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The names of some cities immediately bring certain images into our minds.  Las Vegas?  Gambling.  New York?  Broadway shows.  San Francisco?  The Golden Gate Bridge.  Franksville?  Sauerkraut.  So, when I recently had the opportunity to visit Boston, I posed the question “Boston?”  The reply was “History.”

I was never one for history in high school.  All those names and dates from long ago didn’t mean much to me.  However, when you’re literally engulfed in history, as you are in Boston, it’s hard to ignore it.  So, I dove in. 

Boston makes it easy for people to find its historical sites.  All you have to do is follow the red-brick striped path.  It’s called the Freedom Trail and the official start is at the Boston Commons.  There’s a visitor center full of helpful information and it’s easy to spot some of the staff by their period dress.

So, after a stop at the visitor center, we headed up the hill to the Massachusetts State House.  This impressive old building was completed in 1798.  The roof was originally made of wood but the company of Paul Revere and Son (yes, that  Paul Revere) covered it in copper in 1802.  The eye-catching gold leaf was added in 1874.

The trail marches on.  I often think of Philadelphia when I think of Benjamin Franklin, but he was born in Boston.  A statue reminds us of that fact.  The house he was born in later burned down, but there’s a sign on the building that currently sits in that location.  Cemeteries, not surprisingly, are common points of interest for history buffs.  Seeing the grave site of a historical figure makes their life seem more real to me.  The Granary Burying Ground holds the graves of many famous people like John Hancock and Paul Revere.  The old stones are eroded and many are illegible.  Seeing lines of them in the shadows under the trees is a quieting experience.  This cemetery also holds five of the victims of the Boston Massacre.  If you watched the John Adams miniseries, you know that he served as the defense attorney for the trial.  Defending the British accused of killing Bostonians seems like a real losing proposition.  Your homework assignment is to read about that event and see what the outcome was of that trial.

Your feet are probably getting tired now but let me show you just a few more places before we call it a day.  I’ve mentioned him before and the trail finally leads to Paul Revere’s house.  This is the oldest structure in Boston, having been built in 1680.  And, it’s impossible to think of Paul Revere without thinking of the Old North Church, where, on the evening of April 18, 1775, Robert Newman and John Pulling hung the lanterns that started Paul Revere’s ride.

For our last stop, let’s walk across the river to find the Bunker Hill Monument, which commemorates one of the first battles between the colonists and the British troops.

Thanks for hanging in there.  Now it’s time for a cold Sam Adams beer.  Yes, that will be on the test!