Sights in Boston
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Copp’s Hill Burying Ground
The city’s second-oldest cemetery – dating to 1660 – is named for William Copp, who originally owned this land. The oldest graves here belong to his children. An estimated 10,000 souls occupy this small plot of land, including more than 1000 free blacks, many of whom lived in the North End. Near the Charter St gate you’ll find the graves of the Mather family – Increase, Cotton and Samuel – all of whom were politically powerful religious leaders in the colonial community. Find the grave of Daniel Malcolm, whose headstone commemorates his rebel activism. British soldiers apparently took offense at this claim and used the headstone for target practice. Across the street, 44 …
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Old City Hall
This monumental French Second Empire building is now office space with one fancy restaurant, but this site has seen its share of history. 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 lifesize replica of a donkey, symbol of the Democratic Party. (‘Why the donkey?’ you wonder. Read the plaque to find out.) Tw…
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MassArt
More formally known as the Massachusetts College of Art, this is the country’s first and only four-year independent public art college. In 1873 state leaders decided the new textile mills in Lowell and Lawrence needed a steady stream of designers, so they established MassArt to educate some. The South Building houses over 9000 sq ft of exhibit space in the Arnheim, Bakalar and Paine galleries, while the Tower also houses the President’s Gallery. There’s always some thought-provoking or sense-stimulating exhibits to see.
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Walden Pond
Thoreau took the naturalist beliefs of Transcendentalism out of the realm of theory and into practice when he left the comforts of town and built a rustic cabin at Walden Pond. The glacial pond is now a state park, surrounded by acres of forest preserved by the nonprofit Walden Woods project. The site of Thoreau’s cabin is on the northeast side, marked by a cairn and signs. To escape the crowded summertime beach, follow the path along to the other side of the pond. Parking costs $5.
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1712 Ebenezer Clough House
Behind the Paul Revere Mall in the North End. Ebenezer Clough, a Sons of Liberty member who participated in the Boston Tea Party, was a mason who worked on the adjacent Old North Church.
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King’s Chapel & Burying Ground
Bostonians were not pleased when the original Anglican church was erected on this site in 1688. (Remember, it was the Anglicans – the Church of England – whom the Puritans were fleeing.) The granite chapel standing today was built in 1754. If the church seems to be missing something, it is: funds ran out before a spire could be added. The church houses the largest bell ever made by Paul Revere, as well as a historic organ. Note the prestigious Governor’s pew, once occupied by George Washington, who came to hear a concert. Request a brochure to take a self-guided tour of the church’s architectural and historical highlights. After the revolution, King’s Chapel became the fi…
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Harvard Yard
Founded in 1636 to educate men for the ministry, Harvard is America’s oldest college. (No other college came along until 1693.) The original Ivy League school has eight graduates who went on to be US presidents, not to mention dozens of Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners. It educates 6500 undergraduates and about 12,000 graduates yearly in 10 professional schools. The geographic heart of Harvard University – where red-brick buildings and leaf-covered paths exude academia – is Harvard Yard (through Anderson Gates from Mass Ave). The focal point of the yard is the John Harvard statue, where every Harvard hopeful has a photo taken (and touches the statue’s shiny shoe…
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Salem Maritime National Historic Site
The witch phenomena 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 wharves and the other buildings along Derby St that are remnants of the shipping industry that once thrived along this stretch of Salem. In all, the site comprises ten different historic locations within a two-block area. Start at the visitors center to pick up a map and to see the informative film To the Farthest Ports of the Rich East. Of the 50 wharves that once lined Salem Harbor, only three remain, the longest of which is Derby Wharf. Visitors ca…
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Rocky Neck Art Colony
The artistic legacy of Gloucester native Fitz Hugh Lane endures, as Gloucester still boasts a vibrant artists community at Rocky Neck Art Colony. The association operates the cooperative Bryan Gallery in a beautiful space overlooking Smith Cove.
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Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum
On the cold night of December 16, 1773, a group of fiery colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians burst from the Old South Meeting House and headed to Griffin’s Wharf, where they clambered aboard the three ships harbored there. Outraged by the taxes that the British imposed on tea and other imports, the colonists, armed with axes and hatchets, destroyed 342 crates of British tea, defiantly dumping the precious cargo into the sea. Today, the Boston Tea Party Ship remembers this spirited rebellious act. Artifacts include the Robinson Tea Chest, which was retrieved from the harbor on the morning after the Tea Party. At the time of research, the museum was closed for rebuilding …
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ICA
Boston is poised to become a focal point for contemporary art, with the highly touted opening of the new Institute of Contemporary Artsin its dramatic new quarters. The building is a work of art in itself – a striking glass structure cantilevered over a waterside plaza. The spacious light-filled interior allows for multimedia presentations, educational programs and studio space. More importantly, it provides the venue for the development of the ICA’s permanent collection of 21st-century art.
