Historic Site sights in Boston
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A
Old City Hall
This monumental French Second Empire building occupies a historic spot. Out front, a plaque commemorates the site of the first public school, Boston Latin, founded in 1635 and still operational in Fenway. The hopscotch sidewalk mosaic, City Carpet, marks the spot where Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Charles Bulfinch were educated.
Statues of Benjamin Franklin, founding father, and Josiah Quincy, second mayor of Boston, stand inside the courtyard. They are accompanied by a life-sized replica of a donkey, symbol of the Democratic Party. (‘Why the donkey?’ you wonder. Read the plaque to find out.) Two bronze footprints ‘stand in opposition.’
The…
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B
Salem Maritime National Historic Site
The witch phenomenon obscures Salem’s true claim to fame: its glory days as a center for clipper-ship trade with China, started by Elias Hasket Derby. The Salem Maritime National Historic Site comprises the customhouse, the ship Friendship and the wharves, as well as other buildings along Derby St that are remnants of the shipping industry once thriving along this stretch of Salem.
In all, the site comprises 10 different historic locations within a two-block area. Check in at the visitor center for a schedule of ranger-led tours.
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C
Mayflower II
If Plymouth Rock tells us little about the Pilgrims, Mayflower II speaks volumes. Climb aboard this replica of the small ship in which they made the fateful voyage, where 102 people lived together for 66 days as the ship passed through stormy North Atlantic waters. Actors in period costume are often on board, recounting harrowing tales from the journey.
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Cambridge Common
There’s a lot to Harvard Sq besides the university: it’s a hotbed of Colonial and revolutionary history. Opposite the main entrance to Harvard Yard, Cambridge Common is the village green where General Washington took command of the Continental Army on July 3, 1775. The traffic island at the south end, known as Dawes Island, pays tribute to the ‘other rider’ William Dawes, who rode through here on April 18, 1775, to warn that the British were coming (look for bronze hoof prints embedded in the sidewalk).
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D
Ether Dome
On October 16, 1846, Thomas WG Morton administered ether to the patient Gilbert Abbott, while Dr John Collins Warren cut a tumor from his neck. It was the first use of anesthesia in a surgical procedure and it happened in this domed operating room in Mass General Hospital.
The dome looks like a typical, old-fashioned hall used for lectures and medical demonstrations, up to and including the skeleton hanging in the corner. The dome is still used today for meetings and lectures, so it is sometimes closed to the public.
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E
USS Cassin Young
This 376ft WWII destroyer is one of 14 Fletcher-class destroyers built at the Charlestown Navy Yard. These were the Navy’s fastest, most versatile ships. Cassin Young participated in the 1944 Battle of Leyte Gulf, as well as the 1945 invasion of Okinawa. Here, the ship sustained two kamikaze hits, leaving 23 crew members dead and many more wounded. These days she has been completely refurbished, as you can see during a free, 45-minute tour, or if you choose to wander around the main deck on your own.
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