Massachusetts Route Description
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The Massachusetts Historical 50k Hike This Historical hike begins at the Boston Tea Party Ship docked in the Fort Port Channel of Boston Harbor. Walk up Congress Street a few hundred yards and turn left onto Atlantic Ave. Follow Atlantic Ave for 2 blocks and turn right onto Summer St. (for 1 block), then take a left onto Purchase St. Follow Purchase St. for 3 blocks and turn right onto Essex St, following it thru the cultural Chinatown section of Boston, until Purchase St. turns into Boylston St. Keep going on Boylston St for several bocks following the border of the Boston Commons, and turn right onto Arlington St. Follow Arlington St (on the same side as the Public Gardens) to the main gate about ½ way up the side of the Gardens, and turn right heading into the park. Follow the paths over the Swan Lagoon Bridge, keep going to the gate on Charles St. Cross Charles St., and head into the Boston Common (park) on the other side. Follow the paths across the park to the Visitor Info Center, which is the beginning of the Freedom Trail. This is also the place to request a detailed map if you do not already have one. The Freedom Trail in Boston, Massachusetts, was conceived in 1958 by
local journalist William Schofield. He had the idea that the historic sites
of Boston could be made more accessible to residents and visitors. It begins
at the Boston Common and winds its way through downtown Boston, the North
End and Charlestown ending at the Bunker Hill Monument. It tells the story
of America's first patriots as they fought for freedom against the royal
army.
**(1) You begin your tour of the Freedom Trail at Boston Common, land purchased in 1634 as a militia "trayning field" and for the "feeding of Cattell." During the battle of Bunker Hill the British embarked for Charlestown from the Common. Artist Gilbert Stuart is buried in the Central Burying Ground. **(2) The gold-domed Massachusetts State House sits at the crest of Beacon Hill, overlooking Boston Common. Designed by Charles Bulfinch and completed in 1798, the "new" State House is still the home of the Massachusetts legislature. Located opposite the State House is the monument to Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the starting point for the Black Heritage Trail. **(3) Built in 1809, Park Street Church stands on "Brimstone Corner" -- a name that refers to the sermons that were delivered here and to the gunpowder that was stored in the church's basement during the War of 1812. William Lloyd Garrison gave his first antislavery speech in Park Street Church. **(4) Adjacent to Park Street Church is the Granary Burying Ground, where many notable Americans are interred, including Declaration of Independence signers John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, and Samuel Adams. Also buried here are the victims of the Boston Massacre. **(5) King's Chapel, home of the first Anglican congregation in Boston, was founded at Tremont Street in 1688. The present structure was completed in 1754. In colonial times the church was presented with gifts of silver and vestments by Queen Anne and King George III. After the Revolution it became the first Unitarian Church in America. **(6) The adjacent King's Chapel Burying Ground is Boston's oldest burying place. It was founded in 1630, at the time of Boston's settlement. Like the majority of Boston's burying grounds, it was a municipal burying place, not affiliated with any church. King's Chapel was constructed on a portion of the burying ground seized by the Royal Governor. The burying ground later took its current name from the church. **(7) Benjamin Franklin Statue. Located in the courtyard of Boston's Old City Hall, this portrait statue commemorates one of the city's most versatile sons, Benjamin Franklin. The statue was designed by Richard S. Greenough and was the first portrait statue erected in Boston. Bronze tablets depict Franklin's career as a printer, scientist, and signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Peace Treaty with Great Britain. A mosaic set in the sidewalk marks the site of the nation's first public school, built in 1645, where Franklin was once a student. **(8) Old Corner Bookstore. Typical of the kinds of dwellings and shops that lined the streets of Boston