Several galleries are dedicated to the growing permanent collection and the ongoing Momentum series, while others rotate, showcasing national and international artists working in …
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Forest Hills Cemetery
Dating to 1848, Forest Hills is a gorgeous, green cemetery that is filled with art and whimsy. Beautifully maintained walking paths wind their way around the gravestones, which include such famous figures as revolutionary heroes William Dawes and Joseph Warren; abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison and suffragette Lucy Stone; poets ee cummings and Anne Sexton; sculptors Daniel Chester French and Martin Milmore; and playwright Eugene O’Neill. It is still an active burial ground, but it also plays the role of open-air museum and park. The walking paths are lined with 19th- and 20th-century sculptures paying tribute to various individuals and causes from times past. Even more …
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Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center
Visit Gloucester’s working waterfront and see the ongoing restoration of wooden boats, watch the operation of a marine railway that hauls ships out of the water, and compare the different kinds of fishing boats that were used over the years. Sea Pocket Lab is a hands-on outdoor aquarium with exhibits on local marine habitats. It is a great chance for kids to get down and dirty with sea stars, sea urchins, snails, crabs and seaweed. The Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary Exhibit is an excellent introduction for whale-watchers heading out on an excursion. From the Grant Circle rotary, take Washington St to its terminus then turn left on Rogers St to Harbor Loop. Be sure not…
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Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Widely considered the father of landscape design architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted made an indelible mark on Boston’s urban landscape, linking green space from the Boston Common to Franklin Park, some 7 miles long. His firm spent nearly 20 years on the project, known as the Emerald Necklace. In the midst of this project, Olmsted moved his own home to Brookline, where he established a full-scale landscape-design office called ‘Fairsted.’ Although closed for renovation at the time of research, Fairsted is supposed to be open for tours in 2010. You will be able to visit Olmsted’s office, which remains in the same state as it was a century ago, and peruse his designs for th…
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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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Franklin Park Zoo
While the 70-acre Franklin Park Zoo is surrounded by one of the city’s sketchier neighborhoods, the zoo itself is safe. It boasts a well-designed Tropical Forest pavilion, complete with lush vegetation, waterfalls, lowland gorillas, warthogs and over 30 species of free flight birds. The Serengeti Crossing features Grevy’s zebras, Masai giraffes, wildebeests, ostrich and ibex, while the Australian Outback Trail allows visitors to walk among red kangaroos and wallabies. Don’t miss the magical Butterfly Landing, where you can stroll among blooming perennials, gushing waterfalls, and 1000 fluttering butterflies in free flight. One excellent exhibit is Tiger Tales, which recou…
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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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Old State House
Dating to 1713, the Old State House is Boston’s oldest surviving public building, where the Massachusetts Assembly used to debate the issues of the day before the revolution. It occupies a once prominent spot at the top of State St (then known as King St), which was Boston’s main thoroughfare. The building is best known for its balcony, where the Declaration of Independence was first read to Bostonians in 1776. The rooftop is graced with lions and unicorns, which were symbols of the British crown. These are replicas, as the originals were torn down in a fit of patriotism after the reading of the Declaration. Inside, the Old State House contains a small museum of revolutio…
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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 the stormy North Atlantic waters.
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Custom House
Begun in 1837, the lower portion of the Custom House resembles a Greek temple. But the federal government decided something grander was in order, so in 1913 it exempted itself from local height restrictions and financed a 500ft tower. Thus Boston’s first skyscraper was born. At first Bostonians were aghast, but they have since grown to love it. The 22ft illuminated clock makes this gem the most recognizable structure of the city skyline. The old Custom House now contains a Marriott hotel. But that doesn’t mean you have to dole out big bucks to stay here to appreciate the building’s history and aesthetics. The 1st-floor rotunda, a work of art in itself, also houses a small…
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Essex Shipbuilding Museum
This unique museum was established in 1976 as a local repository for all of the shipbuilding artifacts of the local residents. Most of the collections of photos, tools and ship models came from local basements and attics, allowing Essex to truly preserve its local history. Most of the collections are housed in the town’s 1835 school house (check out the Old Burying Ground behind it). The historical society also operates the Waterline Center in the museum shipyard, a section of waterfront property where shipbuilding activities have taken place for hundreds of years. The historic Essex-built schooner, Evelina M Goulart, is moored here. From Rte 128, take exit 15 and turn …
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Whistler House Museum of Art
In 1834 Anna Mathilda (McNeill) Whistler, wife of the local agent for the Locks and Canals Corporation, gave birth to future artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834–1903). The coming of the railroad made locks and canals less important, and the Whistlers moved away from Lowell in 1837. Young James went on to become one of America’s greatest 19th-century painters. Whistler’s birthplace, built in 1823, is now the home of the Lowell Art Association. It contains a permanent collection of the artist’s works, and hosts exhibits of works by his contemporaries and modern New England artists. Outside, an 8ft bronze statue of the artist, completed by sculptor Mico Kaufm…
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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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Battleship Cove
‘You sank my battleship!’ This cry was ne’er heard aboard the mighty USS Massachusetts, a hulk of a craft that survived 35 battles in WWII, gunning down almost 40 aircraft and never losing a man in combat. Today, this heroic ship sits in a quiet corner of Mt Hope Bay known as Battleship Cove. This beaut – longer than two football fields and taller than a nine-storey building – is only one of eight historic ships that visitors can explore at Battleship Cove. The USS Joseph P Kennedy Jr, named for President John F Kennedy’s older brother, did battle in the Korean and Vietnam Wars and is now a museum. The USS Lionfish is a WWII submarine still in full working con…
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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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