Boston, MA
Boston was founded in 1630 by Puritan settlers led by John Winthrop and quickly became the political, economic, and cultural center of colonial New England. It was here that events such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Siege of Boston ignited the movement for American independence, earning the city its title as the "Cradle of Liberty." Beyond the Revolution, Boston has continued to shape the nation through its leadership in education, medicine, literature, and innovation. For me, Boston has always been more than a historic city. Living nearby and returning countless times over the years, it has been a place where history comes alive, reminding me that the story of America can be found on nearly every street corner.
Recent Posts
The Mather Family Tomb at Copp’s Hill
The Mather family tomb at Copp’s Hill Burying Ground holds three generations of ministers: Increase Mather, his son Cotton, and Cotton’s son Samuel. Their lives span a period when religious leadership carried considerable influence over education, government, and everyday life in Boston. The monument brings together a family whose writings and sermons helped shape colonial […]
Robert Newman at Copp’s Hill Burying Ground
At Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, Robert Newman’s grave brings us close to one of the people who helped send a warning out of Boston on the eve of the American Revolution. As sexton of Christ Church, now known as Old North Church, Newman participated in displaying the two lanterns that signaled British troops were leaving […]
Edmund Hartt at Copp’s Hill Burying Ground
The monument to Edmund Hartt at Copp’s Hill Burying Ground connects this historic cemetery to Boston’s shipbuilding waterfront. Hartt owned the North End shipyard where the USS Constitution was built, helping provide the setting and skilled labor for one of the young United States Navy’s most ambitious projects. His memorial preserves the name of a […]
Carved Remembrance at Copp’s Hill Burying Ground
At Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, the carved gravestones preserve more than names and dates. Their shapes, lettering, and symbols reveal how earlier generations commemorated the dead and reminded the living of their own mortality. Looking closely at these markers introduces another part of Boston’s history: the work of stone carvers and the visual language their […]
Fenway Park
We were not a baseball family, but that did not keep us from enjoying an occasional game at Fenway Park. It certainly did not stop us from taking a tour of this historic ballpark. Living in the Boston area, we knew Fenway as a familiar name and a gathering place for generations of fans. Touring […]
The Paul Revere House
Many of our visits to Boston lead us along the Freedom Trail, even if we follow only a small portion of it. As we meandered through the North End, we returned to the Paul Revere House in North Square. Its wooden exterior, overhanging second story, and diamond-paned windows stand apart from the taller buildings surrounding […]
USS Cassin Young
The USS Cassin Young, identified by the hull number DD-793, is preserved at the Charlestown Navy Yard as part of Boston National Historical Park. The Fletcher-class destroyer represents both the industrial effort that produced thousands of American warships during the Second World War and the experiences of the sailors who served aboard them. The ship was […]
Boston Women’s Memorial
Located on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, the Boston Women’s Memorial honors Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone and Phillis Wheatley, three women whose words challenged the political, social and intellectual boundaries of their times. Created by sculptor Meredith Bergmann, the bronze-and-granite memorial was dedicated by the City of Boston on October 25, 2003. The idea for the […]
George Middleton House
Standing at 5 Pinckney Street on Boston’s Beacon Hill, the George Middleton House preserves an important chapter in the city’s early African American history. Constructed between 1786 and 1787, it is considered the oldest surviving residence on Beacon Hill and a rare example of a late-eighteenth-century Boston home built and owned by African Americans. The […]
Samuel Adams
Standing beside the grave of Samuel Adams at Boston’s Granary Burying Ground offers an opportunity to remember a man whose influence extended far beyond the familiar name associated with a modern beer company. Samuel Adams was one of the most determined political organizers of the American Revolution and an early advocate for independence from Great […]
Samuel Eliot Morison Memorial
Walking along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall reveals a series of monuments honoring people connected to Boston and the wider world. Among them is a particularly distinctive sculpture of Samuel Eliot Morison. Rather than placing him formally on his feet or astride a horse, sculptor Penelope Jencks portrayed him as a sailor seated on an enormous […]
William Lloyd Garrison Memorial
I love walking along Commonwealth Avenue in Boston and stopping at the different sculptures and memorials placed along its tree-lined central mall. Each one introduces another person or event connected with the city’s history. Among them is the seated bronze figure of William Lloyd Garrison, one of the nation’s most influential voices against slavery. Born […]
