Freedom Trailblazing

Today we walked the Freedom trail. A 2.5 mile trek through the streets of Boston, following a red brick line built into the pavement, the sites along this trail tell the story of the American Revolution that all started in Boston.

The trail starts on Boston Common.

The first stop on the trail is the Massachusetts State House, the seat of Government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Unfortunately, the house was in session so we couldn’t get in to see the chamber and the “Sacred Cod” that must hang over every session of debate. Despite that it was pretty cool to walk around the building where decisions are made for the people of Boston and beyond.

Next was Park Street church, unfortunately closed on Mondays and its graveyard otherwise known as the Granary Burial Grounds. Some of the burials here were hugely important in the Revolutionary War. Hancock, Adams, Revere, the Boston Massacre victims. It also contains the tomb of the Franklin family (although Ben is buried in Philadelphia).

After this we walked a block further to Kings Chapel, then to the Old South Meeting House.  This was the site of many revolutionary meetings, including the planning of the Boston Tea Party.  It was still used into the 20th century as a place for free speech and expression.

We walked past the Old State House and the site of the Boston Massacre, which sparked the War of Independence itself after British soldiers began firing on ordinary civilians.

Next we stopped for a late breakfast at the North Street Grille, a little place hidden off the Freedom Trail. It was busy and we had a yummy American breakfast of eggs and short rib, and pancakes.

Next stop was Paul Revere’s house. Revere was one of the men that rode to John Hancock and Sam Adams to warn them that the British soldiers were coming. You could walk through some of the rooms of his house and see how he might have lived with his 11(!) children.

We then walked back towards the sea and the Naval yard where the USS Constitution is docked. The boat is nicknamed ‘Old Ironsides’ and is still a commissioned vessel in the US Navy. Unfortunately this was closed too, so we looked around a World War II Destroyer instead.

The final stop of the trail was Bunker Hill, the site of an important battle in the war. The British won the battle, but suffered heavy losses, showing the Revolutionaries would not be walked over in the remainder of the war.  We walked up the 300 steps to the top of the monument to get the full views of the city.

We caught the T train back into the city and walked back towards the hotel. We had to have some proper seafood before leaving Boston, so we stopped at the James Hook Lobster Company for a lobster roll for tea. Really fresh and tasty.