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.
Tag Archives: freedom trail photo
Fugitive Slave law
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.
Boston Historic Park – Bunker Hill photo – Freedom Trail
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.
Old State House July 4
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.
Paul Revere’s ride
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 Church interior photo
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.
Evacuation Day – Dorchester Heights
Washington at Dorchester Heights
Evacuation Day and St. Patrick’s Day align in Boston, marking the departure of the British March 17, 1776. This ended the “Siege of Boston”. George Washington seized Dorchester Heights, fortified it with cannons, and surprised the British 2 weeks earlier. Painting by Gilbert Stuart.
“Bloody Massacre”, Boston, March 5, 1770
the “Bloody Massacre” as depicted by Paul Revere. British troops fired on a crowd of citizens, wounding 8 and killing 5. March 5, 1770. Re-enactment 3/5/2016.
Park Street Church winter Freedom Trail photo
Park Street church, view from the Public Garden. The Park Street Congregational Church replaced the Town granary on the Common’s eastern corner in 1809. Peter Banner designed this brick Georgian structure with a 217-foot steeple, inspired by the latest London architecture. The Soldiers & Sailors monument is just to the left of the steeple in this winter scene.
Boston Tea Party woodcut image
242 years ago this week. December 16, 1773 – A great crowd gathered at the Old South Meeting House to hear speeches protesting new taxes on imports, including tea. Shouting “Boston harbor a tea party tonight,” they went down to the nearby docks. Thinly disguised as “Mohawks”, fifty men boarded three East India ships – Dartmouth, Beaver and Eleanor. Breaking open 342 chests of imported tea, they dumped the lot into the harbor. The “Intolerable Acts” soon followed as punishment.