Historic Boston - All Along Congress Street

 Congress Street is wedged between Boston's City Hall Plaza and Faneuil Hall, and there's actually a lot to see and do around this area!

City Hall Plaza is bordered by Congress Street, and has always been bustling with people since it's opening in 1968.  This is where all of the sports championship rallies are held, where the parades end, and where many festivals are held throughout the summer such as the Pride Festival and the Jimmy Fund's Scooper Bowl.  From here you can peek down toward State Street and see the (super small) Old State House.

There's a great statue of Celtics legend Bill Russell at City Hall Plaza too. He was a five time MVP and won 11 (!!!) NBA championships when he played for the Celtics between 1956 and 1969. There are 11 smaller statues surrounding Russell here, each representing one of his championships.

While City Hall itself might be the ugliest structure in the entirety of Boston, there has been a lot of construction around the area, particularly north of here. 

I love this Boston sign and I love seeing Faneuil Hall peeking out over the top of it.

Speaking of Faneuil Hall, it's right across the street from Boston's City Hall, also on Congress Street.  Although Peter Faneuil was a known slave trader, he built Faneuil Hall as a gift to the city of Boston (I dunno, send it back?)  He died in 1743 and the building actually burned in 1761, but was rebuilt in the same spot at the same dimensions with a new roof.  It was expanded to look as it does today in 1806, AND Mayor Josiah Quincy added the rest of Quincy Market (behind it) in the 1820s. So IS this even Faneuil's hall?  He wasn't a very important guy - just a guy with money who didn't do very good things with it.

However, Samuel Adams stands in front of Faneuil Hall!

Not too far from Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market is the Union Oyster House, a National Historic Landmark.  The sign says, "The oldest continually operated restaurant and oyster bar in the United States. Constructed between 1716 and 1717, it is a rare surviving brick example of Boston's Georgian architecture." (As designated by the National Park Service in the Department of the Interior in 2003.)  The restaurant has actually only been here since 1826, and prior to that it was Hopestill Capen's silk and dry goods store (since at least 1742.) The bay backed right up to the store at the time, so it was convenient for ships to make deliveries here.  In 1826, Atwood and Bacon started selling oysters, clams and scallops among other things. Did you know that the toothpick was first used in the US here at the Union Oyster House? 

The superlative next door is the Bell in Hand Tavern, which wins for the oldest continuously run tavern in the United States (from 1795 onward, but not during Prohibition from 1920 to 1933!) The first owner was Jimmy Wilson, who was Boston's last known Town Crier who established the first Bell in Hand in Congress Square under the Exchange Coffee House.  It was then moved to Williams Street at Pi Alley, and eventually to 81 Devonshire Street before landing here on Union Street.  Samuel Adams, Daniel Webster and Paul Revere were known to visit the Bell in Hand! Lights and darks were only served until 1919 with liquor added to the menu after Prohibition ended.

The nearby Green Dragon Tavern, although not the original that was founded in 1654, was the site of many meetings that were had regarding the "detested tea" leading up to the Boston Tea Party. While the Freemasons held their meetings on the first floor, secret meetings of the Sons of Liberty were held in the basement.  Historians call this tavern the "Headquarters of the Revolution."

The original Green Dragon Tavern was demolished in 1832, but was rebuilt very close by the original.  On the night of his famous ride, the Green Dragon Tavern was Paul Revere's starting point on his way out to Lexington.   

The Boston Tea Party was planned right here! (Ok, not RIGHT here because that building was demolished but in this vicinity!) Other famous patrons of the Green Dragon include John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Dr. Joseph Warren.

On my way back home, I walked through the very powerful Holocaust Memorial (which basically sits in front of the Bell in Hand, right along Congress Street). This memorial was founded by Holocaust survivor Stephan Ross who lost his parents, a brother and five sisters before being set free at Dachau by American troops when he was 14.  When I walked in, you can read "First They Came" by Martin Niemöller, a German, once-Hitler-supporter-turned-anti-Nazi Lutheran pastor.

 The memorial has six 54-foot glass towers - and the website reads, "The number six has many meanings here: the millions of Jews killed in the Holocaust; the names of the six main death camps; a row of memorial candles; and the six years, 1939-1945, during which the infamous “Final Solution,” the most deadly phase of the Holocaust, took place. In addition, millions of numbers are etched in the glass, representing the infamous tattoos inflected on many of the victims’ arms."  If the sun is out and it hits you just right through the glass, you might find yourself with one of those numbers etched on you, as well.

Steam rises up from the grates as you walk through, and along with the numbers on the glass, there are short stories and messages about people's time in the concentration camps that are INCREDIBLY moving. This is one of the most compelling memorials I have ever been to, aside from the actual concentration camps. It's very thoughtful and well done, and I definitely shed a tear here.

Until next time, Boston!

Historic Boston - Boston Common

 These posts kind of jump around a bit because I visited a lot of these places on the same day (yet I don't want to bore or overwhelm anyone with TOO much history!) so this post should definitely be enjoyed with the Public Garden post!

