We did a walk-through of Central Burying Ground on the Boylston Street side of Boston Common. Revolutionary war fighters, Boston Tea Partiers, and early American poets are all buried here.
We then followed the red line painted on the sidewalk to the Massachusetts State House, the state capitol and house of government. It was Columbus Day and therefore closed to the public, so we only viewed it from the outside.
We followed the red line to the Granary Burying Ground (dates to the year 1660), the third cemetery established in Boston. We loved this spot. The final resting place of such greats as Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock, it also contains the grave of Mary Goose, who is suspected by some to be the real Mother Goose. Others say some Mother Goose stories predate the 17th century, but I like the idea.
We took a quick peek inside the King’s Chapel, a church founded in 1686 but built in the mid-1700s. The King's Chapel bell, cast in England, was hung in 1772. In 1814 it cracked, was recast by Paul Revere, and was re-hung. It is the largest bell cast by the Revere foundry, and the last one cast by Paul Revere himself. It has been rung at services ever since.
We are all three cemetery people, so we spent much more time at the King's Chapel Burying Ground. Founded in 1630 as Boston’s first cemetery, it was the city’s only burial site for 30 years.
Next up was the Old Corner Bookstore, which was regrettably closed for the holiday. I wanted to go in! The building itself was constructed in 1712 as an apothecary shop. From 1832 to 1865, it was home to Ticknor and Fields, a publishing company. For part of the nineteenth century, the firm was one of the most important publishing companies in the United States, and the Old Corner Bookstore became a meeting-place for such authors as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Charles Dickens.
We walked to the Old South Meeting House (built in 1729). This was a great spot because it was the largest building in Boston in 1773. On December 16, 1773, 5,000 people gathered at the Old South Meeting House to debate British taxation. After the meeting, a group raided a nearby tea ship. It was the organizing point for the Boston Tea Party.
After that we looked at the lovely façade of the Old State House (built in 1713), It is the oldest surviving public building in Boston.
Then we stopped for lunch at the historic Union Oyster House. Ye Olde Union Oyster House, open since 1826, is the oldest operating restaurant in the United States of America. The Kennedys loved this place so much they have a dedicated booth where you can sit and eat. I had crab cakes and green beans; it was okay. Michael and Mom both said their lunches were excellent. Michael had clam chowdah and oysters. Mom had a chicken sandwich.
Next we walked through the site of the Boston Massacre. We visited the Paul Revere house next and went inside after being charged a small admission fee.
Next was the Old North Church, which really sparked my imagination. Paul Revere's midnight ride on April 18, 1775 had everything to do with this building. Here is where the two lanterns were hung and the signal—“One if by land, two if by sea”—was used during the Revolutionary War.
By this time we had been walking and standing on concrete for most of the day, so we cruised through the next cemetery, Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, founded 1659.
Finally we got to the obelisk. The Bunker Hill Monument was built to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill in the revolutionary War. The 221 foot granite obelisk was erected between 1827 and 1843. The Bunker Hill Monument is not on Bunker Hill but instead on Breed's Hill, where most of the fighting in the misnamed Battle of Bunker Hill actually took place.
We passed on the USS Constitution and took a cab back to Boston Common. There we found a trendy bar that played Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins to wait out rush hour.
Exhausted, we finally left and picked up some pizza from The Upper Crust pizzeria on the way back to the hotel. The pizza wasn’t very good.
We soaked in the hotel hot tub until it was time for bed.
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