in colonial days this gambrel-roof building was saved from destruction in the 1960s and restored by Historic Boston in 1970. Built as an apothecary for druggist Thomas Creese in 1718, it became a literary center in the mid-19th century as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and others brought their manuscripts here to be published by Ticknor and Fields Co. **(9) When the Old South Meeting House was built in 1729, its Puritan congregation could not foresee the role it would play in American history. In colonial times, statesman Benjamin Franklin was baptized here. Phillis Wheatley, the first published black poet, was a member, as were patriots James Otis, Thomas Cushing, and William Dawes. In the 19th century Old South was one of the first buildings in the United States to be preserved as an historic site. Today, after the most comprehensive renovation in its near 300 year history, Old South is an impeccable example of how colonial Boston actually looked. The ongoing exhibit "Voices of Protest" tells visitors the story -- often inspiring, sometimes disturbing, frequently controversial and always fascinating -- of the Old South Meeting House and of the men and women whose achievements have shaped its history. The event that sealed Old South's place in history is one of the key events that sparked the Revolution-- The Boston Tea Party. When rumblings started to shake the colonies and the Revolution was imminent, patriots flocked to Old South, the largest building in colonial Boston, to debate the issues of the day. They argued about the Boston Massacre, and they protested impressment of American sailors into the British Navy. And then, on the night of December 16, 1773, they acted. Over 5,000 angry colonists gathered at Old South to protest a tax on tea. After hours of debate, Samuel Adams gave the secret signal that launched the Boston Tea Party. The Sons of Liberty, disguised as Indians, raced to Griffin's Wharf and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. **(10) The Old State House, Boston's oldest public building, was built in 1713 to house the offices of the royal colony of Massachusetts and both town and county government operations. It stands on the site of Boston's first Town House of 1657/8 which burned in 1711. As the center of political life and thought in the colony, it has been called the most important public building in America prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. **(11) Boston Massacre Site. A circle of cobblestones in the street outside the Old State House marks the Boston Massacre Site, where on March 5, 1770, British soldiers killed five patriots. Trouble began late in February 1770 when 11-year-old Christopher Sneider was shot and killed by a Tory merchant during a North End riot. His funeral drew thousands and served as a catalyst for the events that followed. **(12) Faneuil Hall. In early 18th-century Boston a number of merchant families amassed great wealth through shipping and trade. Codfish, caught off the coast, were dried, salted, and traded in the West Indies for molasses and rum. These products were, in turn, exchanged in Europe for manufactured goods, or, along the west coast of Africa, for slaves. One of the wealthiest Boston merchants of this era was Peter Faneuil. **(13) Paul Revere House. On April 18, 1775, a Boston silversmith named Paul Revere left his North End home, slipped out of the city in a rowboat, borrowed a horse in Charlestown, and started riding. His mission: to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington, and other patriots in Middlesex County, that British troops were marching from Boston to seize munitions hidden in Concord. **(14) Old North Church is best known for the two lanterns which were
hung in its belfry on April 18, 1775, informing the patriots in Charlestown
that British troops were moving out of Boston by water. In addition to
its role signaling the eve of the Revolution, Old North Church, properly
known as Christ Church in the City of Boston, New England, has further
distinction as Boston's oldest surviving church structure. Religious services
in this church have been held here regularly since Old North was built
in 1723, with only a brief interruption during the American Revolution,
when the church was closed for a time following the Lexington-Concord battle.
