Boston Things to Do Tips by amsterdam_vallon

Sixteen historic sites, all significant in this country's early struggle for freedom, are connected by a 2.5 mile red brick line that not only links one place to another, but the past to the present.

What makes the sites on the Freedom Trail so special is that they are not recreations or adaptations. They are real. Each one has a role in the beginning of a nation, each one connects us to the spirit of Boston's early patriots whose hearts were ignited by the spark of liberty.

Revolutionary Timeline

1630
Puritans establish the town of Boston.

1670
The first Old South Meeting House, a two-story cedar hall, is built.

1761
James Otis speaks against the Writs of Assistance at the Old State House.

1764
The Sugar Act taxation and Currency Act infuriate Colonists.

1765
The Stamp Act taxation sparks rioting in Boston.

1768
September 18-British garrison troops in Boston.

1770
March 5- The Boston Massacre leaves five dead. British uphold the Tea Act.

1773
December 16-The Boston Tea Party prompts the Intolerable Acts as punishment.

1775
April 18-Paul Revere and William Dawes, Jr., ride from Boston to alert the countryside that British troops are headed to Lexington.

1775
April 19-The British retreat to Boston after the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

1775
June 17-The Battle of Bunker Hill leaves heavy casualties.

1776
March 17-Washington liberates Boston. British evacuate with troops and local Tories.

1776
July 18- Declaration of Independence is read from the Old State House balcony.

1788
June 21-The Constitution is ratified.

1789
George Washington makes triumphal visit to Boston as first President.

1795
Construction begins for the new State House.

1797
USS Constitution is launched.

1809
The Park Street Church is built.

1822
Boston is incorporated as a city.

1829
July 4-William Lloyd Garrison speaks against slavery at the Park Street.

1843
June 17 -Bunker Hill Monument is dedicated.

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Address: The Freedom Trail Start from the Boston Common

The Boston Common

Originally owned by William Blackstone who came to Boston in 1622, the Boston Common is America's oldest public park. Situated on 44 acres of open land, it was used as a common pasture for grazing cattle owned by the townspeople of Boston. The Common later became a "trayning" field for the militia and was used as a British Army camp during the occupation of Boston.

Over many generations, the Common has been the site of hangings, duels, public celebrations and spirited oratory. Now it hosts squirrels, pigeons, and plenty of neighborhood dogs that are walked here daily from their fashionable addresses on Beacon Hill.

Freedom Trail Walking Info :
The red line starts from the front of the building and leads you to the State House on the other side of the Boston Common.

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Directions: Bound by Tremont, Beacon, Charles and Boylston Streets.
Website: http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/bostoncom

The State House

Designed by Charles Bulfinch, the State House was completed on January 11th, 1798, and widely acclaimed as one of the more magnificent and well-suited buildings in the country. The land was originally used as John Hancock's cow pasture.

Today, the State House is the oldest building on Beacon Hill, and its grounds cover 6.7 acres of land. In 1802, the original wooden dome was covered with copper to prevent water leakage. In 1874, the dome was gilded with 23-carat gold leaf. The State House is the seat of Massachusetts' state government.

Freedom Trail Walking Info :
From here, you can visit the Park Street Church by following The Trail down the Park Street side of the Common.

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Directions: The State House
Beacon Street
617-727-3676
Open Mon. - Friday, 10:00am - 4:00pm
Website: www.state.ma.us/sec/trs

Park Street Church

This church was founded in 1809 in the midst of an exciting chapter in the nation's history. Ten people, including author Oliver Wendell Holmes, gathered in the mansion of William Thurston on Beacon Hill on February 27th, 1809, to discuss the organization of a church in this area. By mid-March, the committee had located a site at the corner of Park and Tremont Streets, and Park Street Church was founded.

"America" (My Country 'Tis of Thee), by Samuel Francis Smith, was first sung at the Park Street Church on July 4th, 1831. The church was also where William Lloyd Garrison delivered his first major public address against slavery in 1829.

Freedom Trail Walking Info :
To go to the Granary Burying Ground, follow The Trail along Tremont Street.

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Directions: Park Street Church
Corner of Park and Tremont Streets
617-523-3383
Jun. 17 - end of Aug., Tue. - Sat. 9:30 - 3:30
Summer worship services - Sundays 10:45am and 5:30pm
Winter worship services - Sundays 8:30am, 11:00am, 4:00pm, and 6:00pm
Website: www.parkstreet.org

Granary Burying Ground

With its massive Egyptian Revival-style gates facing Tremont Street, the Granary Burying Ground is the final resting place of many eminent Revolutionary-era patriots, such as Samuel Adams, Peter Faneuil, Paul Revere, and John Hancock.

