We're In Boston!! Day One - Freedom Trail

Mister suggested that we go to Boston to attend the American Craft Beer Fest and I sure wasn't going to turn down a trip, especially to Boston.  I was so excited to be going there as I had heard and read so many things about it AND because I love history.  This city is chock full of it.  Woohoo!  Here we go -

Since we have to be in Las Vegas just a few days after the fest, we combine our flights and make it one big trip.  After dropping bags at the Hilton Downtown (I know, I know -- not our typical type of hotel, but Mister forgot to book a room until the last minute and this was all we could get), we are off on foot to explore the city.  I am floating on air to actually be here and cannot wait to see all that it has to offer.  It promises to be a busy 3 days filled with wonder and history.  First up:  The Boston Common and the start of The Freedom Trail.  We locate the visitor center across the street, pick up a walking map and are soon on our way.

The Boston Common comprises 44 acres of plush lawns, brilliant gardens, a lake, and abundant wildfowl.  It is peaceful and serene for the most part although we were treated to a religious debate right outside the perimeter as we first arrived.  The park has the honor of being the first public park in the country but got it's start as literally the "common land" used from grazing cattle and as a training field for the military.  Cows have since been banned and the park is an oasis in the city.  The Freedom Trail begins here and it is almost like the Wizard of Oz except that in place of a yellow brick road we have a red stripe.

Walking past the Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Regiment Memorial and the Massachusetts State House, we come to The Park Street Church and The Granary Burying Ground.  The church was built in 1809 and overlooks the northeast corner of the Common, also known as "Brimstone Corner".  It is rumored that the nickname is a result of the fiery sermons given by street preachers, but it is more likely due to the brimstone being stored in the church's crypt during the War of 1812.

Next door, on land that was once part of the Common, is the burying ground.  The first body laid to rest here was in 1660 and is where Revolutionary War heroes,  nine Massachusetts Governors, soldiers, and early residents of Boston lay.  We walked all through it and were fascinated by the graves of Sam Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and many more.  The headstones are unique and also have been moved so many times that they no longer correspond to the actual graves.  Additionally, they are very difficult to read as they have become quite weathered over the years.  There are also table tombs and vaults.  One of the more "odd" headstones we came across was that of Elizabeth Goose -- also known as Mother Goose.  I had no idea that there was a real "Mother Goose".  It is quite a fable in itself.

Moving on, we come to King's Chapel and I am mesmerized by the interior.  It was built in the late 1600's on orders from King James II to insure that there was an Anglican church in the colony.  The Puritans became incensed and refused to sell any land on which to construct it.  After time, the governor remedied the situation by simply seizing a portion of the adjacent burial ground.  Church of England services were held here for British officers and the governor with a visit in 1789 by President Washington who sat in the Governors Pew.  Yep - the pew boxes were the part that I am most fascinated with.  I love that they are enclosed for each family.  Each family had a pew box and there are benches facing both towards the altar and away from it.  The history tells us that each family was able to set up their own box with personal items and that the children sat on the pews with their backs to the front and facing their parents and played quietly.  The boxes were beneficial in keeping warm at a time when the church was not heated.  Each family had personal "warmers" in their own box.  These boxes were personal property and could be willed to another family member in the event of a death.  I love it -- simply way too cool.

Up next is Old City Hall, built in 1864.  In the courtyard is a bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin, the first commemorative statue erected in the city.  I remember a strange piece of trivia about him as we are standing there.  I once read that he loved to take "air baths" and everyone else thought him mad for doing so.  Isn't it strange what the brain decides to hold on to and then retrieve at moments like this?

As we walk along, we notice people dressed in period clothing.

