34. Boston National Historical Park, Massachusetts

               Welcome back to our blog on the National Park Service.  In our latest post we travel through the center of one of our nation’s most historic cities to visit the locations of events that set our nation on the road to independence.

Entrance Sign

BACKGROUND:

In the early 1770s, colonial Boston was the archetypal powder keg ready to explode.  Anger and discontent following the imposition of taxes by the British Parliament to repay debts from the French and Indian war boiled over into outright hostility toward the Crown.  A near riot by protestors attacking British troops outside the statehouse led to the deaths of five colonists.  The local rabble-rousing activist Samuel Adams declared the incident to be the “Boston Massacre,” and used it as a propaganda coup to swell the ranks of his organization, the “Sons of Liberty.”  Adams and his followers, among them his cousin John Adams, Doctor Joseph Warren, businessman John Hancock, as well as many others, took their message of “no taxation without representation” to the public, debating in Boston’s churches, meeting houses, taverns, and public buildings arguing that the King and Parliament had abused their natural rights as Englishmen.  British authorities reacted by cracking down on dissent, abolishing the right to assembly, quartering troops in the homes of citizens, and cutting off trade to the port of Boston. 

The Old South Meeting House.

On the night of April 18^th, 1775, the Sons of Liberty received word that British troops would be departing Boston and march to Concord to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock and more importantly seize weapons from the Massachusetts militia.  After receiving a signal from the city’s Old North Church, Sons of Liberty members Paul Revere and William Dawes rode into the countryside to alert and assemble the militia.  The British attempt to seize the militia’s weapons proved to be the last straw and clashes erupted between the colonists and regulars at Lexington and Concord.

               The British retreated to Boston and found themselves besieged in the city by swarms of militiamen.  In June, militia commanders hoped to evict the British from the city by placing artillery on Breeds Hill on the Charlestown peninsula overlooking Boston Harbor north of the city.  Not about to allow the rebels to threaten their ships, the British attacked.  British soldiers marched bravely into the face of withering fire from the entrenched colonists.  Hundreds of troops were massacred before the rebels were forced to retreat after running out of ammunition.  A British officer mislabeled Breeds Hill after another nearby hill, and the Battle of Bunker Hill as it became known meant a turning point from mere revolt to outright war.  Soon colonists began to seriously consider the most dangerous course of action of all, declaring independence from the British Crown.

The memorial obelisk atop Breeds Hill commemorating the Battle of Bunker Hill.

               The American War of Independence continued until 1783, and many prominent Bostonians became leading figures in the new republic.  Boston continued to be one of the nation’s leading cities and as such was a prime choice of a shipyard for the new United States Navy.  As the home port of the frigate U.S.S. Constitution, Boston shared in and cheered her victories over British ships during the War of 1812.  The Charlestown Navy Yard, located in the shadow of Bunker Hill, continued to provide new ships for the U.S. Navy and serve the country until 1975.

THE HISTORICAL PARK:

               Boston National Historical Park works in conjunction with several private institutions to preserve some of the most important historical buildings and locations in the city of Boston.  As one of the biggest and modern cities in the country, Boston has greatly changed from its colonial past but many of the structures associated with the events that kindled the American War of Independence remain.  The various locales are connected via the famed “Freedom Trail,” a simple line of bricks that weaves its way through downtown Boston taking visitors who walk along it to fourteen historic sites.

A marker designating a historic site along the Freedom Trail.

               Beginning in front of the Massachusetts State House (the state capitol) and Boston Common, a large park which once served as a cow pasture, the trail moves southeast to the Park Street Church where Antebellum Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison gave his first speech.  Nearby is the Granary Burying Ground, a cemetery holding the graves of Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere and other well known colonial citizens.  From there the trail winds northeast, passing the 1749 Kings Chapel and Burial Ground, the site of the first public school in North America, the historic Old Corner Bookstore and the Old South Meeting House where colonial citizens voiced their grievances against the King and Parliament before reaching the Old State House.  The Old State House was once the seat of the British colonial government in Massachusetts.  The building is now a museum displaying artifacts and exhibits on the colonial era.  Directly in front of the Old State House is the site of the Boston Massacre.  Beyond to the east is Faneuil Hall, a major colonial market place and meeting hall.  The ground floor features the park’s NPS visitor center and still functions as a market.  The historic meeting hall above on the second floor is open for guided tours.

The exterior of Faneuil Hall.

