Day 4: Site of The Boston Massacre {Boston Tour; Part 5}

Salut mes amis,

I soon found myself hustling through a lunchtime crowd right smack down in the Boston downtown. It was crazy and very reminiscent of my days spent in New York and Paris! Here I am at the intersection of Devonshire and State Street, in the proximity of the Old State House. Please excuse my messy hair! My hair wasn't cooperating with me, and I didn't bring a brush along: 

The intersection of Devonshire and State Street is an important one because it is the site of the Boston Massacre, an event that heavily foreshadowed the start of the American Revolution five years later! When the bus driver dropped me off, a park ranger was in the middle of giving a speech about the historical event, so of course I stopped to listen. The sign that he is standing behind gives some good basic history, so I will copy it here for you:

On March 5, 1770, in the street before you, nine British soldiers were confronted by an angry mob. 

"The soldiers did fire without orders and killed five of his Majesty's good subjects . . . How fatal are the effects of posting a standing army among a free people!"

Samuel Adams' description of the Boston Massacre and Paul Revere's engraving of the scene fueled public outrage, and helped arouse revolutionary fervor of colonists all over America. 

The first person shot to death by the British was an American named Crispus Attucks, a mixed-race runaway slave (turned sailor). Little is known about him other than his involvement in the massacre. Still, he is the most remembered in history books. 

After listening to the park ranger speak about the Boston Massacre, I crossed over to Quincy Market. Otherwise known as Faneuil Hall Marketplace, it is a historic shopping mall that caters to tourists like myself. It is located near Faneuil Hall, which has been a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742, and has played host to notable speakers like Samuel Adams (a monument of his likeness is in front of the building) and others promoting the idea of independence from Great Britain. It was also ranked as #4 in America's 25 Most Visited Tourist Sites by Forbes Traveler in 2008! 

A sign located in the proximity gave me some good background information about Quincy Market. Here is what it said: 

"The marketplace has been a vital part of Boston since 1826 (named in honor of Mayor Josiah Quincy, who organized its construction without any tax or debt) when it first opened to accommodate local merchants and city residents. You are one of the 18 million (!) visitors we will host this year. 

Keeping true to its roots, the marketplace strives to maintain a balanced mix of diverse shops, independent merchants and local artisans. Today, the North and South Market buildings are home to retail shops, restaurants and business offices. Quincy Market houses more than 40 different food vendors (!), featuring an array of delicacies from around the globe. Our world class restaurants offer innovative and eclectic dining." 

Also in the same proximity is this giant sculpture of a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese noodle! Talk about random, but I guess it's a good indicator of where to get food in downtown Boston! "You know you love it?" Okay, I'll admit it. I do love Kraft Mac & Cheese! It's a great comfort food. 

Talk about 'love,' I was a hit among those little girls in the right-hand corner! They noticed me posing for pictures and couldn't stop staring. I felt famous! 

By this time, I was quite famished, so I strolled into Quincy Market. More than 40 food vendors is right! You can buy Indian food, Greek food, Italian food, Chinese food, sweets, typical American fare, and so much more within these walls, and it was packed! I quickly decided on a slice of good Mediterranean-style pizza and headed outside for breathing room!

I snapped these photos of Quincy Market while I was eating. The open air market stalls reminded me so much of Florence, Italy - at least from what my friend Chiara has told me about them. With the booming Italian American population (The city greeted over 44,000 Italian immigrants in the early 20th century, as compared to 14,000 Irish and 17,000 Jews!) in Boston, I guess the similarity to Italian cities shouldn't be surprising!

So, here's a question for you, and you should've seen it coming! Do you like Kraft Mac & Cheese? If not, what is your favorite food?

~Sophie

Day 4: Paul Revere & the Old North Church {Boston Tour, Part 4}

My next stop in Boston is much more recognizable. Even if you've never visited Boston, I'm sure you've heard of this poem before:

"LISTEN, my children, and you shall hear

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five;

Hardly a man is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year."

That would be the first stanza of "Paul Revere's Ride," a famous poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow about the fateful night of April 18, 1775 in which Paul Revere, a Patriot and silversmith by trade, alerted Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord (the first battles in the Revolutionary War). 