Along the trail, we arrive at the Old Corner Bookstore, once a publishing house.  Ralph Waldo Emmerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Harriet Beecher Stowe all gathered here.  The publishing house printed both "The Scarlet Letter" and the words to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic."  Across the street is the Old South Meeting House, built in 1729, was the largest building in Colonial Boston.  As a result, this Georgian-style congregational church was commonly used as a town meeting hall.  The enraged citizens met here following the Boston Massacre and also when Bostonians met to discuss the new tea tax.  The Tea Party immediately followed that meeting.  Our nest stop on the trail is the The Old State House, which I cannot believe we do not have a picture of.  Grrrrr.  This is the place where a great deal of Boston history took place - stirring speeches and debates between patriots and royal officials -- and was the center of Colonial government.  The Massachusetts Assembly, the Court of Suffolk County, and the Boston town government all met in the second floor rotunda.  On the buildings east gable beneath the clock is the balcony which the royalists used to make their decrees, but in 1776, the tables were turned on them and the Declaration of Independence was read from it.  Just below the balcony is where the Boston Massacre occurred in 1770 and there is a circle of stones marking the site.  The feeling that you get when visiting these places is one of reverence, respect, and awe.  It brings out the patriotism in people and helps us to remember what this nation was all about and lest we forget -- helps us to pay more attention to our current government.

From here, we are on to Faneuil Hall/Quincy Marketplace which, like many others, was a meeting spot for the patriots to discuss various issues they were having.  The Hall is where "taxation without representation" has it's roots.  Atop the hall, there is a gilt grasshopper weather vane which had been placed there in 1742 and was used as a tool for determining if one was a spy or not.  They believed that only a TRUE Bostonian would be able to surely identify what it was.  It is a unique weather vane in that it has green glass doorknobs for eyes and inside the stomach are coins and other mementos.  Opposite Faneuil Hall is the Quincy Market, three buildings that house various shops, restaurants, pushcart vendors, and street entertainers.  It is a bustling and wonderful area of the city -- great place to people watch.

Continuing on our walk, we pass The Union Oyster House, built in 1713 and the oldest restaurant in Boston.  Following that, we come to The Ebenezer Hancock House where John Hancock's brother lived, The Haymarket which no longer sells hay but is a vibrant farmers market, and the The Paul Revere House.  Paul Revere's house is a nondescript, 2-story clapboard structure built in 1680 and is said to be Boston's oldest building.  It is from this house that the "midnight ride" began.  We continue on our journey with a stop at St. Stephen's Church and just a short distance away is the Paul Revere Mall, which is not a shopping mall at all, but rather a sweet little park.  It is here that we find one of the city's most photographed sculptures.

Of course, we have to participate in that.  There is also a lovely fountain there and by now everyone knows of my love for all things fountain.  A gate in the mall leads to the courtyard of The Old North Church.  Like the others, it is amazing inside and this time I open one of the pew boxes and take a seat.  I absolutely adore these old churches and wish this system was still in use today.   This church is the oldest surviving in Boston.  Built in 1722 - thus it's nickname.  It is officially called Christ Church.  This church played a key role in the midnight ride as well, for it is from here that the lanterns were hung for the "one if by land, two if by sea."

I am so ready for a break -- we have been walking quite awhile and lucky for me, Mister agrees.

Caffe Vittoria is absolutely perfect.  Mister is able to get an iced coffee and I treat myself to a huge glass of water and a sorbet.  It is, after all, and Italian shop.

After our brief respite, we continue on our journey up the hill toward Copps Hill Burying Ground.  It overlooks the Old North Church and the Boston Harbor, our next destination.    It is starting to get chilly and there is a mist in the air.

Once we cross the bridge, we are in Charlestown and the home of the U.S.S. Constitution  This ship was launched in 1797 and gained the nickname of "Old Ironsides" during the war of 1812 due to the resiliency of it's wooden sides.

At this point, we decide to call it a day and take the ferry back to Long Wharf.  We grab a bite to eat and as we wander the street back to the hotel, we are amazed at how quiet the city has become.  It is definitely time for these weary travelers to get some sleep.  What a great day and an even greater education today.  Loved it.