Monument sights in Boston
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Prospect Hill Park
On January 1, 1776, George Washington ordered the Grand Union Flag be flown from a 76ft mast atop Prospect Hill. Bearing thirteen stripes representing the united colonies with the crosses of St Andrew in the corner, it is considered the first American flag and this is the first time it was so proudly waved.
The flag flew over Prospect Hill until British troops were driven out of the city; and it served the purpose of the national flag until the new nation officially adopted the Stars and Stripes the following year.
The granite tower was built in 1903 to commemorate the site's historical significance. Today you can see why the patriots chose this spot to wave their flag, …
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Old Powder House
In the years leading up to the revolution, the Old Powder House contained the largest supply of gunpowder in the state. Which is why the patriots were alarmed when British troops raided the facility and confiscated the ammunition on September 1, 1774. It was part of a British attempt to keep the peace after levying the Intolerable Acts, but patriot sympathizers mistook the move to be threatening, and rumors spread wildly.
Men came from all over the region, forming militia groups that were prepared to fight. Known as the Powder Alarm, the tension was eventually diffused. But the incident caused the British to call for reinforcements from London; and it impressed upon the r…
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Boston Massacre Site
Encircled by cobblestones, the Boston Massacre site marks the spot where the first blood was shed for the American independence movement. On March 5, 1770, an angry mob of colonists swarmed the British soldiers guarding the State House. Sam Adams, John Hancock and about 40 other protesters hurled snowballs, rocks and insults. Thus provoked, the soldiers fired into the crowd and killed five townspeople, including Crispus Attucks, a former slave. The incident sparked enormous anti-British sentiment. Paul Revere helped fan the flames by widely disseminating an engraving that depicted the scene as an unmitigated slaughter (an original print is on display inside the Old State …
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Plymouth Rock
Historic Plymouth, ‘America’s Home Town,’ is synonymous with Plymouth Rock. Thousands of visitors come here each year to look at this weathered granite ball and to consider what it was like for the Pilgrims, who stepped ashore this strange land in the autumn of 1620. You can see Plymouth Rock in a mere minute, but the rock is just a symbol of the Pilgrims’ struggle, sacrifice and triumph, elucidated in many museums and exhibits.
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Robert Gould Shaw Memorial
The magnificent bas-relief opposite the State House was sculpted by Augustus St Gaudens over nearly 13 years. It honors the 54th Massachusetts Regiment of the Union Army, the nation's first all-black Civil War regiment, depicted in the 1989 film Glory. The soldiers, led by 26-year-old Shaw, steadfastly refused their monthly stipend for two years, until Congress increased it to match the amount that white regiments received.
Shaw (the son of a wealthy Brahmin family), and half his men were killed in a battle at Fort Wagner, South Carolina. The NPS tour of the Black Heritage Trail departs from here.
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Soldiers & Sailors Monument
Dedicated in 1877, this massive monument atop Flagstaff Hill pays tribute to the namesake soldiers and sailors that died in the Civil War. The four bronze statues represent Peace, the female figure looking to the South; the Sailor, the seaman looking toward the ocean; History, the Greek figure looking to heaven; and the Soldier, an infantryman standing at ease. See if you can recognize the many historical figures in the elaborate bronze reliefs.
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Jack Kerouac Commemorative
Dedicated in 1988, the Jack Kerouac Commemorative features a landscaped path where excerpts of the writer’s work are posted, including opening passages from his five novels set in Lowell. They are thoughtfully displayed with Catholic and Buddhist symbols, representing the belief systems that influenced him. The memorial is northeast of the visitors center along the Eastern Canal.
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Boston Massacre Monument
This 25ft monument pays tribute to the five victims of the Boston Massacre, which took place down the street near the Old State House. It replicates Paul Revere’s famous engraving of this tragic event. Revere’s effective propaganda depicts the soldiers shooting down defenseless colonists in cold blood, when in reality they were reacting to the aggressive crowd in self-defense.
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Concord Minute Man
Daniel French's first statue, the Concord Minute Man, presides over the park from the opposite side of the bridge. Up the hill, the Buttrick Mansion houses the park's visitor center and a quaint café.
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Province House Steps
An innocuous set of steps next to the Marliave is all that remains of the 17th-century royal governor’s mansion. From here, General Gage ordered the Redcoats to Concord.
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Bunker Hill Monument
‘Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!’ came the order from Colonel Prescott to revolutionary troops on June 17, 1775. Considering the ill-preparedness of the revolutionary soldiers, the bloody battle that followed resulted in a surprising number of British casualties. Ultimately, however, the Redcoats prevailed (an oft-overlooked fact). Today, the 220ft granite obelisk monument is visible from across the harbor in the North End, from the expanse of the Zakim Bridge and from almost anywhere in Charlestown. But only a walk through the winding cobblestone streets up to the monument’s hilltop perch allows visitors to experience and appreciate the authentic, hist…
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