Originally called South Burying Ground because of its location at the most southerly area of Boston settlement, it was then renamed Middle Burying Ground, as Boston sprawled toward the south. The current name is derived from the grain storage building, or granary, which stood on the site where the Park Street Church now stands.

Freedom Trail Walking Info :
Follow The Trail up Tremont Street to King's Chapel.

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Directions: Granary Burying Ground
Tremont Street
617-635-4505
Open daily 9:00 - 5:00
Website: www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/

King's Chapel

In 1688, the Royal Governor built King's Chapel on the town burying ground when no one in the city would sell him land to build a non-Puritan church. The first King's Chapel was a tiny church used by the King's men who occupied Boston to enforce British law. By 1749, the building was too small for the congregation, which had grown to include a number of prominent merchants and their families.

The congregation hired America's first architect, Peter Harrison, to design a church "that would be the equal of any in England." The new church was completed in 1754. Harrison's plans included a steeple, which has never been built, and a colonnade, which was not completed until after the Revolution. The magnificent interior is considered the finest example of Georgian church architecture in North America.

Freedom Trail Walking Info :
Turn right as you leave King's Chapel and the Burying Ground is next door.

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Directions: King's Chapel
Corner of Tremont and School Streets
617-227-2155
Summer Hours: Mon. Thu. Fri. Sat. 10:00 - 4:00
Winter Hours: Sat. 10:00 - 4:00
Services are held Wednesdays, 12:15pm and Sundays 11:00am
Website: www.kings-chapel.org

King's Chapel Burying Ground

Located next to King's Chapel on Tremont Street, King's Chapel Burying Ground was Boston Proper's only burying place for nearly 30 years.

The Burying Ground is the final resting place of some of Massachusetts Bay Colony's most prominent citizens - John Winthrop, the Colony's first governor; William Dawes, Jr., who rode with Paul Revere to Lexington and Concord; and Mary Chilton, the first woman to step off the Mayflower in Plymouth Colony.

Freedom Trail Walking Info :
Turn left as you leave King's Chapel Burying Ground and follow The Trail down School Street to the site of the First Public School and Benjamin Franklin's Statue.

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Directions: King's Chapel Burying Ground
Tremont Street
617-635-4505
Open daily, 9:00 - 5:00
Website: www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/

Benjamin Franklin's Statue

As you follow The Freedom Trail down School Street, you will notice a half-smiling, half-serious statue of Benjamin Franklin outside the Old City Hall and a plaque on the sidewalk, marking the site of the first Public School.

It is the first portrait statue erected in the United States. This is also the site of the country's first public school, Boston Latin School (1635), which is still in operation in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston.

Freedom Trail Walking Info :
Continue to follow The Trail straight down the street to the Old Corner Bookstore Building.

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Old City Hall

Boston's Old City Hall was one of the first buildings in the French Second Empire Style to be built in the United States and is now one of the few that survive. The design originated in France during the Second Empire (the reign of Emperor Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870). In Paris, this style gained popularity with the building of the new Louvre. After the completion of Boston's City Hall (1865), the French Second Empire Style was used extensively elsewhere in Boston and for many public buildings in the United States, such as the Executive Office Building in Washington D.C. as well as other city halls in Providence, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

The style became so closely associated with the Grant Administration (1869-1877) that it was also called the "General Grant Style." The major characteristic of this style is the mansard roof, a double-pitched roof with a steep lower slope that has a boxy shape. Often the building will have a projecting center that is topped by a dome, and tall windows and doors that are flanked by pairs of columns.

Freedom Trail Walking Info :
Continue to follow The Trail straight down the street to the Old Corner Bookstore Building.

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Directions: Old City Hall
45 School Street
Boston, MA 02108-3204
Phone: 617-523-8678
Fax: 617-523-3782
Website: http://www.oldcityhall.com/index.html

Old Corner Bookstore Building

This little brick building sits at the Corner of School and Washington Streets, Old Corner Bookstore was a flourishing literary center in the mid-1800s. The original building was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1711, and was replaced by the current gambrel-roofed structure built in 1718 by Dr. Thomas Crease.

The street level of this house was used as a pharmacy, the upper stories as a residence. The transition from medicine shop to marketplace for ideas began in 1829 when the house was leased to Timothy Harrington Carter, a bookseller. The first bookseller's business, Carter & Hendlee, was followed by nine similar companies over a 75-year period, the most famous being Ticknor & Fields.

Freedom Trail Walking Info :
You can get to the Old South Meeting House by following The Trail across School and Washington Streets.

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Directions: School Street
617-367-4004
Winter Hours: Mon - Fri, 9:00 - 5:30
Sat 9:30 - 5:00
Closed Sundays.
Website: www.historicboston.org