The Pierce Family: Spring Break

The forecast did not look good but we weren't going to let a little rain stop us from what we had planned for day four - walking The Freedom Trail! The beautiful view from our hotel room.

Stop 1 - the Bunker Hill Monument. "The Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775 was the first major battle of the Revolutionary War and predicted the character and outcome of the rest of the war."

The Massachusetts Gate marker.

A statue of Massachusett's Colonel William Prescott, leader of the American troops.

We escaped from the rain by checking out items in the Bunker Hill Lodge - a statue of Joseph Warren, portraits, and a Revolutionary War cannon, "The Adams".

"Fifty years after the battle, the Marquis De Lafayette set the cornerstone of what would become a lasting monument and tribute to the Battle of Bunker Hill". The 221-foot tall obelisk is built entirely from quarried granite. It took over seventeen years to build and marks the site where Provincial forces constructed an earthen fort prior to the battle.

All of us, except for Savannah, decided to make the challenging climb to the top of the monument.

Despite the rain, the views of Boston were amazing!!

But the climb absolutely destroyed me and David. As we headed to the museum across the street, my legs started shaking. I barely made it up the few steps into the museum!

I'm so glad I persevered because the museum contained a lot of fascinating stuff!

Following the red brick road! I turned it into a song and dance like in The Wizard of Oz but Savannah and Noah weren't that impressed.

A memorial to those who died in the battle.

We also passed this memorial honoring the men of Charlestown who fought in the Civil War "for the preservation of the Union".

Stop 2 - The USS Constitution. "Launched in Boston in 1797, USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat and earned her nickname "Old Ironsides" during the War of 1812 when she fought the British frigate HMS Guerriere.

We decided to explore the museum first. Actually, it was just me and Noah that did the exploring...David was not feeling well at all after our climb at the the Bunker Hill monument and Savannah was bored. They both hung out on some benches while Noah and I played a cool game of battleship...

went on a treasure hunt...

and learned about the life of a sailor. Noah was a little shorter than the average sailor...

but he had the scrubbing down...

as well as sleeping in a hammock...

and hauling a cow on board! You should have heard that thing moo!

I was thrilled to find out that our taxes paid for our jaunt on board the ship!

There was a little problem due to my lack of a drivers license but we eventually made it on board.

Heading to our next stop and enjoying the view of the water.

Stop 3 - Copp's Hill Burying Ground. "Named after shoemaker William Copp, Copp's Hill Burying Ground is the final resting place and burying ground of merchants, artisans, and craftspeople who lived in the North End."

I was fascinated by the carvings on the tombstones!

Some notables buried here are the preachers Cotton and Increase Mather, two Puritan ministers associated with the Salem witch trials as well as Robert Newman, the man who hung the lanterns on the night of Paul Revere's midnight ride.

Due to its height and panoramic views, the British used this spot to train their cannons on Charlestown during the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Stop 4 - The Old North Church. "Built in 1723, Boston's oldest church is best known for the midnight ride of Paul Revere and 'One if by land, two if by sea'."

Lunch stop at Regina's Pizza. The line was out the door and down the street but it was worth the wait!

Found this gem in a gift shop! It's so me!

A few more pictures of Old North Church before moving on to our next stop.

Our next stop was for cannolis at Mike's Pastry, apparently a must-have when visiting Boston. The place was packed and the cannolis were huge!

Stop 5 - the Paul Revere house. "Built around 1860, the Paul Revere House, owned by the legendary patriot from 1770-1800, is the oldest remaining structure in downtown Boston and also the only official Freedom Trail historic site that is a home."

A statue dedicated to the famous boxer Tony DeMarco...

and some great pictures of our stroll through the city.

The Bell in Hand Tavern was built in 1795 and is America's oldest continuously operating tavern.

The Ebenezer Hancock House, built in 1767, is the only remaining house in Boston associated with John Hancock. He owned the house but his brother Ebenezer lived here.

The Union Oyster House is the oldest restaurant in Boston and the oldest restaurant in continuous service. It has quite the history!

