Day 2 Part 2 Boston – July 26, 2023

Old North Church

Old North Church is famous for its role in Paul Revere’s midnight ride on April 18, 1775. On that night, the church’s sexton, hung two lanterns in the church’s steeple, which alerted Revere and the other riders to British troops’ movements prior to the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. There are tours to go inside, but our day was full, so we just stopped to take a photo.

Paul Revere’s Home

FUN FACTS ABOUT PAUL REVERE:  For someone that is only known for his famous ride, his name came up a lot on our tours.  Paul Revere’s last name was really Rivoire (a French name), but his father wanted him to fit in with English immigrants, so his name was changed to Revere.  Paul was a Copper Smith and the town dentist. 

After Revere was born, he apprenticed under his father and learned how to craft things from gold and silver. Some items found of his include a chain for a pet squirrel, an ostrich egg snuffbox, and sword hilts. You can tell an item is made by Revere by his maker’s mark—either his last name in a rectangle, or his initials in cursive.

As a dentist, he learned how to create false teeth out of ivory and insert them using wire. Revere became so confident in his abilities that in 1768, he placed an ad declaring he “can fix [teeth] as well as any surgeon dentist who ever came from London, he fixes them in such a manner that they are not only an ornament but of real use in speaking and eating.”

After Dr. Joseph Warren was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775, he was buried like others in an unmarked grave. Ten months later, the bodies were exhumed and examined. Revere was Warren’s dentist, and recognized him by his teeth: Revere had given Warren a false tooth fastened with wire. This was the first body identification done by teeth in recorded history.

Paul Revere and his fellow patriots never shouted, “The British are coming!” That wouldn’t have made sense, since most colonists were British. The actual warning was “the Regulars are coming out.” This misconception is a result of Longfellow’s creative license—he found the real sentence to be too wordy for his poem.

We toured his home.  It’s small and simple.  It was built in 1680 and is the only remaining example of 17^th century architecture in downtown Boston.  It’s the oldest standing building in Boston.  This was the first American home that could be toured.  The area is also the oldest residential square in the US, with other older homes near it from the same time.  It had been lived in before Paul Revere lived there.

Old State House

Built in 1713, the “Town House” acted as a merchants’ exchange on the first floor. The second floor served as the seat of colonial and later state government throughout the 1700s. John Adams, his cousin Samuel and merchant John Hancock, served as representatives in the Massachusetts provincial legislature here.  And of course as mentioned earlier, in front of this building was the location of the Boston Massacre.

Old South Meeting House

Old South Meeting House was the largest building in colonial Boston and the stage for some of the most dramatic events leading up to the American Revolution. Old South became the center for massive public protest meetings against British actions. It was the series of meetings that culminated on December 16, 1773 as one of this country’s most significant buildings. On that day, over 5,000 men crowded into the meeting house to debate the controversial tea tax. When the final attempt at compromise failed, Samuel Adams gave the signal that started the Boston Tea Party. The Sons of Liberty led the way to Griffin’s Wharf, where they dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor.

Union Oyster House

After a ton of walking and touristing all day, we went to the Union Oyster House, America’s oldest restaurant. A building dating back to Pre-Revolutionary days, started serving food in 1826 and has continued ever since.   

In 1742—before it became a seafood house, the building housed importer Hopestill Capen’s fancy dress goods business, known as “At the Sign of the Cornfields.” At this time, the Boston waterfront came up to the back door of the dry goods establishment, making it convenient for ships to deliver their cloth and goods from Europe.

During the revolution the Adams, Hancock, and Quincy wives, as well as their neighbors, often sat in their stalls of the Capen House sewing and mending clothes for the colonists.

In 1796, a future king of France lived on the second floor. Exiled from his country, he earned his living by teaching French to many of Boston’s fashionable young ladies. (Later Louis Phillippe returned home to serve as King from 1830 to 1848.)

It was at the Oyster Bar that Daniel Webster, a constant customer, daily drank his tall tumbler of brandy and water with each half-dozen oysters, seldom having less than six plates.

The toothpick was first used in the United States at the Union Oyster House. Enterprising Charles Forster of Maine first imported the picks from South America. To promote his new business he hired Harvard boys to dine at the Union Oyster House and ask for toothpicks.

The Kennedy Clan has patronized the Union Oyster House for years. J.F.K. loved to feast in privacy in the upstairs dining room. His favorite booth “The Kennedy Booth” has since been dedicated in his memory.

Omni Parker House

Omni Parker House is the oldest of Boston’s elegant inns and the longest continuously operating hotel in the United States, built in 1855. Writers like Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Longfellow— regularly met for conversation in the legendary Saturday Club. It was here where baseball greats like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and David Ortiz wined, dined, and unwound. And it was here, too, where generations of local and national politicians—including Ulysses S. Grant, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Colin Powell, “Tip” O’Neill, and Bill Clinton —assembled for private meetings, press conferences, and power breakfasts.