               The Freedom Trail then continues winding north, passing by the home of Paul Revere, the silversmith who embarked on the famous ride to rally the Minute Men militia to face the British at Concord.  The house is the oldest building in Boston and is open to the public.  From there the trail moves deeper into Boston’s North End to the Old North Church, where the famous two lanterns from Longfellow’s poem were hung to alert Revere and Dawes the British were moving on Concord by crossing the Charles River.  The trail itself crosses the river, first passing the Copp’s Hill Burial Ground, over the Charlestown Bridge where it ascends to the top of Breeds Hill.  Atop the hill is a massive obelisk, memorializing the Battle of Bunker Hill.  The obelisk has an observation deck which is open to the public.  A small contact station is at the rear of the monument while a larger visitor center is across the street.

The Old North Church.  Two lanterns, of the "One if by land, two if by sea" fame continue to be hung in the tower.

               Finally, the trail descends to the Charlestown Peninsula waterfront where it terminates at the Charlestown Navy Yard.  The former Navy Yard makes up most of the waterfront, however only a relatively small section is owned by the National Park Service with many of the former buildings and piers taken over by private development.  At the center of the navy yard the park hosts two historic naval vessels.  The first is the World War Two destroyer U.S.S. Cassin Young.  Named after a Pearl Harbor Medal of Honor recipient, the Cassin Young served in the Pacific during the later years of the war and is now preserved in much the same condition she was in 1945.  Opposite the Cassin Young along the Navy Yard’s pier 1 is the U.S.S. Constitution.  First constructed in 1797, the Constitution is the oldest commissioned vessel in the United States Navy and is still manned by naval personnel.  As such, to board the vessel for tours, all visitors must first pass through security when entering the navy yard visitor center.  The Constitution also has a separate museum on the navy yard run by a private foundation.

The sailing frigate U.S.S. Constitution, seen here in the still functioning dry dock at the Charlestown Navy Yard undergoing repairs during the summer of 2017.

               Separated from the rest of the park is the Dorchester Heights monument, located in the Dorchester Heights neighborhood of Boston.  The monument marks the site of where the American Continental Army in March of 1776, by then under the command of George Washington, placed artillery overlooking Boston Harbor which finally forced British troops and loyalist civilians to abandon the city.  The monument is not open to the public for climbing.

TRAVEL TIPS:

               As Boston is one of the busiest and most crowded cities in the country, visiting Boston National Historical Park has the potential to be difficult.  Given the crowded road conditions in the center of downtown Boston, it may be easier for visitors to visit the park walking the Freedom Trail backwards, starting at the Charlestown Navy Yard where parking may be more available.  Following the Freedom Trail can be strenuous due to its distance and Boston’s many hills, so it is recommended that only those who are in reasonably good health attempt to walk it in its entirety.  Otherwise it is recommended to view the historic sites by other more mobile means.  Likewise, not all structures in the park are handicapped accessible.  Many of the historic buildings require entry fees, or a donation to the private foundation preserving the site is strongly encouraged.  The hours of operations for the various sites differ somewhat, but are generally open between 9am and 5pm, with Faneuil Hall, the Old State House, the Old North Church, and the U.S.S. Constitution Museum open until 6.  Passport stamps can be found at the Charlestown Navy Yard, Bunker Hill, and Faneuil Hall.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

The World War Two destroyer U.S.S. Cassin Young, taken from the bow looking back at her number 1 and 2 turrets and bridge.

 A view of the Charlestown Navy Yard.  The Bunker Hill obelisk can be see at left.

The historic residence of the commandant of the Charlestown Navy Yard.

A statue commemorating Colonel William Prescott located in front of the Bunker Hill obelisk.  Prescott was the American commander who gave the famous order to his men, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes."  The rebels obeyed, unleashing their devastating volleys into the British at point blank range.

A statue to Dr. Joseph Warren, one of the leading members of the Sons of Liberty alongside Samuel Adams and John Hancock, located in the contact station at the base of the Bunker Hill obelisk.  Warren was killed during the Battle of Bunker Hill.

 

A statue of Paul Revere on his horse commemorating he and Dawes's famous "Midnight Ride."  The Old North Church is seen in the background.

The house of Paul Revere, the oldest structure in Boston, originally built in the 1600s.

The Old State House in the center of downtown Boston.  The spot in front of the second floor balcony where a small crowd has gathered is the site of the Boston Massacre.

Personal items belonging to Sons of Liberty leader, and later famously the President of the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence, John Hancock on display at the Old State House.

The current State House, the Massachusetts State Capitol which serves as the starting point of the Freedom Trail.