In 1635, Boston established the first “public” Latin or Grammar School in America, resolving that Philemon Purmont, a shopkeeper, “be entreated to become a schoolmaster for the teaching and nourtering of the children with us.” The original Latin School was demolished in 1844 to make way for City Hall. This plaque decorates the sidewalk nearby.

Tombstone of William Hough, 1714.  Copp’s Hill, the Town’s second burying ground, was established in 1659 on a hill named for shoemaker William Copp.  The site soon rivaled the Common as a public venue, hosting such spectacles as the 1704 execution of seven pirates.