Stop 6 - Faneuil Hall. "Often referred to as 'the home of free speech' and the 'Cradle of Liberty', Faneuil Hall hosted America's first Town Meeting. The Hall's vital role in revolutionary politics had not been part of its original plans, but it became home to an intricate collection of events that shaped the nation's history."

Stop 7 - the Old State House, the oldest surviving public building in Boston. "Built in 1713, the building served as the center of civic, political, and business life."

Stop 8 - the Boston Massacre Site. "On March 5, 1770, after months of tensions due to occupation and taxation, Bostonians and Redcoats clashed in the streets of Boston. What ended with five civilians killed by gunfire, Crispus Attucks, Samuel Gray, James Caldwell, Samuel Maverick, and Patrick Carr, led to the rallying of Bostonians against the Crown and the evacuation of troops in Boston. They would not return until 1774."

Stop 9 - Old South Meeting House. This is where the Boston Tea Party began! "This hall rang with words from Puritan sermons, public meetings, and the tea tax debates."

Stop 10 - the Old Corner Bookstore. "Constructed in 1718, the Old Corner Bookstore is downtown Boston's oldest commercial building and was home to the 19th-century publishing giant Ticknor and Fields." Some of the famous titles that were produced here include Thoreau's "Walden", Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter", and Longfellow's "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere".

Stop 11 - Boston Latin School Site and Benjamin Franklin Statue. "Boston Latin School, founded on April 23, 1635, is the oldest public school in America. It offered free education to boys - rich and poor - while girls attended private schools at home. A mosaic and a statue of former student Benjamin Franklin currently marks the location of the original schoolhouse."

Having a little fun with an ass!

Stop 12 - King's Chapel and King's Chapel Burying Ground. "Founded in 1686 as Boston's first Anglican church, King's Chapel is home to over 350 years of history. The 1754 granite building still stands on the church's original site; the corner of Boston's oldest English burying ground.

Some of the more illustrious people buried here are John Winthrop, Massachusett's first governor, and Mary Chilton, the first woman to step off the Mayflower. "Joseph Tapping's stone in the front of the burying ground, where a skeleton and Father Time battle over the eventuality of death, may be Boston's most beautiful headstone"!

Stop 13 - the Granary Burying Ground. "Established in 1660, some of America's most notable citizens rest here."

Unfortunately it was closed but we did spot a few markers of some of the famous people buried here. There is an Infant's Tomb where hundreds of children have been interred, Benjamin Franklin's parents, John Hancock along with two other signers of the Declaration of Independence, Robert Treat Paine and Samuel Adams, and Paul Revere. There is also a grave marker for the victims of the Boston Massacre.

Stop 14 - Park Street Church. Founded in 1809, this church was once the first landmark travelers saw when approaching Boston.

Stop 15 - Boston Common. "Established in 1634, Boston Common is America's oldest public park." Over 1000 Redcoats camped here during the British occupation of Boston in 1775 and it was from here that three brigades of Redcoats set out to Lexington and Concord.

The first sight that greeted us were three men completed wasted sitting, or rather almost falling off, a bench near the entrance. Numerous homeless people and people begging for money roamed the park. As a result, we decided to hurry our way through to get to our next stop.

"The Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Regiment Memorial. This bronze memorial commemorates the first all black volunteer regiment in the Civil War. "Shaw and many of his men perished in their assault of Fort Wagner in South Carolina. William Carney, who was wounded in the assault, rescued the regiment's battle flag and became the first black man to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor."

Stop 16 - the Massachusett's State House. This building has served as the seat of Massachusetts government since its opening in 1798. It sits adjacent to the former site of the Hancock mansion.

Although it's not a site on the Freedom Trail, I made sure we made our way to the African Meeting House. It was built in 1806 and is now the oldest black church still standing in the US. In the early 1800's a school was established here. "Besides inspiring Boston's African Americans to pursue justice and quality in education, the school offered them opportunities for employment and economic growth, which in turn provided funds for future generations of African American Bostonians to pursue higher education." During the abolitionist movement in the 1800's, it became known as the Black Faneuil Hall. William Lloyd Garrison founded the New England Anti-Slavery Society here and during the Civil War, Frederick Douglass and others recruited soldiers here for the 54th and 55th Massachusetts Regiments.