But what does my next stop have to do with Paul Revere? This is the Old North Church, where Revere told three Boston Patriots to hang two lanterns in the steeple on the night of April 18, 1775 to warn Patriots in Charlestown (across the Charles River that divides the Charlestown section from the rest of Boston) that the British Army was coming. Upon seeing the two lanterns, the Patriots in Charlestown would then be able to ride over to warn Lexington. Although Revere did ride over to Lexington himself at a later point, having back-up riders from Charlestown was a good idea in case Revere was arrested and couldn't make the trip himself. 

The two lanterns were hung for less than a minute, so that British occupying Boston wouldn't notice the obvious signal. Militia in Charlestown had been told to look for signal lanterns. But why were there two lanterns? Longfellow's poem is famous for this line, "One if by land, and two if by sea." Hanging only one lantern in the steeple of the Old North Church was supposed to have meant that the British were coming by land. Hanging two lanterns in the steeple, as was done, meant that the British were coming by sea - in other words, the British troops were crossing the Charles River in boats instead of marching over Boston Neck and the Great Bridge. 

This is the Old North Church, otherwise known as Christ Church in the City of Boston. Located in the North End, it is an Episcopal parish and the oldest active church building in Boston (it was built in 1723) : 

This plaque rests on the steeple of the church as a reminder of Paul Revere's ride :

Here I am with the church steeple! This was at a VERY difficult angle to shoot from, so consequently, the photo isn't the best:

According to this map of the Old North Church grounds, there is a lot more than just the church to see! There is a War Memorial, 18th century gardens, and the Parish House, to name a few. That being said, I didn't have the time to see anything but the church!

This is one of the sites on The Freedom Trail, which I talked about in an earlier blog post! 

This is the inside of the church. I was standing in a pew at the front and looking at the rear. Isn't the organ lovely (it's from 1759)? 

Do you see these four mounted angels? {Click on the picture to make it larger.} They are STOLEN property! Here's the scoop: These hand-carved wooden angels were made in Belgium for a Catholic church in Québec, Canada. A pirate ship attacked the ship carrying these angels as they were on their way to Québec, and the pirate captain (Thomas Grucy) was a member of the Old North Church. Grucy gave his church a gift that was not his to give! The Old North Church, upon finding out that the angels were indeed not theirs, contacted the Catholic Church in Québec. The real owners allowed the angels to stay in Boston, which is why they are (of course!) in this photo : 

Here I am in one of the box pews. Box pews were common in Protestant England and New England churches from the 17th to the 19th centuries. The high walls kept cold drafts out of the seating areas in the unheated church building. People would often bring a heated brick or stone in a foot-warmer to place in the center of their pew. 

Each box pew is labeled with the name of the person (and their family) who is allowed to sit there - the more status you had, the more up front you were. There is even a box pew in the back that is "For strangers and wardens." This had me laugh because, in some churches today, people fight over the back pews. The front pews are last to be filled! 

~ Sophie

Day 4: Bunker Hill Museum {Boston Tour, Part 1}

On my actual birthday (August 9th), I received another surprise - my guardian paid for me to have a guided tour of Boston and Cambridge! Since I'd never been to either of these cities, I was ecstatic! I only wished Juliette had been here to share the fun with me. However, she is not keen on traveling, especially not when it coincides with her ultra important summer ballet intensive. My guardian also doesn't feel comfortable traveling with more than one of us at a time. 

Luckily for me, there was a very small group of people going on this particular guided tour of Boston. It almost felt like I had the tour guide all to myself! The first stop was the Bunker Hill Museum and Monument in Charlestown (a historic neighborhood in Boston, which was a separate city in 1848), which is a Boston National Historical Park. You can earn a Junior Ranger badge here, after completing the handbook obtained from either the Boston National Historical Park Visitor Center at Faneuil Hall or at the Charlestown Navy Yard. I wished I'd had the time to do that, as it would be so nice to earn a Junior Ranger badge, but alas, that is the downside of taking a guided city tour - you don't have much time at each location! I guess this means that I'll have to go back! 

The Bunker Hill Monument (as shown below) is 221 feet high and is mounted at Breed's Hill (not at Bunker Hill, don't let the name fool you!). Breed's Hill was the site of the first major battle in the American Revolution, which was fought on June 17, 1775. The monument was built between the years of 1827 and 1843 using granite imported from Quincy, Massachusetts. You can go inside the monument and walk up to the very top! Be forewarned, though: there are NO elevators! There are 294 steps that you'll have to walk up to see beautiful Boston from a bird's eye view! Hmm, maybe taking a helicopter ride of the city might be better? 

