Lexington and Boston, MA

After the September project, we had a week off.  It sure came quickly!  One of the other MMAPers had done some research on Boston, and asked if anyone else was interested in going to Boston for part of the week.  That is what we were planning to do anyway! We were the only ones who said yes, so we and the Holcombs explored Boston and Cape Cod together during the week off work.  We had a great time!

The plan was to go to Lexington first, so we could see the Minute Man National Historical Park and the associated historical sites there.  Good thing we visited this first, since it was closed later in the week due to the government shut down.

The Battle Road follows the events of April 19th, 1775.  

Paul Revere was captured here

This is the Hartwell Tavern.  Three members of the Hartwell family joined the fighting that day.

A musket shooting demonstration took place while we were there.

There are 11 homes along the road that existed that day.  Some only have foundations left, others have been restored.  Besides the Hartwell tavern and home,  Captain William Smith, leader of the Lincoln militia, had a  home that still stands

The Noah Brooks Tavern, along with other homes made up the Brooks Village.  The sides of the house were made of brick, but the front was wood

The Wayside home, owned by the Alcotts, parents of Louise May, was not open due to major work being done.  (So much scaffolding and trees, I did not even get a picture).  But this historic home was host to Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, as well as an enslaved man traveling Underground Railroad.  The house was later owned by Nathaniel Hawthorne, then Harriett Lothrop author of the Five Little Peppers series.  I did not realize all of these writers lived so close to each other!

Another home, the Orchard House was owned by Louise May Alcott and wrote Little Women here. 

The North Bridge is where the “shot heard round the world” was fired.

The bridge separates the commemorative British soldier’s graves and the minute man statue where they took their stand.

The hotel we stayed at was convenient to the subway station, so after getting a crash course from a sweet employee on the first day, (she saw us with the bewildered look of tourists) we became confident with using the public underground transportation!

What a privilege to visit Boston!  I thought about Washington being historical, but Boston is where the nation began!  

When we arrived downtown Boston, we purchased  a two-day, hop-on-hop-off ticket for the trolley.  That gave us an overview and helped with the decisions of where to get off and what to see.

We stopped along the Freedom Trail, seeing: 

Boston Common and State House

This is where we came out of the subway when we arrived in Boston.  We caught the trolley here, at the oldest public park in the US, established by Puritans in 1634.

Old South Meeting House

First built for a house of worship, many historical meetings have been held here.  It is still used as an active meeting place.

The carvings were amazing.

Even the altar had some amazing carvings! 

Above the altar is a sounding board, which helped send the speaker's voice, like our PA systems of today.

Can you see the person in the left window?  He is painting the exterior window  frame. The exterior of the building was being renovated.  Between the scaffolding and netting, you couldn’t really see what it looked like.

Old Corner Bookstore

Just down from the Old South Meeting House, I saw this building, built in 1718.  It was later I recognized it. Glad I took the picture! It is a restaurant now.

The Old State House

This building looks so small compared with the skyscraper buildings surrounding it.

The small balcony outside this door is where the Constitution was read for the first time.

Just below the balcony is the site of the Boston Massacre.  In 1770, British soldiers fired into a crowd of Bostonians.  Five victims died that day.

On loan from the British, is their copy of the original treaty of Paris.

Just across the street from the Old State House is the Historic Faneuil Hall with the statue of Samuel Adams,

as well as the Historic Quincy Market, where we ate lunch (under the  blue tents to the right)

The Paul Revere House

We walked several blocks to get to the Paul Revere House, since it was not directly on the trolley route

These were the buildings beside his home.

And this is the neighborhood church which he attended.

We ate at the Bell in Hand Tavern, established in 1795, making it the oldest tavern in America.  The first owner was the town crier for fifty years.  He reported on everything from the Boston Tea Party to the birth of the nation.  It was after he retired that he opened the tavern. 

There is still acobblestone road in front of it.

And just on the other side, in a city of American history commemorative pieces, they do not forget to honor and remember the suffering and oppression of others. This is their Holocaust Memorial.  

The Old North Church

We continued to walk to the Old North Church, Boston’s oldest church building, where Paul Revere devised the plan to place a lantern or two in the belfry of the church;  "one if by land, two if by sea", to warn citizens of the invasion of the "British Regular Soldiers".

A statue of Paul Revere is in the garden courtyard, 

as well as a commemorative display of dog tags from deceased soldiers.

Like the Old South Meeting House, the interior was impressive.

There is also a third lantern hanging in a front window.

On the 200th anniversary of the hanging of the two signal lanterns, April 18, 1975, President Gerald Ford dedicated the Third Lantern. 

Bunker Hill

We ran out of time and energy to walk up to the Bunker Hill Monument.  It was dedicated in 1864, to commemorate the Revolution’s first major battle.  There are 294 steps in this 221-foot Oobelisk.  We will have to return to climb those steps!

Copp’s Hill Burying Ground

These date back to 1660.  It is located on the north end, just up the street from the Old North Church.  It has many blacks and Mulattos buried here who worked in the shipyards.

We saw the Kings Chapel and Burying Ground, the Granary Burying Ground, and the site of the first school in America from the trolley, but could not get pictures from the trolley (too fast, traffic, whatever!)

The trolley ticket included a harbor (“Habah”) cruise.  It was a great way to see the skyline of Boston

If you look really close, there is a great shot of the Old State Building, seen between the big skyscrapers!!

We had the opportunity to stop and get off the boat at the Charlestown Navy Yard, part of the Freedom Trail. The USS Cassin Young represents the Word War II era destroyers.

Paul bought a souvenir, a flag that was flown over the oldest active commissioned navy ship, the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides).  It is take out once a year with a 21-gun salute to maintain the title.

Some random Boston shots......

Placed around the city are pianos, for anyone and everyone to play to their hearts content!  This one was at the Old North Church.  (I thought I had a picture of another one, but could not find it.)  People would just sit down and start playing.

This signage was prevalent in the early years, to indicate the type of store that was in the building, since so many people could not read.

There was also one with a tea pot, beside Starbucks! (not a good shot, through the dirty Trolley window).  We were told it was insured a Lloyds of London for a million dollars.

There were so many beautiful buildings with various carvings.  This one  caught my eye, because of the bells.

and this beautiful reflection of an old church in the modern glass building.... what a contrast!

This is the road.....Imbedded with copper.  I only saw this at one corner, and I don’t know the story behind this, but it was very interesting and eye-catching!

And this was just the first three days.  Poor Paul......