Trip into Boston - Freedom Trail Part 1

I thought I would finally get around to posting some pictures of my trip into Boston and walking the Freedom Trail.

I took the commuter rail into North Station because it's so much easier to ride the train verses dealing with Boston traffic and parking. My friend Sarah and I headed to Boston Common once we got off the train. Sarah told me that the week before her and a bunch of her friends checked out the Cow Parade in Boston. There are 117 cows all over Boston and each one has a theme to it. All day long as we walked the Freedom Trail, we saw cows so I took a few pictures of them. Here are a few of my favorite cows:

Map of Boston Cow in Boston Commons.

State House Cow behind the State House in Boston.

T Cow in Boston Commons.

As we walked the trail, you stop at various historical points in Boston. The first stop is the State House. Across from the State House is the Robert Gould Shaw memorial (If you've seen the movie Glory, Shaw was the guy that was in charge of the 54th Regiment - the first African American regiment organized in the northern states during the Civil War).

State House in Boston.

Memorial to Shaw of the 54th Regiment.

We then headed over to the Park Street Church. I've never been inside the church. They had a nice 12 minute video on the history of the church. Some big happenings in this church: The hymn "America" was first sung here, and abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison gave his first antislavery speech here in 1829. Afterwards, we walked over to the Granary Burying Ground. Some famous folks are buried here such as Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock.

Grave of Paul Revere.

Grave of Samuel Adams.

We then walked to King's Chapel and Burying Ground. This is another building I've never been in. Some big facts: Because it was a stronghold of Loyalist opposition, most of the congregation left for England and Nova Scotia in 1776. In 1787 those remaining organized the first Unitarian congregation in America. The burying ground next to the chapel contains the remains of John Winthrop, the colony's first governor, as well as the gravestone that inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne to write The Scarlet Letter.

Our next stop was the marker for the first school, the Boston Latin School- the site of the oldest public school in America, which Franklin, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock once attended. Puritan settlers established the Latin School here on School Street in 1635.

Marker for Boston Latin School.

We grooved our way over to the Old South Meeting House. Again, another building I have never been in before. Most of the buildings we toured were free because we had our teacher union card. Lots of history in this building too: When the Old South Meeting House was built in 1729, its Puritan congregation could not foresee the role it would play in American history. In colonial times, statesman Benjamin Franklin was baptized here. Phillis Wheatley, the first published black poet, was a member, as were patriots James Otis, Thomas Cushing, and William Dawes. This museum had nice exhibits and a wonderful gift store if you have plenty of money to buy teaching supplies.

We then moved our way to the Boston Massacre sight. A cobblestone circle marks the site of the 1770 Boston Massacre when British soldiers fired into a crowd of Bostonians. Fugitive slave Crispus Attucks was among the five victims who died that day.

The marker of the Boston Massacre across from the Old State House.

My favorite place of the Freedom Trail - Faneuil Hall! Lunch time! We walked through Quincy Market to find some lunch. As we sat and ate our lunch, you can watch street performers - everything from dancing or juggling or comedy acts. Great people watching!

We then made our way over to the North End. We had to make a stop at Mike's Pastry - the best pastries in the world! I had to have my cannoli - I'm so addicted to it! Yummy!

Paul Revere's house is the next stop. The Paul Revere House is the oldest in downtown Boston. Built in 1680, it was owned and occupied by Paul Revere and his family most of the time from 1770 to 1800.

Front of Paul Revere House in the North End.

The next stop was Old North Church. I adore Old North Church. I always thought that I would I love to get married in that church - in the evening with the candle chandeliers. Very romantic and historical! :-) Built in 1723, Christ Church is better known as "Old North". It is Boston's oldest church building and still an active Episcopal Church. On the night of April 18, 1775, sexton Robert Newman hung two lanterns in the steeple to warn Charlestown patriots of the advance of British soldiers.

Inside Old North Church.