First stop on the way to the Common - the State House! Weirdly, I've never actually been here before, despite being a state worker for about 4 years. Charles Bulfinch designed this building that was opened in 1798 - remember how the Old State House was once the seat of state government from 1776 until this opened?  Many people think there is a pineapple on top of the gold dome, but it's really a pinecone (well, they were half right!) which was chosen as a nod to the pine trees of New England that were used to build houses, ships and buildings.

There are a bunch of cool facts about our Massachusetts state house:  First, the original dome was made of wood, BUT... it leaked. Like a lot. So they hired Paul Revere and Sons to replace the wood with copper in 1802.  Since then, it's been covered with 23 carat gold leaf although it was painted dark gray during World War II so that German ships and planes did not see it.

Boston Public Garden was the first public botanical garden in America - which makes sense because it's situated just across the street from Boston Common, which was the FIRST public park in America, founded in 1634! William Blackstone originally owned the land, but Puritan colonists purchased the 44 acres from him for 30 pounds (6 shillings per landowner at the time.)  It was a pasture at the time, and became a common area for the Puritan colonists animals to graze.

While the Common had been a site for the Puritans to dole out public punishments (including hangings), it now is a great place for ice skating in the winter on Frog Pond!

Also on the Common, along Beacon Street is a monument to the 300th anniversary of the founding of Boston in 1630.  The monument was dedicated in 1930, which means there's only 7 more years until we actually reach the 400th anniversary of Boston!

Another interesting monument on the Common is one to Pope John Paul II, who gave his first mass in the United States here on the Common on October 1, 1979. It was, surprisingly (given the high number of Catholics in Boston and the northeast) the first visit by a Pope to Boston!

I didn't know whether I liked THIS picture of Beacon Street better or...

... THIS picture of Beacon Street? Hmmm. I like them both!

Another monument on the Common is the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, which was dedicated to all who died fighting in the American Civil War. 

One monument on the Common that's been in the news lately is the brand new Martin Luther King, Jr. monument known as The Embrace which sits adjacent to Tremont Street.

Love is such a powerful force. It's there for everyone to embrace - that kind of unconditional love for all of humankind.  That is the kind of love that impels people to go into the community and try to change conditions for others, to take risks for what they believe in.

I liked this side of it because their embrace is shaped like a heart.  Boston Common has a long history of being a place of public assembly.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke here on April 23, 1965 in front of 22,000 people.  He called Boston his second home, having met Coretta here and having gotten his Ph.D. at Boston University!

The Central Burying Ground is located near the corner of Boylston and Tremont Street.  Inside of the Central Burying Ground, Gilbert Stuart is buried. He is best known for painting George Washington's famous portrait known as the Athenaeum Portrait, which you now probably see all the time on the $1 bill.  Stuart painted MANY other famous portraits of famous people, such as John Jacob Astor, Presidents Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, James Madison and James Monroe, the first ladies AND even King George's III and IV.

This sign for the Central Burying Ground said that Gilbert Stuart was America's First Composer, which is incorrect.  He was a portrait artist.  William Billings was America's first choral composer, and he was ALSO buried here. Looks like they need to get this sign corrected!

British soldiers who died at Bunker Hill (or of disease between 1775 and 1776) were also buried here.

The buildings that surround the Common on Boylston and Tremont are mostly commercial or belong to Emerson College.

I love the Crispus Attucks monument on the Common. The Crispus Attucks Museum website says, "On top stands a figure representing the Spirit of the Revolution inspired by Eugene Delacroix’s painting of Liberty Leading the People, a symbol of the French Revolution. She holds a broken chain in her right hand to symbolize freedom from the oppressors and in her left hand she holds the American flag. With her right foot she crushes the crown of the British monarchy and next to her other foot an eagle prepares to fly."

Another post I did about the Boston Massacre talked about Crispus Attucks, but what I didn't mention is that he was likely born in Natick (where we lived from 2009-2015).  His mother is thought to have belonged to the Wampanoag Tribe and his father was an enslaved African. Crispus was considered to be the property of William Brown of Framingham for 27 years before he escaped in 1750 and became a sailor (because that was one occupation open to free African Americans.)

I apologize that this monument is difficult to see, but this one is a full copy of the Declaration of Independence, complete with the signatures at the bottom.  It's actually a bronze copy by John Paramino of the painting by John Trumball from 1818 that currently sits in the Capitol Rotunda. 

Couldn't find the sign until I was well into my stroll around the Common! 

The Emerson College dorms are located across Boylston Street from the Common. Can you imagine having this view!?  I loved seeing all of the signs in the windows ("Hi!")

That's cool. A Christmas tree still on the Common, not far from the Park Street Church. In February.

If you stop at the street next to Brewer Fountain, you get a really great view of the Common and the State House.  Notice the Freedom Trail's bricks follow along this road!

AND, if you've seen Hamilton, you definitely know who the Marquis de Lafayette is.  They have a monument to him on Boston Common which was also designed by John Paramino (same sculptor as the Declaration of Independence monument above.)

