Boston Freedom Trail Tours have been part of the tourist experience in Massachusetts since the 1950s, when the trail was first established. The pedestrianised route now stretches for around two and a half miles, and passes some 16 sites of historical interest, most of them related in some way to the tumultuous days of the American Revolution. This article will run down a few of the sites which visitors can see on the route.
Most people begin their walk around the trail at Boston Common, or 'Commons' as it it sometimes, erroneously, called. This is actually the oldest public park in the whole of the USA, and was first opened in 1634. The Central Burying Ground is incorporated into the park, and houses the graves of the poet Charles Sprague, and his father, Samuel, who was a participant in some of the events of the American Revolution.
After the Common, many visitors will head on to see the Massachusetts State House, which functions as the centre of state government in Massachusetts. Its domed roof is a talking point, as it was worked on and coppered by the company which belonged to the legendary Paul Revere. Civil War US General Joseph Hooker is also commemorated in an equestrian statue outside the building.
While some visitors may then want to stop and see sites like the Granary Burying Ground or the Park Street Church, others will be more drawn to the Benjamin Franklin statue. Franklin was a polymathic intellectual, and one of the the most iconic figures of the nascent United States. Perhaps appropriately, his statue is also close to the site of America's first public school, the Boston Latin School.
The trail also passes by the site of the Boston Massacre, an event in which only five people died, but which was used for propaganda purposes by the American Revolutionaries. The British soldiers who fired on the rioting crowd were, evidence suggests, under intense pressure. Contemporary evidence also suggests that, by the standards of the day, their conduct was nothing unusual, but the event became written into American history anyway.
Another place along the trail which is intimately connected with the American War of Independence is the Faneuil Hall, a site where people have gathered socially and for market since the 1740s. Samuel Adams made many speeches here, when he was a fiery advocate of the cause of independence. The hall is sometimes referred to as the 'Cradle of Liberty', due to this long political association.
Most visitors end their walk along the trail with a visit to the USS Constitution, a heavy frigate which dates back to the 1790s. She saw service against the British Royal Navy in the War of 1812, and is now the oldest naval vessel, which is still commissioned and afloat, in the whole world. Her crew conduct tours for visitors, providing insight into the history of the US Navy.
Boston Freedom Trail tours are a great way to get know more about the history of Massachusetts and the American Revolution. Any visitor can obtain superb insights from walking the route. Figures such as Franklin, Sprague and Adams are key figures in American history.
Most people begin their walk around the trail at Boston Common, or 'Commons' as it it sometimes, erroneously, called. This is actually the oldest public park in the whole of the USA, and was first opened in 1634. The Central Burying Ground is incorporated into the park, and houses the graves of the poet Charles Sprague, and his father, Samuel, who was a participant in some of the events of the American Revolution.
After the Common, many visitors will head on to see the Massachusetts State House, which functions as the centre of state government in Massachusetts. Its domed roof is a talking point, as it was worked on and coppered by the company which belonged to the legendary Paul Revere. Civil War US General Joseph Hooker is also commemorated in an equestrian statue outside the building.
While some visitors may then want to stop and see sites like the Granary Burying Ground or the Park Street Church, others will be more drawn to the Benjamin Franklin statue. Franklin was a polymathic intellectual, and one of the the most iconic figures of the nascent United States. Perhaps appropriately, his statue is also close to the site of America's first public school, the Boston Latin School.
The trail also passes by the site of the Boston Massacre, an event in which only five people died, but which was used for propaganda purposes by the American Revolutionaries. The British soldiers who fired on the rioting crowd were, evidence suggests, under intense pressure. Contemporary evidence also suggests that, by the standards of the day, their conduct was nothing unusual, but the event became written into American history anyway.
Another place along the trail which is intimately connected with the American War of Independence is the Faneuil Hall, a site where people have gathered socially and for market since the 1740s. Samuel Adams made many speeches here, when he was a fiery advocate of the cause of independence. The hall is sometimes referred to as the 'Cradle of Liberty', due to this long political association.
Most visitors end their walk along the trail with a visit to the USS Constitution, a heavy frigate which dates back to the 1790s. She saw service against the British Royal Navy in the War of 1812, and is now the oldest naval vessel, which is still commissioned and afloat, in the whole world. Her crew conduct tours for visitors, providing insight into the history of the US Navy.
Boston Freedom Trail tours are a great way to get know more about the history of Massachusetts and the American Revolution. Any visitor can obtain superb insights from walking the route. Figures such as Franklin, Sprague and Adams are key figures in American history.
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