With its close proximity to Boston’s Theater District, the Omni Parker House also played an important role for performers, John Wilkes, Joan Crawford, Judy Garland, James Dean.

Omni’s Notorious Guest – On April 5 and 6, 1865, John Wilkes was registered at the Parker House, and was seen eating in its restaurant. It’s possible that he went to visit brother Edwin, who was playing a successful three-week engagement at the 3,000-seat Boston Theatre. It was reported in the Boston Evening Transcript of April 15, that he was indeed practicing his aim: “[A man named] Borland…saw Booth at Edwards’ shooting gallery [near Parker’s], where Booth practiced pistol firing in various difficult ways such as between his legs, over his shoulder and under his arms.” Eight days after leaving Boston, on April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre, in Washington, D.C.

Cheers

The inspiration for the setting of the hit television series Cheers can be found in Boston, walking distance from Boston Commons.  Having grown up hearing the theme to Cheers “Where everybody knows your name” when my parents were watching tv, we had to stop and take a photo.

Boston Observation Deck on top of the Prudential Center

An example of something we would never have paid for but ended up being fun…was the Boston Observation Deck.  One of the problems when you are touristing in Boston is most tourist attractions open at 10 am and close at 5 or 6pm, and now we have the rest of the evening to do other things.  Most things on the Go Boston Pass also end at those times.  But here were a couple that didn’t, and this was one of them, so we decided to try it out. We hadn’t quite figured out the buses/trams yet, so we decided to walk. We walked a ton today, I think we passed 30,000 steps before the day was over. On the way there, we passed a church that was so beautiful Ben and I stopped to take photos.  You can barely tell, but it really stood out next to the skyscrapers built around it.  The Trinity Church in Boston is considered a National Historic Landmark. 

One of the Rectors of this church was Phillips Brooks.  He wrote the Christmas carol, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem.’  Some of the builders of the church were Phillips Brooks and Robert Treat Paine (a signer of the Declaration of Independence). I would LOVE to have toured inside, but it was closed for the evening.

Across the street was another beautiful church.  But of course, it was closed also.  The Old South Church was started in 1669.  Some famous people who attended this church.  Mary Chilton, the first woman to step ashore at Plymouth.  Benjamin Franklin was baptized as a baby here.  Samuel Adams hosted meetings of the Boston Tea Party here.  William Daws who rode with Paul Revere.

We eventually made it to the Prudential Tower.  From the 52nd floor you can see wonderful panoramic views of the city. On the 51^st floor there is an open air deck. And I believe it’s the 50^th floor they had 3D models of the city with projection-mapping to show Boston in different seasons and celebrations.  We spent most of our time on the 52^nd floor because we didn’t know about the other two floors until we started to leave.  Again, this was a Go City Pass event.  We never would have done it otherwise, but it turned out to be pretty cool.  If I did it again, I would suggest, bring a dinner and sit up there and eat or come long enough to just relax and enjoy the view.

photos of the 3D model with projection-mapping.  The same model kept changing scenes

This day was packed to the brim. But it was amazing see the sites in Boston. The next day will be Concord and Lexington.

Day 2 Part 1 Boston – July 26, 2023

Boston, Massachusetts – Aquarium

We ended this day with 30,000 steps and 18 different sites. So I will split the day up. The aquarium is right off the Boston Harbor. The photo below was taken as we waited in line for the aquarium to open.

Our first stop was the Boston Aquarium.  It made it on Ben’s tops for all of Boston.  It was a great aquarium.  One of the fun parts was a fish tank that went up 3 or 4 stories with walkways wrapping around it to see.  They also had some sea lions that were be introduced to each other for the first time the day we were there.  There was a lot of excitement as the male sea lion was getting frustrated that one of the females wasn’t hanging out with the harem.  It was interesting to sit and watch their interactions. The aquarium was a great start to the day.

The Freedom Trail

Next, we took a tour that walked us through some of the historic sites that are downtown. The tour highlights the revolutionary history that took place at 11 of the 16 official Freedom Trail historic sites.  It is the iconic touristy thing to do when your in Boston, and one of the main reasons we were there. We started at Faneuil Hall, then Boston Massacre Site, Old State House, Old South Meeting House, Boston Latin School Site/Benjamin Franklin Statue, Kings Chapel and Burying Ground, Granary Burying Ground, Park Street Church, the Massachusetts State House and lastly the Boston Commons.