Everyone give it up for America's favorite fighting Frenchman!  Did you know his full name was Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette?  He played a big role in the Battle of Yorktown (the last major land battle of the American Revolution) and also fought in the French Revolution. He became an honorary American citizen after his death (but not until 2002!)

We do have a pretty State House and I'm certainly glad the dome is gold again! The last time the dome was gilded was in 1997 at a cost of $300,000.

As I made my way back to the office, I passed by the Park Street Church, which has been here since 1809 (the church has been in existence since 1804.) At 217 feet, this was the tallest building in the United States from 1810 to 1828! Harriett Beecher Stowe's brother Edward was the pastor in 1826, and My Country 'Tis of Thee was played for the first time here (or anywhere) on July 4, 1831 after Samuel Francis Smith wrote the lyrics at the Andover Theological Seminary. So once again, you see yet another Boston building with QUITE a lot of history!

Unfortunately, it's only open for tours in the summer, so I guess I'll just have to go back then! Until next time, Boston Common!

Historic Boston - The Boston Public Garden

I feel like I'm overusing the word iconic in these posts but there aren't many more places here in New England as iconic as the Boston Public Garden!!

I actually took a few hours off of work on this particular day (hooray for annual leave!) to walk over to the Public Garden and to Boston Common (see another post for that!)  On the way there, I walked past this building - which is where Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706! You would probably just walk by this and not even notice it - it's so unassuming!

As I marched up Beacon Street, I also passed THIS adorable building - which houses the Boston Bar Association.  The structure itself is known as the Chester Harding House.

It was built in 1808 and is named the Chester Harding House because that famous American portraitist lived here for four years in the 1820s.  He famously painted John Quincy Adams, James Madison, James Monroe, Daniel Boone and several Dukes of Great Britain!

The Boston Public Garden and Boston Common are separated by Charles Street and are two very distinct and different public spaces.  The Boston Public Garden was established in 1837 as the first public botanical garden in America. Hard to tell now because of the snow, but it's really lovely in the spring and summer.

One of my favorite things about the Public Garden is that all of the trees have little labels on them to tell you what kind of tree they are. It's 24 acres of elms, maples, beech, birch, redwoods (yes!), ginkgo,  magnolia, oaks, pagodas - and dozens of other types of trees including this weeping willow.  You like a tree in the garden?  Take a picture of the sign attached to it and plant it in your own garden - you know it will grow here!

One of the most visited spots among the trees in the Public Garden is the Make Way For Duckling's statue(s). SO stinking cute!

This bronze duck and her ducklings were made by Nancy Schön and modeled after the famous book "Make Way For Ducklings" by Robert McCloskey.  

McCloskey wrote the book in 1941 about Mr. and Mrs. Mallard settle into the Boston Public Garden to nest and have their babies. At one point, a child on a bicycle zooms past them and they declare that the park is MUCH too dangerous for their babies - and off they go, to settle down near the Esplanade on the Charles River.

These babies (known as Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack!) arrived at the Public Garden in 1987. It's tradition for people to dress them up for various holidays and sporting events.

The Public Garden sits right up against all of the pretty buildings on Beacon Street. 

One of those pretty buildings is the bar where they filmed the outside scenes of the TV show Cheers!  The writers actually modeled the bar in the show after this particular bar. It's known as Cheers now, but originally it had been the Bull and Finch pub dating back to 1969.  The funniest thing here (to me!) is that on the menu, under "Diane's Entrees" they have "Rebecca's Fish and Chips."  Team Diane forever!

Back in the Public Garden, we find Duck Island in the middle of the lagoon.  Which is, of course, where Mr. and Mrs. Mallard eventually relocated with their baby ducks (after she taught them to swim and dive over on the Charles River)!  A happy ending for a family of cute little ducks! Normally in the summer, you will find this park full of people, and the lagoon full of the famous swan boats.  

You can also see the lagoon bridge in the background.  Originally built in 1867, it HAD been the world's (!!) shortest suspension bridge before it was converted to just a regular bridge in 1921.  The eyebar suspension still remains (although it's for decoration purposes only now since they installed the girders) - but it is still the oldest known eyebar suspension systems in the whole country! This city is just full of ridiculous superlatives!

Robert Paget built the first Swan Boats in the 1870s.  When bicycles started becoming more popular, he decided to make the boats foot propelled paddle wheels - but by a driver, not the occupants of the boat.  In order for  the occupants to have more privacy, he thought up the idea to cover the driver with a swan! Today, four generations later, Robert's great granddaughter (and her cousin, also a Paget) still run the Swan Boats in the Boston Public Garden and they are one of THE most popular tourist attractions in the city.

But let's talk about the real hero of the story though... Robert died at the age of 42 in 1878, and his wife Julia kept the Swan Boats alive through the early 1900s (when her son John took over the business).  Back then, it was a huge effort for a woman to prove that she could even run a business (particularly with four small children) - but she persisted!

Until next time (in the summer when it's prettier) Public Garden!