Freedom Trail, Boston

Freedom Trail, Boston

The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile redbrick walking trail that makes its way to 16 of Boston?s most historic sites.

The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile redbrick walking trail that makes its way to 16 of Boston?s most historic sites. It presents the opportunity for an enjoyable and highly informative insight into Boston?s rich history dating back to the days of the Revolutionary War. During this tour, you will explore a unique collection of churches, museums, meetinghouses, burial grounds, historic ships as well as several other historical sites. Together these sites tell the story of the American Revolution as it unfolded in Boston during the 1700s.

The Freedom Trail starts at the Visitor Information Center on Boston Common, the oldest city park in the United States. It ends at the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown which commemorates the Battle of Bunker Hill between British and Patriot forces in 1775. Guided tours take 90 minutes or longer. You can also book a 2-day ticket on a hop-on hop-off trolley to explore each landmark on the route at your convenience.

• The Massachusetts State House dates back to 1798, and is the 4th oldest functioning state capitol in the country. Designed by Charles Bulfinch, it features an iconic golden dome that glows over the city. It houses the Massachusetts General Court and the offices of the Governor of Massachusetts.
• The Park Street Church, founded in 1809, has been the site of many historic firsts. It was the site of the first Sunday school in the United States in 1818, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison made his first anti-slavery speech here in 1829, and Samuel Francis Smith's 'My Country Tis of Thee' was publicly sung for the first time here by the choir on 4-July-1831.
• The Granary Burying Ground is the final resting place of some of America?s luminaries, including 3 signers of the Declaration of Independence - Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Robert Paine, Benjamin Franklin?s parents, Revolutionary heroes such as Paul Revere and James Otis, wealthy merchant Peter Faneuil who donated Faneuil Hall to the city, and Mary 'Mother' Goose.
• The King's Chapel was founded in 1686 as the first Anglican Church in Boston, and houses the oldest American pulpit in continuous use. The present stone building by architect Peter Harrison was completed in 1754, and built around the original church. While the fa?ade is plain and elegant, the magnificent interior is considered to be the zenith of Georgian church architecture in North America. The adjacent King's Chapel Burying Ground was Boston's first cemetery, and has the graves of Massachusetts? first governor John Winthrop, and Mary Chilton, the first woman to step off the Mayflower.
• The Boston Latin School was established in 1635 as America's first public school at this site on School Street. It later moved to Avenue Louis Pasteur near Fenway Park, but the original spot is marked by a commemorative plaque, and a statue of its most illustrious student, Benjamin Franklin.
• The Old Corner Bookstore was built in 1712 as a residence and apothecary. It is not only one of the oldest brick structures in the city, but is also significant for being a hub of American book publishing in the mid-19th century when Boston was a literary mecca. It has hosted the likes of as H. W. Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Charles Dickens, and Oliver Wendell Holmes.
• The Old South Meeting House is the historic spot where the Sons of Liberty gathered on 16-December-1773 to protest high taxes, and dumped 242 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor, an incident which is famous as the Boston Tea Party.
• The Old State House was built in 1713 as the seat of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and other government institutions, and is the oldest public building in Boston. It is also one of the oldest public buildings in the United States. It now houses the Bostonian Society's history museum dedicated to the Revolutionary War.
• The Boston Massacre Site has a cobblestone plaque that commemorates the 5 victims of the Boston Massacre of 5-March-1770. An angry mob descended upon 9 British soldiers, who opened fire killing Samuel Gray, James Caldwell, Crispus Attucks, Samuel Maverick, and Patrick Carr.
• Faneuil Hall is often hailed as the 'Cradle of Liberty', as this is where the Sons of Liberty declared their dissent against the British in 1741. One of America?s first public meeting venues, Faneuil Hall has served as an open forum meeting hall and marketplace for more than 270 years.
• The Paul Revere House is the oldest structure in downtown Boston, dating back to 1680. Owned by the American Patriot from 1770 to 1800, it is now a museum dedicated to Revere's life.
• The Old North Church is the oldest church building in Boston, dating back to 1723. Its steeple is the historic site from which the light signal 'One if by land, and two if by sea' was sent by lanterns on 18-April-1775, setting off Paul Revere?s Midnight Ride.
• Copp's Hill Burying Ground is the final resting place of several North End residents and others, including Puritan preachers Cotton and Increase Mather, Captain Malcolm, Robert Newman who signaled the lanterns on the night of Paul Revere?s midnight ride, and Prince Hall, the first African American Mason.
• The USS Constitution fought in the War of 1812 and remained undefeated, even against the HMS Guerriere. Still a commissioned United States Navy warship, it is currently dry docked in Charlestown Navy Yard.
• The Bunker Hill Monument commemorates the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. The 221 foot granite obelisk has 294 steps that lead to the top. You can get great views over Boston from here.