Faneuil Hall

Often referred to as “the home of free speech” and the “Cradle of Liberty,” Faneuil Hall was where America’s first Town Meetings were held.  It’s where the Sons of Liberty proclaimed their dissent against Royal oppression. It was at Faneuil Hall in 1764 that Americans first protested the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act, setting the doctrine that would come to be known as “no taxation without representation.”

The most famous weathervane in Boston is Faneuil Hall’s golden grasshopper created by acclaimed craftsman Shem Drowne, whose weathervane also tops the Old North Church. Tradition has it that the weathervane was used during the War of 1812 to spot spies. Anyone who did not know the answer to the question “What is on top of Faneuil Hall?” in those days invited suspicion. We were told that when they went to clean the grasshopper years later, they accidentally opened it and gold spilled out, left by the designer.  We were told they put the gold back inside and it’s there today.

Boston Massacre Site

The tensions that led to the Boston Massacre were the product of the occupation of Boston by Redcoats in 1768. An argument, that led to a riot, that led to Redcoats coming to extract one of their own, the crowd pressed in on them, someone yelled fire (meaning something was burning), the redcoats fired into the crowd, and before it was over 5 men lay dead or dying. The Sons of Liberty held funerals for the victims and organized a vigorous propaganda effort to turn public opinion against the Redcoats and labeled the tragedy a “bloody massacre.” The British soldiers were tried for murder and were defended by John Adams, a Boston lawyer who was as loyal to the idea of justice as he was to the Patriot cause. Most of the British soldiers ended up being acquitted as it was a misunderstanding and not a planned attack. It’s so crazy to see the stories that led to our countries independence.

Boston Latin School Site and Benjamin Franklin’s Statue

A mosaic and a statue of former student Benjamin Franklin currently marks the School Street location of the original schoolhouse. This site was the first public school in America.  Five signers of the Declaration of Independence attended Boston Latin: Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, and William Hooper. Of the five, only four graduated. Franklin, though one of America’s greatest minds, dropped out of school, but he still got his statue at it’s site : ) The school has continued in different locations and is still running today.

There was a statue of a donkey in front of the building.  It’s from Italy, but a local wanted to place it there.  And to justify the statue’s placement, he said the donkey represented the Democratic Party, a political affiliation long held by Boston’s mayors. And Boston’s mayors, after all, spent their days in Old City Hall from 1865 until 1970.  When asked where the statue’s Republican elephant counterpart would go. Rather than find one, the man who donated the donkey decided to place two footsteps in front of the donkey so those who disagreed with the Democratic party could stand in opposition to it.

Park Street Church and Granary Burying Ground

Paul Reveres Gravestone

Granary Burying Ground is Boston’s third-oldest cemetery.  It is the final resting place for Paul Revere, the five victims of the Boston Massacre which are buried near Samuel Adams (who used their deaths to ignite the Revolutionary movement), John Hancock and Robert Treat Paine.

Some interesting things our guide told us about Samuel Adams. He was a tax collector for a while but got arrested for not having people pay their taxes.  He never owned a horse  He liked to walk, and said he knew everything going on in Boston because he walked everywhere and was not on a horse.

Our guide said that there were 2345 headstones here, but almost 10,000 are buried.  Only the rich had the headstones.  Paul Revere didn’t have a fancy headstone until after the civil war the poem about Paul Revere became popular and so next to his small headstone, they added a large headstone. You can see his small headstone with the flag next to it, and the bigger one placed afterwards.

New State House

The new state house is still old by American standards, built in 1798.  The story I remember most being told was that the dome was originally built out of wood, but it wasn’t long before rainwater leaks became a persistent problem.  They were going to tear it down and not replace it.  Paul Revere had just come up with a new technique to roll copper into workable sheets.  He suggested they wrap the dome in copper.  They did and it saved the dome, but over time the copper aged and so they replaced it with gold.  1.5 million dollars’ worth of gold is on the dome.

Boston Commons

The Boston Commons was the first park in America (around 1634).  During the early era, the Common was a scene of public rallies, celebrations, ball playing, sledding, but it also served as a military training field, cow and sheep pasture, a public punishment site, and burial ground.  This location is also where witch hangings began (well before Salem).  There were also other hangings there.  A children’s playground is now built on top of that location.

For eight years the British redcoats camped and drilled on the Common. Today it has tree-lined walks, statues, plaques and fountains.  We walked through the park later in the week in the late evening and caught parts of a Shakespeare play in the park. 

Boston Harbor Cruise

After a lot of walking, we took a Boston Harbor Cruise.  This is the first time we have taken advantage of Go City Cards.  There are many big cities that utilize them.  They cost quite a bit, but we saved a lot, and did more things than we would normally do.  This was one of those things we probably wouldn’t have spent money on.  But it was nice to get off our feet, and it was fun to still learn the history of Boston while cruising the harbor

USS Constitution

USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is the world’s oldest ship still afloat.  She was launched in 1797. The name “Constitution” was among ten names submitted to President George Washington by Secretary of War Timothy. 

