Paine (signers of the Declaration of Independence),

"Here Lies Buried
Samuel Adams
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
Governor of This CommonWealth
A Leader of Men and an Ardent Patriot
Born 1722 - Died 1803"

John Hancock

Next to the tomb of John Hancock,
 this headstone marks the grave of
"Frank, Servant to
John Hancock, Esqr".
Frank is believed to be
Hancock's slave.

Paul Revere,

"Paul Revere
Born In Boston
January, 1734 - Died May, 1818"

Peter Faneuil, Ben Franklin's parents (it was their youngest son Ben who wrote the inscribed epitaph on their gravestone), five victims of the Boston Massacre,

nine Massachusetts governors, whole families of settlers ravaged by fire & plague and many more.
Just down the street is the King's Chapel & Burying Ground.  In the late 1600's, King James II ordered that there be an Anglican church built in the colony.  While the Puritans refused to sell land for the building of a non-Puritan church, the Royal Governor provided an easy remedy by buying land for it on the town's burying ground (public land) where it was built in 1688.  The chapel's bell was personally made by Paul Revere who said it was "the largest & sweetest" bell he ever made.

Seen raised in the middle left, the chapel's pulpit is the original & oldest in the U.S.

Among the headstones at King's Chapel Burying Ground are those belonging to John Winthrop (first governor of Massachusetts),

Charles Bulfinch (architect of the gold-domed state house), William Dawes Jr.,

"William Dawes Jr.
Patriot, Son of Liberty, and first messenger sent by Warren from Boston to Lexington on the night of April 18-19 1775 to warn Hancock & Adams of the coming of the British troops.
Born April 6, 1745  Died February 25, 1799"

the oldest remaining gravestone in the burying ground,

and Mary (Chilton) Winslow, who was believed to be the first European female to set foot on Plymouth soil.  Though her father died en route, she (only 12 years old) was one of the 30 female pilgrims that survived the trip on the Mayflower.

While following the trail on School Street, we nearly missed the hopscotch-patterned mosaic on the sidewalk which marked the site of the country's first public school.  It was established by Puritan settlers in 1635 and among the attendees were Ben Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Cotton Mather & Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Overlooking the first site of the Boston Latin School was the statue of Benjamin Franklin- the first portrait statue erected in the U.S.

The Old South Meeting House was built in 1729 as a Puritan house of worship and was the largest building in Colonial America.  In the days leading to the American Revolution, large crowds of citizens would gather here to challenge British rule, protesting the Boston Massacre and the tax on tea.  On December 16, 1773 Samuel Adams launched the Boston Tea Party here.  It is still today an active meeting place and contains historical exhibits.

Other interesting events that took place at the Old South Meeting House:
-Preacher George Whitefield delivered sermons here
-Benjamin Franklin was baptized here
-The poet Phillis Wheatley & patriots James Otis and William Dawes worshipped here
-Judge Samuel Sewall apologized here for his rule in the Salem witch trials

"Samuel Adams
1722-1803
A Patriot
He Organized the Revolution and Signed the Declaration of Independence"

  Built in 1713 and Boston's oldest public building, the Old State House was the headquarters of British government here in Boston.  It served as a merchant's exchange and was the setting for stirring speeches & debates between royal officials and American patriots.  In 1761 patriot James Otis challenged the Writs of Assistance here, inspiring John Adams to state "then and there the child independence was born."  Under its balcony holds the site of the 1770 Boston Massacre and on its balcony was the first reading of the Declaration of Independence.

The Old State House Balcony

Another location for fiery town meetings that protested England's tightening control over the colonies was Faneuil Hall.  In the 1800's, Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Lucy Stone brought their struggles for freedom here.  Faneuil Hall became known as the "Cradle of Liberty".

Faneuil Hall

We toured the home of patriot & silversmith Paul Revere, which is the oldest building in downtown Boston.  He lived here from 1770-1800 and left from his home for his famous "midnight ride".

Just down the street was the Old North Church (also called Christ Church) which played a key role in Revere's midnight ride.  It was here that the lanterns in the belfry arch signaled that the British were about to march as told in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem... "one if by land, two if by sea".  At the sight of the flickering light, Revere mounted his horse "And so through the night went his cry of alarm, To every Middlesex village and farm."

The box pews were common to the early churches.  Each pew was owned by a family who paid the equivalent to $650 a year.  They were designed to keep worshipers warm before the days of central heating.  Families would bring foot warmers, blankets, even the family dog to keep warm.  Those who couldn't afford a pew sat in the seats on the second floor, overlooking the service.

Jim & Alayna sitting in Paul Revere's pew.

The cemetery on Copp's Hill was established in 1660 when the King's Chapel Burying Ground became overcrowded.  During the Revolution, some of the gravestones were used for target practice by the British soldiers.

Crossing over the Charles river, we viewed the USS Cassin Young & the USS Constitution in the Charlestown Navy Yard.  Now resting in the drydock, the USS Cassin Young represents the type of ship built in the yard during World War II.

USS Cassin Young

The USS Constitution set sail in 1797, protecting American commerce.  This 54-gun warship was given the nickname "Old Ironsides" when cannonballs bounced off her oak sides during the War of 1812.  It took a crew of 450 men and boys to maneuver this 204-foot wooden fortress, which is now the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world.

USS Constitution

The Battle of Bunker Hill (which is mis-named since the battle actually took place on the neighboring Breed's Hill) is commemorated by the 221-foot monument here.

Bunker Hill Monument

Colonel William Prescott

It was Colonel William Prescott who led the colonial forces on Breed's Hill and gave the legendary order not to shoot until they saw "the whites of their eyes".  

It took us two days to complete the Freedom Trail, and we left with a greater awareness of our country's beginnings.  We were humbled to walk the steps our Founders once walked.
Of course, a blog entry wouldn't be complete without photos of food, so....
to complete our time in Boston, we dined at the Union Oyster House- America's oldest restaurant.
We tried our first (and only) platter of raw oysters and bowls (with many more to come while in the northeast) of clam chowder.

We have reached our 100-day mark, have 14 states under our belt, and are having a blast exploring this fascinating country!  On to New Hampshire...