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.
Tag Archives: Old Ironsides
Evacuation Day – 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
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 – Old South Meeting House photo
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.
Boston Common aerial photo Freedom Trail
Bunker Hill monument photo
USS Constitution drydock photo
USS Constitution is in drydock now, so no “Turnaround” celebration this year. Visitors can tour the ship most days, after 2:30 PM. A great opportunity to see Old Ironsides.
USS Constitution stamp
Old Ironsides is now in drydock for repairs, so no “turnaround” this weekend July 4th. This Commemorative stamp is from 2012, on the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.
Battle of Bunker Hill 6/17/1775 painting
The Battle of Bunker Hill, as painted by John Trumbull. General Warren, the great patriot doctor, lies mortally wounded on the left. Patriot forces moved onto Bunker & Breed’s Hills in Charlestown the night before. The British regulars struggled to force them off these ramparts, while shelling the peninsula. The Patriot survivors retreated late in the afternoon, while the Regulars counted their dead and wounded. This painting is part of the magnificent Trumbull collection at Yale University.