Constitution is most noted for her actions during the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom, when she captured numerous merchant ships and defeated five British warships.  She circled the world in the 1840s. During the American Civil War, she served as a training ship for the United States Naval Academy. Constitution was retired from active service in 1881.  In 1934, she completed a three-year, 90-port tour of the nation. She sailed under her own power for her 200th birthday in 1997, and again in August 2012 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of her victory over Guerriere. It was amazing to walk through a ship with that much history.

Bunker Hill Monument

The Bunker Hill Monument is walking distance from the USS Constitution.  The battle was a tactical victory for the British, but it proved to be a sobering experience for them; they incurred many more casualties than the Americans. The battle had demonstrated that inexperienced militia were able to stand up to regular army troops in battle.  A British General was recorded as saying, ‘with victories like this one we will surely lose the war.’

You can go up inside the monument and climb 294 steps to the top.  The day we were there it was too hot, and the monument was shut down.  Boston would be more fun to visit in the Fall.  This happened a couple times on our trip, where places were closed because of the heat.

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Walking back to the bus stop we passed beautiful old homes.

Day 1 Boston – July 25, 2023

Wow, it’s been a while since I started this blog. Our oldest children are grown up, and our youngest are just getting ready to graduate. Because they were so young, they don’t remember this trip as well as their older siblings. It would have been impossible to duplicate. But we decided before they graduated, maybe we could add one more stop that we never fit in back then. We took them back to Boston for a couple of days. It was so amazing! So the next couple days are what I would have inserted in the trip between Waterloo, NY and New York City (between Day 22 and 23) in our trip back in 2012.

Yale, Hartford Connecticut

We caught a plane in Salt Lake City at 11:35 pm on July 24.  It had us landing 6 am in New Jersey.  So the only sleep we all got was what little we could get on the plane.  We started the day up and running. 

A view of NY City as we headed to Connecticut.

We rented a car and drove from Newark, New Jersey to New Haven, Connecticut where we visited Yale’s campus.  The campus is absolutely beautiful.  They give free tours, but we were running late and just stopped and asked a tour guide what the best buildings were to visit.  The tour guide was super great and pulled out a map to show us the best places to visit on campus if we like old things. 

He suggested we visit Harkness Tower

and the Old Campus (although that part was under some construction, so we could only see a bit of it). 

The guide told us the Art Gallery and the Sterling Memorial Library were free to visit. They were both worth the stop. The Library was absolutely beautiful!

But my favorite building was by far the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, the literary archive and special collections of Yales.  It is one of the largest buildings in the world dedicated to rare books and manuscripts.  Here we saw one of the first printings of the Declaration of Independence and a copy of the Gutenberg Bible dating about 1454.  I loved this library!

All of the libraries we visited had free entrance and were worth a visit. 

The guide told us if we like old things, we’d want to walk or drive down Hillshouse Avenue. We drove down Hillhouse Avenue which according to both Mark Twain AND Charles Dickens … is a walk down the most beautiful street in America. It’s a tree-lined avenue, located in the heart of campus with 19th-century mansions-turned-Yale-buildings and classroom spaces.

Hartford, Connecticut

Next stop Mark Twain’s home.  According to the guide at the time Mark Twain lived in this home he had built, Hartford Connecticut was the wealthiest city per capita in the United States.  And his neighborhood (Nook Farm) was the wealthiest neighborhood in the U.S.  If I remember correctly, some famous artists that lived in this community: the Governor, US Senators, newspaper publishers, a noted Civil War general, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Augustus D. Julliard.

In this home Mark wrote the Adventures of Huck Finn and Life on the Mississippi.  We weren’t allowed to take photos inside.  Louis Comfort Tiffany was an artist that painted inside the home (later future owner of Tiffany’s).  Many different cultures and styles from around the world are represented in the décor.  New technologies were also found in the home like gravity flow heat systems, flushing toilets and a telephone.

Boston Massachusetts Temple

After Mark Twain’s home we drove to Boston to go to the temple.  Hannah and I went to an endowment session.  We tried to get a reservation for Ben and Mike to do baptisms, but I thought the lack of a time slot, meant they were full.  We hoped that Ben could walk in, and they could fit him in.  Instead, the baptistry was closed and no one was there.  But when they heard that Ben had come for baptisms, they opened up the baptismal font and let them do baptisms.  They were so nice.  It’s a small temple with limited hours.  But it was very beautiful, and it was wonderful to be there.