Old State House, snow © Steve Dunwell
A snowy evening, March 5, 1770. Here on King Street, now called State Street. Rowdy Patriot mob + squad of British soldiers. Short skirmish and surprising gunfire leaves 5 dead.
Constitution, with sails, Boston
Feb 20, 1815 – decisive battle between USS Constitution and two British ships: Cyane and Levant. Victory for Constitution, her last major battle during the War of 1812.
Park Street Church, winter sunset. Home to the great abolitionist, William Lloyd Garrison. “My Country ’tis of thee” was sung here for the first time in 1831.
Old South Meeting House on the Freedom Trail
The congregation of Old South Church (Copley Square) returns to its historic beginning at Old South Meeting House for a Thanksgiving service with Brass and Bell-Ringers. Boston history alive.
The tombstone of William Waters, d. 1691, at Copps Hill, in Boston’s North End. The North Battery was nearby, with cannons used in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Fugitive Slave Act, 1850
Fugitive Slave Law, Sept 19, 1850. Protests galvanize Boston abolitionists. 54th Regiment marches to Civil War duty a dozen years later.
Centennial of the National Park Service. Many of the sites on Freedom Trail are part of the Boston Historic Park, supervised by NPS. Bunker Hill is one of the treasures.
The Declaration of Independence will be read from the balcony on the Old State House on July 4th. This commemorates the actual reading of the Declaration, on July 18, 1776.
Revere statue by Cyrus Dallin
Patriot’s Day is celebrated today, but Paul Revere’s Ride was actually tonight – April 18, 1775. Paul Revere crossed the Charles River to Cambridge, then rode his horse towards Lexington to warn the partisans there. He almost made it. Other riders carried the news further.
Old North © Steve Dunwell
Christ Church in Boston, known as Old North, is getting an interior makeover. Preservationists are discovering the original colors, and finding painted cherubs around the ceiling.