The Freedom Trail - Part One

After wasting one day in Boston, we weren't about to get a slow start on our second day. We woke up early and got moving right away. We didn't even sit down to eat breakfast. We all grabbed a piece of fruit and took off for a day of adventure!

Our first stop was Boston Common. As Kaden would tell you, Boston Common is the oldest park in the United States. It sits in the middle of high rise buildings and bustling traffic. We enjoyed walking around a bit while we waited for our tour to begin.

We spotted several squirrels that Devon was determined to catch on film. After several attempts he finally succeeded. Pretty good shot if you ask me!

There are a couple of monuments around the park. One we visited was built for the individuals from Boston that fought for the freedom of our country. It was very beautiful.

We met our tour guide at the beginning of the Freedom Trail. The trail is marked by a red line that runs throughout the city. The line is either painted or made out of brick, as you see here.

We had a wonderful guide that provided many wonderful insights as we walked along the trail. He played the part of Bully Jim Denton. He started by telling us about Boston Common. We learned that much of Boston was owned by one man, Rev. William Blaxton. When the Puritans arrived they weren't doing so well, so the Reverend offered to let them come live on his land (I'm thinking around 800 acres). It worked out well at first, but the Puritans soon took over. In the end Rev. Blaxton was given only 50 acres of his own land. In later years Rev. Blaxton decided to sell the 50 acres to the Puritans, but he made sure that it would be protected as a commons area.

Our guide told us his story. In his day and age poor parents would find someone (usually a relative) for their children to learn a trade from. The parents would basically give their child away to this person to become an apprentice. In return the person was supposed to provide room, board and education. The life of an apprentice was very hard work, but he was given a little time off every so often. During his time off he would go to Boston Common and train with the military troops. He told us that this happened to him when he was about twelve years old. Our guide found out that Tanner was twelve and he asked him what he thought about that. Tanner didn't like the sound of that!

Our next stop was the Massachusetts State house. The land was owned by John Hancock. John Hancock also started out as an apprentice, but he was fortunate to get a wealthy benefactor. The roof of the building was built by Paul Revere. I thought Paul Revere was known for his night ride, but we learned that he was talented in many trades. He helped build a lot of things in Boston.

As we continued on the trail we saw many old and new buildings. It was a wonderful mix of history and the modern world. I loved the architecture!

Nestled between some modern buildings lies the Granary Burial Ground. It is a small little cemetery packed with headstones. They are different shapes and sizes and they are crooked. Many of them bare a skull with wings. They say that around 5000 people are buried there. Each headstone represents a family and underneath it are buried close to 20 people. This was because many of these people were poor and couldn't afford more than one plot.

Several famous people are buried at the Granary Burial Grounds. John Hancock's plot stands out from the other meager headstones. His is marked by a tall pillar baring his likeness.

Another famous headstone is that of Paul Revere. His is a humbler headstone. In fact you can barely make out the name it has been so worn. We learned that Paul Revere is not actually buried here. He is elsewhere in Boston, but the moved his headstone here for convenience. It liked the simpleness of his spot. He strikes me as a hard working humble man.

Other famous people buried here are Samuel Adams and those killed in the Boston Massacre.

In the center of the cemetery there is a rather tall monument. It says "Franklin" on it. Upon first glance many people think it is the resting place of Benjamin Franklin (he was from Boston), but it is actually the resting place of his parents. They were poor, but Benjamin Franklin set aside some money so his parents could be honored. What a wonderful tribute!

Next we walked by the first public school site in America. It was established by the Puritan settlers. It was first open to boys only, but in 1972 girls were allowed to attend. Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock all attended the Latin school.

Just outside the building, on the sidewalk, lies a hopscotch board. I believe it was made to help the children learn the alphabet. I was impressed by how well it has been preserved.

I wish I could remember everything our tour guide told us. He did such a good job that he kept our boys' attention the entire tour (even Austin)! There were only a handful of kids on our tour, but the tour guide did a good job of keeping them involved. I didn't hear one whine the whole time. That is my kind of tour!!

Just down the street from the school is the Old South Meeting House. That is the place where the Boston tea party began. Many colonists met there to talk about the tax. Several hours later they left the building and headed to the harbor where they dumped the tea.

Our tour ended at Faneuil Hall. It is a building that has served many purposes. It began as a government building and has been used a marketplace.

On the top of the building there is a golden grasshopper weathervane. Our tour guide said the grasshopper is a sign of good luck. It goes back to story of a family who lost their baby (or toddler). They looked all over, but couldn't find the child. They kept looking and finally found the child safe and sound surrounded by grasshoppers. I don't know if that's the true story behind the weathervane, but it's a cool story.

Our tour guide told us so many cool things that, according to our guide, our tour actually lasted longer than any other tour he had ever given. At the end of the tour we found out that he was playing the part of his own ancestor. He has spent over 7 years researching the man he portrays. He said it has become a labor of love. What a wonderful work to be involved in!

Just behind Faneuil Hall is Quincy Market. It is a huge food court. We got there right at the lunch rush. It was a challenge to walk through the corridor with all of our kids and figure out what we wanted to eat. We had to walk through once to see what was available and then another time to actually order. The boys decided on pizza and Chad and I got a bread bowl with Chowder.

Just outside Quincy Market is a nice outdoor mall where we decided to sit down and eat our lunch. It was a little crowded, but we managed to find a pretty spot. The boys' pizza slices were huge and they loved them. Chad and I enjoyed our chowder. It was delicious!

We had a nice restful lunch. We had fun doing some people watching, we even saw some Red Coats pass by!

After we were done with lunch we made our way back to the red line to finish the rest of the Freedom Trail. Before we got there we were inclined to stop and watch a street performer. There was a big crowd gathered around. We enjoyed watching "Lucky Bob" do many stunts. The boys liked his finale. He balanced on a board, that was on top of a metal cylinder, while juggling three bowling pins and balancing a plate on a stick which he was holding in his mouth. He had three different people throw him the the bowling pins while he was balancing on the board. He did a good job, especially considering that one of the throwers was a young girl that couldn't throw very high. I think she tried three times before he just had her hand it up to him! Of course at the end of the show Lucky Bob asked for donations. He told everyone this was his job and he really appreciated the help. Chad was feeling generous so he had the boys give Lucky Bob a nice tip. Chad is very giving person and I'm glad he's teaching the boys how to be giving as well.

We had a great first half of our day. After stopping to refuel we were energized and ready to tackle the rest of the trail!