Boston
The place where it all began
“Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,…”
No matter which place you visit or which guided tour you take in Boston, one thing is guaranteed: Somebody will certainly quote the initial line of the Longfellow poem.
The walk to freedom
Boston played an important role in the American Revolution. The Boston Tea Party in 1773 started the fire that ended three years later in the Declaration of Independence. The Freedom Trail in Boston marks the spots in the city that were important along this journey. It starts at the Boston Common from where you also have a great view of the golden dome of the Massachusetts State House.
You can easily follow the Freedom Trail as it is clearly marked by a red line and signs on the ground in front of important sites. Charlie did a guided tour with Hub Town Tours. She always likes to get a bit more information.
Park Street Church and Granary Burying Ground
As you leave the Boston Common you are passing by the Park Street Church, which served as a storage for wheat and later for gun powder before it was turned into a church, and the Granary Burying Ground. It is the third-oldest and most visited historic cemetery in Boston. Charlie visited it twice, during the Freedom Trail Tour and during the Ghosts & Gravestones Tour. Three of the founding fathers are buried here: John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.
Old South Meeting House and Boston Tea Party Museum
Further along the Freedom Trail, you reach the Old South Meeting House which used to be a church. It is the place where the colonists met to decide what to do with the unloaded tea in the harbour in 1773. You can relive this experience at the Boston Tea Party Museum. The tour starts with a re-enactment of the meeting and even the visitors get involved. Everybody becomes a card with a name and a story of a person that took part in the Boston Tea Party. Once the plan is made, the whole group goes to the ship and you can thrown some tea in the water, just as the colonists did. Inside the museum you can listen to some conversations between Samuel Adams and King George III.
After that eventful night, Boston was facing severe consequences (the Coercive Acts) and life in the city became hard. More and more British soldiers landed in the colony and took camp at the Boston Common. For that reason, the people of Boston were able to gather information about the military plans. In April 1775 Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott were tasked to relay the message to the colonial militia at Lexington that the British were about to attack. The Battle of Lexington marked the start of the American Revolutionary Wars.
It was only a century later that Longfellow wrote the poem of The Midnight Ride giving Paul Revere all the credit. You can learn more about Paul Revere, his life and his legacy at the Paul Revere House in Boston.
Old State House
There are two historical events related to the Old State House. It used to be the seat of the British government and it was from that very same balcony that the Declaration of Independence was read. It happens every year on the 4th of July.
The other event was the Boston Massacre which happened on the square in front of the Old State House in 1770. The shooting started by accident and 5 people were killed. The term “massacre” was a strategic decision to use the events for propaganda against the British military presence.
Other parts of Boston
The above were only a few stops along the Freedom Trail, there is a lot more to see if you follow the red line or take a guided tour. There are other parts of Boston that you should not miss on your visit.
Charles Street
The historic street leads up from the Common towards North. The historic facades are protected by law and no modifications can be made. There are no electronic or neon signs and all the lamps are powered by gas. It feels like a stroll through Victorian England.
If you go from Charles Street towards Back Bay, you come along Beacon Street which is equally protected by law, although the architecture is a bit younger. It is the most expensive neighbourhood of Boston.
Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market and the waterfront
For some souvenir shopping, Faneuil Hall is the place to go and right next door is the largest food market in Boston, Quincy Market. If you walk further down from there, you get to the Long Wharf and the harbour. Another popular tourist activity in Boston is a harbour cruise, during the day or at sunset. You decide!
If you would like to explore Boston during a hop-on-hop-off-tour in one of the iconic trolleys, the first stop is also down there at Long Wharf. The tour provider that Charlie did the Freedom Trail tour with, also provides other historic tours about the Civil War and Women’s Rights.
Once you’ve seen all of Boston, you can easily get to Salem or Cape Cod by land or by water.
