Travel Biography - Week 114.

Hiking the Boston Freedom Trail.

Boston is renowned for its history, and this city in the State of Massachusetts was the birthplace of the USA as an independent and sovereign nation after the 1773 Boston Tea Party had started a trend towards a breakaway from British Empire colonialism. Hence, several historic sites are found within the city centre and also across the Charles River in the northern district of Charlestown.

There are 16 historical sites, 14 of them in the city centre, and the last two in Charlestown. All these sites are linked by the Freedom Trail, which I followed during my visit in 1998. However, there was one site I missed, Site 10, the Boston Massacre Site. In last week's blog, I mentioned that the marker was a circular slab resembling a manhole cover. This description was taken from a Google photo, which gave a false impression of the slab's size. Since it's one of the trail's 'stations', I have included it here as a stock photo in its proper place on the trail, after the Old State House, but before Faneuil Hall. The fact that Faneuil Hall could be seen from a distance as I approached the building was, I think, why I missed the Site of the Massacre. I must have walked straight past it as my eyes were set on the historic building.

The trail itself is 2.5 miles long, or 4 km, but due to unfamiliarity and without a guide, I didn't start the hike at the proper start 'station' which was located on Boston Common, but on Treemont Street, just twenty metres short of the proper start.

On each of the sites, I will give a very brief description, of its history, and purpose, taken from Wikipedia.

Site 1 - Boston Common Start Station.

This was the only site I didn't see. But according to the Internet, it looks to be a modern building with a shop selling information about the trail. It was here where I could have bought a guidebook and read about each site during the hike. In 1998, I joined the trail at Treemont Street, about twenty metres from the proper start.

Site 2 - Massachusetts State House.

This houses the State Government and includes the State Capitol and the General Court, along with the offices of the Governor of Massachusetts. Its construction was completed in 1798, which was 25 years after the Boston Tea Party, and nine years after the election of President George Washington.

Site 3 - Park Street Church.

This is a Congregational Evangelical Church with up to 1,200 members. From the laying of its cornerstone on 1st May 1809, it was completed just under seven months later around Christmas of that year. Its steeple is 66 metres high, making it the tallest building in the USA between 1810 and 1828. When the church opened, 26 members who attended the Old South Meeting House moved to Park Street Church. These members rose up to initiate the 1773 Boston Tea Party.

Site 4 - The Granary Burial Ground.

This site has 2,345 grave markers, but as many as 5,000 could be buried there, according to historians. Dating back to 1660, this is the burial ground for those who gave their lives during the Revolutionary Wars and includes five graves of victims of the Boston Massacre. Its name originated from a granary that stood on the site of the Park Street Church which was nearby.

Site 5 - Kings Chapel and its Burial Ground.

This was the home of the Unitarian Church, a group that denies the doctrine of the Trinity, but instead, insists that God is one single entity, and his Son, Jesus, was not equal to the Father in essence. The church building was completed in 1754, and in 1960 became a National Historic Landmark, due to its unique Roman-style columns fronting the church. The Burial Ground, not affiliated with the church, dates back to 1630 and the graves are of Anglican parishioners. It's the oldest burial ground in Boston.

Site 6 - Site of Boston's first Public School of Latin.

The site is decorated with brickwork embedded in the sidewalk marking the site of Boston Latin School, founded in 1638, making it the oldest school in colonial America and the USA. It was originally modelled on the Boston Grammar School in England. The school exists today at Avenue Louis Pasteur, several miles southwest of the city.

Site 7 - The Old Corner Bookstall.

This large building was completed in 1718 and it was a tenement and apothecary shop (a pharmacy to us) before it became a bookstore in 1828. However, by the time I arrived there, it had already closed down just a year earlier in 1997. In 1960, this handsome building was threatened with demolition, to be replaced with an (ugly) parking garage, but was rescued by Historic Boston, a preservation society similar to our National Trust, who purchased the building for $100,000.

Site 8 - Old South Meeting House.

Completed in 1729, the Old South Meeting House was the Congregational church before Park Street Church opened in 1809. It was here in 1773 that the organising of the Boston Tea Party took place, with around 5,000 colonialists gathering in what was Boston's largest building.

Site 9 - The Old State House.

This building was completed in 1713, and originally it served as the Massachusetts General Court until 1798. After that, it housed the Boston Hall, then hired out for commercial use until 1881, thereafter it served as a museum right up to 2019.

Site 10 - The Boston Massacre Site.

Stock Photo.