**(15) The frigate Constitution was launched in 1797 from Hartt's shipyard in Boston and soon saw action in the Quasi-War with France. But her fame and nickname "Old Ironsides" were gained in the War of 1812 when she sank the British frigates Guerriere and Java and in a single battle captured the sloops-of-war Cyane and Levant. To this day, this frigate has been maintained as the U.S.S. Constitution, it is the Navy’s oldest commissioned ship. **(16) Bunker Hill Monument. "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!" This legendary order has come to symbolize the conviction and determination of the ill-equipped American colonists facing powerful British forces during the famous battle fought on this site on June 17, 1775. The battle is popularly known as "The Battle of Bunker Hill" although most of the fighting actually took place on Breed's Hill, the site of the existing monument and exhibit lodge. The Battle of Bunker Hill marks the first time a unified colonial army took to the field against the strength of the British Army. Today, a 221-foot granite obelisk marks the site of the first major battle of the American Revolution. At this point, follow the Freedom Trail back to City Square Park, then head up Main Street for approx 6 blocks, and turn left onto Austin St. Follow Austin St. over the Gilmore Bridge, and keep going straight onto Charlestown Ave, heading by the Museum of Science. Take a left just after the Museum Parking Garage and turn onto the Paul Dudley White Bike Path which follows the Charles River, past the Longfellow Bridge, Harvard Bridge, and MIT. Follow the Bike Path for approx 3.8 miles to the Anderson Bridge, and turn right onto JF Kennedy Street following it to Harvard Square. ***Harvard Square began in 1630 as the Colonial village of Newtowne, which was chosen by the Proprietors of Massachusetts Bay to be the capital of their new colony. The village was the first planned town in English North America, and the streets laid out in 1631 are still in use today. Important structures survive from almost every period since the early 18th century. Harvard Square today is the cultural center of Cambridge with its theaters, shops, street performers, and museums. Head thru the Square and turn left onto Garden Street, following it .75 miles to Sherman St. Turn right onto Sherman St. and follow it .75 miles to Ringe St. Turn left onto Ringe and follow it Jerrys Pond, turning right into the park. Follow the paths to the Alewife T Station, which is the starting point of the Minuteman Commuter Bike Path, which is an alternative commuter route that connects Cambridge to its Northwestern communities. Follow the bike path for 11.25 miles and get off at the town center of Lexington. Turn Right on to Mass Ave, cross the street, and bear left at the Battle Green (small park with a statue) following Mass Ave for 1.3 miles to the beginning of the Minute Man National Historical Park ****At Minute Man National Historical Park, the Battles of Lexington and Concord are brought to life through the preservation, restoration and interpretation of significant sites from "that famous day and year" when Colonists took up arms in defense of liberty and touched off the American Revolution. Along our five-mile "Battle Road Trail" you can travel back in time through a restored colonial landscape and retrace the steps of the British Regulars as they made the long and deadly journey back to Boston under fire from thousands of Colonial militia men. Parts of this trail follow the original route of the old "Battle Road" of April 19, 1775. Turn right at the Ebenezer Fiske House, and follow the Battle Road Trail 4.8 miles thru the park, passing by the historical sites of; The Paul Revere Capture Site, Captain William Smith House, Harwell Tavern, Samuel Brooks House, Meriam House, and ending at Meriam’s Corner. Follow Lexington Road for .75 miles to the Concord Museum, passing The Wayside and The Orchard House along the way. Keep going another .3 miles to Concord town center. Turn right onto Bedford Street and follow it 2 blocks to Sleepy Hallow Cemetery. Turn left into the main gate and follow the signs to Author’s Ridge, which is the resting place of such noted American author’s as Nathanial Hawthorn, Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau. After visiting Author’s Ridge, head back out to Bedford Street and head right to Court Lane, taking another right here and following it 1 block to Monument Street. Turn right onto Monument Street and follow it .5 miles to the North Bridge Historical Site. Turn left into the park and follow the trail to the North Bridge, where the Shot Heard Round the World happened on April 19, 1775, and started the beginning of the American Revolution. Head over the bridge and follow the trail past the visitor center and out to Liberty Street. Turn left onto Liberty Street following it to Lowell Road. Turn left onto Lowell Road and follow it back to the Concord Town Center. Turn right onto Main Street and follow it for 1 block before turning left onto Walden Street. Follow Walden Street for 1.5 miles to Walden Pond. *****Henry David Thoreau lived at Walden Pond from July 1845 to September 1847. His experience at Walden provided the material for the book Walden, which is credited with helping to inspire awareness and respect for the natural environment. Because of Thoreau's legacy, Walden Pond has been designated a National Historic Landmark and is considered the birthplace of the conservation movement. Park Interpreters provide tours and ongoing educational programs. The Reservation encompasses 400 acres which includes the 102-foot deep glacial kettle-hole pond. Mostly undeveloped woods totaling 2680 acres, called "Walden Woods" surround the reservation. At Walden Pond, follow the trail around the pond to Thoreau’s Cabin.
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