This is not the first monument created on the site! In 1794, the monument was merely a wooden 18 foot pillar (with a gilded urn on top), created to honor Dr. Joseph Warren, a Mason and fallen Bunker Hill hero. 

The Bunker Hill Monument is part of The Freedom Trail, which is brick-lined and leads you on a 2 . 5 mile passage highlighting 16 important monuments, churches, and museums of historic Boston. The idea behind a Freedom Trail came into fruition in the 1950s, and since then, it has become an integral part of Boston's tourism. Over 3 . 2 million people walk The Freedom Trail each year, which includes places such as The Bunker Hill Monument, Old North Church, the site of the Boston Massacre, etc. On my tour, I got to visit most of these, and I will blog about them in future posts.

To the left, you will see a statue of Col. William Prescott. Another Bunker Hill hero, he is said to have coined the phrase, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes." Perhaps you have come across this phrase in your study of the Revolutionary War? However, there are some who doubt Prescott said this at all.







Below, you can see me with the statue of Prescott:

The photo below shows part of historic Charlestown, the Boston neighborhood in which the Bunker Hill Monument is located in. Located across from downtown Boston, it is actually a peninsula to the north of the Charles River. If you look in the middle of the photo, you can see the skyscrapers of downtown Boston, as well as the bridge that separates it from Charlestown. As I said earlier, Charlestown was once separate from Boston; perhaps a bit like my hometown of Montmartre was to Paris, France back in the day? The first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Charlestown became a city in the year 1848 and didn't become officially part of Boston until January 5, 1874. Charlestown is home to many Irish American residents, due to the increased migration of the Irish during the Great Potato Famine in the 1840s. Also in this photo is our tour bus! Can you find it in this photo?

The Bunker Hill Museum (the brick building to the right in the above photo) opened in 2007 and teaches visitors about the Battle of Bunker Hill, the construction of the Bunker Hill Monument, and the history of Charlestown. The sign to the left is the first thing you see as you enter the Bunker Hill Museum.

This sign gives visitors a brief introduction to The Battle of Bunker Hill. It begins with a quote from First Lady Abigail Adams:

         "The Day - perhaps the decisive Day is come on which the fate of America depends." 
             
     - Abigail Adams, Letter to John Adams, June 18, 1775 

Then it goes on to say:

"Throughout the nation and over the centuries, Americans have honored the memory of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Why do we commemorate this particular battle in our collective memory? 

The patriots fighting at Bunker Hill retreated in defeat at the end of the battle. Yet, the Battle of Bunker Hill provided a significant strategic gain for the patriots. In battering the British Army, they thwarted British plans to fortify Dorchester Heights and attack patriot troops at Roxbury. This enabled the patriots to force the eventual evacuation of British troops from Boston. The battle also demonstrated that the patriots could successfully engage the British army, one of the most professional and well-trained forces in the eighteenth century. 

The Battle of Bunker Hill was quickly memorialized, first in stories and ceremonies, then ultimately in the building of the Bunker Hill Monument. Memorializing the battle helped a young nation define its patriotism and the meaning of being an American." 


Above is an illustration of the Battle at Bunker Hill; the artist is unknown to me.


I didn't have the time to explore the Bunker Hill Museum, but I browsed the gift shop quickly. I was particularly amused when I saw copies of the Declaration of Independence for sale. If you know why I was amused and felt obligated to take a picture of them, you will receive a virtual cookie! I'll give you a hint: It has something to do with one of my all-time favorite movies!

The Bunker Hill Museum is housed in the old Charlestown branch of the Boston Public Library. Isn't it a lovely building? The Charlestown branch has moved buildings several times. This particular building was in use by the library from 1913 to 1969; the current library was opened in 1970. I am quite glad that this building is in use again. I love the ornamental façades on the front of the building.

That's all for now! The next stop is . . . well, you'll see! But I'll leave you with a couple of questions: Have you ever been to Boston? Have you ever walked (or ridden by) the Freedom Trail?

~Sophie