Freedom Walk in Boston

On this day I decided to do the Freedom Walk through Boston which takes you to all the major historical sites. Starting from my hotel which is about a half mile from the start I walked 7 mile I think in total start to end.

This is the State Capitol building. I wasn't able to go inside unfortunately because they are closed on the weekend which I couldn't believe. So I've only got some shots of the outside. It reminds me of the Capitol in Des Moines with the gold dome. 

This is the Boston Common Park which is where I watched the fireworks for the 4th. It's in the middle of the city and a pretty nice park. Besides green spaces they have some areas for sports.

This is the Granary Cemetary where many famous Revolutionists are buried like Sam Adams, Paul Revere, and Ben Franklin.

Franklin's monument

I happened to walk by the Old City Hall, I'm not to sure where the new one is. 

Mosaic dedicated to school children outside City Hall

The Old South Meeting House. This used to be a church and back in the Revolution is served at a meeting place for the like of Sam Adams and Ben Franklin in the events leading up to the Revolution.

The Old State House.

This building served at the seat of the British Colonial Government. 

Some Redcoats

Royal coat of arms. A lion on the left and unicorn on the right. I believe this is original to the building with some damage. 

Most of Boston is made up of landfill. Here's old vs new Boston. 

Full royal coat of arms

The Declaration of Independence was first read to the public from this balcony

Site of the Boston Massacre

Faneuil Hall and Marketplace

Faneuil Hall served as a public meeting place for the public and many meetings/speeches against British rule were given here. Besides a meeting hall this are has been a central marketplace for the city since the mid-1700s. There's still a lot of small shops and restaurants in this square. 

Peter Faneuil who paid for the marketplace and hall to be build

Where I had lunch, they had a pretty good burger

These are some more shots of the old part of Boston when I was inbetween sites

Paul Revere

The Old North Church

This is the famous church where Paul Revere was to ride and light the lantern in the steeple if he saw the British coming

Some more shots of Boston. I was walking across the river to see the USS Constitution and Bunker Hill

Bunker Hill

This is the monument and site to the Battle of Bunker Hill. This was one of the first battle fought for the Revolution. The colonists built a redoubt on the hill to defend against a British landing just outside of Boston. While the British managed to take the hill they lost about a third of their army but the colonists were able to regroup with fewer casualities. 

This is Colonel William Prescott who commanded the militia on Bunker Hill. He is famous for saying "don't fire till you see the white of their eyes" at the battle. 

Portrait of the battle

The start to the stairs to the top, I believe there are 300 TALL steps. 

Finally at the top

Views from the top

USS Constitution

The USS Constitution was built right before the War of 1812 and is the oldest war ship afloat in the world. The British have the HMS Victory which is an older ship but is permanently dry docked. Her is nickname is "old ironsides" after being in a battle with a British ship and the cannon balls bouncing off her sides. She's made out of live oak which is the denser than anything the British built their ships with and very strong. The ship is still sailed and manned by the Navy so to get on the ship you go through the same security as the airport so absolutley no knives. I actually had to come back the next day after the freedom since I didn't know this. 

Samuel Adams Brewery

Besides the Minuteman National Park I also checked out the Sam Adams Brewery. They're in an old building and have a pretty small operation going. They told us about the four main ingredients in any beer: hop, yeast, malt, and hops; the brewing process, and we got to try some of their beers including one which they don't have on the market yet: their Independence brew. 

Model of the brewery

Outside of the brewery

Sam Adams hold the record for the most awards ever won by a brewery. I can believe it with every award they put on display.

They had all their different brews displayed from their classic Boston Lager to their single brew series. There are other things on display like different keg and taps

The actual brewery which is pretty small

This is Erik out guide. He is pretty knowledgable and entertaining

The glass that everyone in the tour got

Minuteman National Park

I went to Minuteman National Park where the "shot heard round the world" was fired at Concord. This is the first armed confrontation between colonists and the British. There were about 400 colonists against 96 British. This site is really the birthplace of the Revolutionary War. In this first skirmish two colonials and 3 British were killed with the British retreating back to Boston under fire the whole time. 

Plaque at the site of the conflict

"On the morning of April 19, 1775 approximately

400 colonials stood on the hill overlooking the

North Bridge. As smoke rose from Concord center,

the order to march was given. In the exchange

of fire that followed Captain Issac Davis, who 

had exclaimed "I haven't a man who is afraid to go"

was killed together with Abner Hosmer, a private, 

also from action"

This hilltop in Muster Field is where the militia from the surrounding area gathered before facing the British. They were reacting to the British who were trying to seize arms from the colonists. Paul Revere was part of a  team of people who were to warn the militia of the British coming for their arms .

This is the site where the first shots of the Revolution were taken. The site is North Bridge and this is only a reconstructed one on the original site. The picture is taken from the militia's side. 

From the Manse House boathouse

Walking up on it. The right side is the colonial militia and the left is where the British were. 

Monument for the spot where the colonists stood

Engraving on the statue:

"By the rude bridge that

arched the flood,

Their flag to April's

breeze unfurled,

here once the embattled 

farmers stood,

and fires the shot

heard round the world."

This obelisk is where the British stood

Engraving on the obelisk:

"Here 

on the 19th of April

1775

was made

the first forcible resistance

to British aggression

on the opposite bank

stood the American Militia

here stood the invading army 

on this spot 

the first of the enemy fell

in the War of the Revolution

which gave

independence

to the United States

in gratitude to God 

and 

in the love of freedom

this monument was erected

1836"

This is the Old Manse House very near to the bridge at the time of the shots. The house was built for Reverend William Emmerson who is the grandfather of Ralph Waldo Emmerson. Emmerson wrote some of his famous works here and eventually the house became owned by Nathaniel Hawthorne and visited by Henry David Thoreau. Manse means reverend in Gaelic I believe, so the house's name is literally "Old Reverend's House"

This is the boat house of the Old Manse House

Colonial Militia uniform

British Redcoat

This musket was actually at the conflict and may have actually fired the first shot from the colonists. 

Boston Fireworks Show

These guys up here sure do know how to make some fireworks. I wasn't at the main event since you just about couldn't bring anything with you and you got searched, I sat on a hillside in the Public Garden where a lot of of people watched the show from.