September 30, 2017 - Boston, MA

Everyone told us that is was going to rain today, but it was such a beautiful evening last night, we didn’t want to believe them. Well, everyone was right! We woke to rain, rain, and more rain.

We had breakfast in the hotel, then borrowed a couple of umbrellas from the front desk and headed out to sightsee and walk the Freedom Trail. Having taught middle school US History, I was excited to see the places where so many of our country’s significant historical events took place!

From our hotel we headed to Boston Common. Established in 1634, Boston Common is America’s oldest public park. Puritan colonists purchased the land rights to the Common’s 44 acres from the first settler of the area, Anglican minister William Blackstone. The pasture then became known as the "Common Land" and was used to graze local livestock until 1830. It was also referred to as a "trayning field," where over 1000 Redcoats made camp on the Common during the British occupation of Boston in 1775. It was from here that three brigades of Redcoats left to make the fateful trip to Lexington and Concord.

Adjacent to Boston Common, the next stop on the trail was the Massachusetts State House. Completed on January 11, 1798, and is widely acclaimed as one of the more magnificent public buildings in the country. The land for the State House was originally used as John Hancock’s cow pasture. The golden dome, was once made of wood, but was later overlaid with copper by Paul Revere. It was covered with 23-karat gold leaf for the first time in 1874 and was painted grey during World War II to protect the city from bombing attacks.Following the trail we made our way to the Old Granary Burying Ground on Tremont Street next to the Park Street Church. This historic cemetery is the final resting place of John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Paul Revere, as well as Elizabeth Goose, believed to the the legendary “Mother Goose.”  We were fascinated by how many of the gravestones were adorned with winged figures or skulls and crossbones. Apparently, one of the most popular motifs was the "Soul Effigy," a skull or "death’s head" with a wing on each side that was a representation of the soul flying to heaven after death.The large memorial was erected for John Hancock, while Paul Revere’s was quite small.Continuing on, we stopped at King’s Chapel. Established in 1687, it was the first Anglican congregation in Boston and the first church in America to have a pipe organ.

Another stop along the Freedom Trail is the Old South Meeting House. Built in 1713 to house the colony’s government, the Old State House was at the center of civic events that sparked the American Revolution. It was here that on July 18, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read for the first time to the public in Massachusetts from the balcony of the Old State House. We passed the site of the Boston Massacre and on to Faneuil Hall. It is often referred to as "the home of free speech" and the "Cradle of Liberty," Faneuil Hall hosted America's first Town Meeting. This is where the Sons of Liberty proclaimed their dissent against British Royal oppression. For more than 270 years it has continued to provide a forum for debate on the most consequential issues of the day. It was at Faneuil Hall in 1764 that Americans first protested against the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act, setting the doctrine that would come to be known as "no taxation without representation." Gatherings to protest the Townshend Acts, the Redcoat occupation, and the Tea Act would follow.

We found ourselves in the North End and stopped at a small restaurant for lunch. It was okay, but certainly not noteworthy!

We passed Paul Revere’s House and on to Old North Church which first opened on December 29, 1723. Its 191 foot steeple is the tallest in Boston and, because of its prominence, would play a dramatic role in the American Revolution. On April 18, 1775 Paul Revere met up with the sexton Robert Newman to tell him how to signal the advancement of British troops towards Lexington and Concord. Newman opened the church,climbed the stairs and ladders up eight stories to hang two lanterns for a few moments. It was long enough for patriots in Charlestown to learn what has been immortalized by the phrase "one if by land, two if by sea" in Longfellow’s poem. The British were advancing by boat across the Charles River.We stopped also at Copp’s Hill Burying Ground before ending our portion of the Freedom Trail. We did not continue on to the USS Constitution because it is closed for renovations. We meandered back to our hotel passing near the Charles River and enjoyed a brief period of no rain!Chinatown is located near our hotel and we checked out restaurants for dinner on the way!We ended our day at Pho Pasteur, a Vietnamese restaurant. Dinner was good and the company was great! Tomorrow we leave Boston and move north into Maine – and the weather forecast is SUNNY!