This was the site I missed as I walked from the Old State House to Faneuil Hall. Perhaps with my eyes fixed on the large building, it was easy to walk past this circular stonework embedded in the ground. However, I include a stock photo here with a person giving the scale of its size. The site is a memorial of the Boston Massacre in 1770 when a crowd of colonial civilians rose up to protest against the heavy-handedness of the British. Several in the crowd were shot dead to quell the rebellion.

Site 11 - Faneuil Hall.

Interior of Faneuil Hall.

This large, handsome building is a marketplace and meeting hall. It was built in 1742. Orators such as Samuel Adams and James Otis encouraged civilians to assemble inside and were encouraged to vie for American independence from British colonial rule. Other than the USS Constitution, Faneuil Hall was the only building on the Trail where I was able to look around inside.

Site 12 - Paul Revere House and Gardens.

Paul Revere Gardens.

Paul Revere House was built in 1680 and it was the home of the American Patriot and one of the Founding Fathers during the American Revolution. Although the wooden shack-like structure may lack aesthetics, it became a National Historic Landmark in 1961. I believe it's now a museum with an entry fee. The trail then continues through Paul Revere Gardens.

Site 13 - The Old North Church.

I'm aware that this is a poor picture I took of the spire. That is what happened when I decided to snap a picture of a structure with white cladding blending with a cloudy sky! The church was built in 1723 as a mission church, the oldest in Boston. The sexton, Robert Newman, hung two lanterns on the steeple in 1775 to warn Paul Revere and his associates of nearby British military activity during his Midnight Ride.

Site 14 - Copps Hill Burial Ground.

The cemetery was founded in 1659, it's the second oldest burial ground after King's Chapel cemetery which was founded in 1630. This is where 1,200 marked graves of colonial Bostonians up to the 1850s.

Site 15 - The USS Constitution.

Nicknamed 'Old Ironsides', this three-mast frigate was launched in 1797 and played a vital role in the 1812 War against the United Kingdom. Its hull withstood the cannonball shots from enemy ships, hence earning its nickname. Its durability played a role in leading to victory for the USA. Like the Faneuil Hall, the USS Constitution is open to the public, but only in escorted tours. Despite my dislike for ranger-led tours, I joined one to explore the ship more thoroughly. After the tour was over, I diverted from the group to take another look at its interior without touching or disturbing anything in it. In next to no time, one of the rangers ordered me to leave unless I was in a tour group. Without a fuss, I disembarked.

Site 16 - Bunker Hill Monument.

This 67-metre-high monument was closed when I arrived, so I couldn't climb the 294 steps to the lookout. Therefore, missing out on splendid views (and photos) of Boston. It commemorates the Battle of Bunker Hill in Charlestown in 1775.

Conclusion.

That day, I completed the trail. In addition to exploring the interior of Faneuil Hall and the USS Constitution, I also spent some time in the Constitution Maritime Museum which was near the frigate. Although all the information above was from Wikipedia to ensure that I got all the facts correct, during my 1998 visit to Boston, I became familiar with all the 'stations' of the Freedom Trail, including their names.

Although the closure of the Bunker Hill Monument was a slight disappointment, this didn't bother me too much, as the air wasn't very clear, so any views would have been restricted. However, I couldn't help but feel somewhat humiliated when I was ordered off the frigate. At the time, I couldn't help but compare the USS Constitution with the slightly older HMS Victory dry-docked at Portsmouth, on the southern coast of England. Some years ago, my wife and I were allowed to wander freely around the interior of the ship, as most visitors did, although ranger-led tours were also available for anyone who preferred them.

And my experience on that Boston frigate has made me think about the future of Travel as I write this blog. Did past generations of tourists have the freedom to wander around the frigate unescorted? I recall 1982. When I was backpacking Italy and its southern island of Sicily, I had unrestricted access to the Catacombs of St John in Siracusa. Back then, I wandered through the underground tunnels unescorted, free to take as many pictures as I wished. When I returned in 2006, I saw that a waiting room and gift shop had since been built. And no one was allowed into the tunnels unless one was in an escorted group. In addition, photography was forbidden in 2006* When it comes to ancient or historical sites, is the individual, independent traveller a dying breed? Would it be possible that one day, no one would be allowed to hike the Grand Canyon unless in a group led by an escort? For the sake of future generations, I hope that will never happen!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*For details of my 1982 trip to the Catacombs and how this compares with 2006 and the present, click here.

Next Week - A boat cruise to Provincetown.