East Coast Trip

The first engagement between the British and the Americans happened on April 19, 1775 on the grassy fields of Massachusetts. General Thomas Gage ordered his men to take or destroy the American's supply of arms and ammunition stored in Concord. He also wanted John Hancock and Sam Adams, who were staying in Lexington, arrested.

Boston Common
The Boston Common is America's first public park. Originally purchased in 1634 as a "trayning field" for militia and for the feeding of "cattell," it is bounded by Beacon, Charles, Boylston, Tremont and Park Streets. This is the starting point of the Freedom Trail® walk.
 

2. State House
The new State House, located on Beacon Hill, was designed by Charles Bulfinch. Built in 1795 on the land originally owned by John Hancock, the majestic gold dome is 23 1/2 carat gold leaf covering the original copper placed there by Paul Revere. The State House is open daily for tours to the public. Beacon and Park Streets.
 

3. Park Street Church
Built in 1809, this church is where the hymn "America" was first sung on July 4, 1831 and where William Lloyd Garrison gave the first anti-slavery speech from its balcony. Park and Tremont Streets.
 

4. Granary Burying Ground
Many notable Patriots are buried here including Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Robert Treat Paine as well as the five men killed in the Boston Massacre. Your Boston Adventure tour includes admission. At this site we will also see the graves of Mother Goose, Ben Franklin's parents and many other famous Bostonians. Tremont Street. Near Park Street.
 

5. King's Chapel
This was America's first Anglican Congregation in Boston, founded in 1688. The present structure was built in 1754 during colonial times. The church became the first Unitarian church in America after the American Revolution. Next door is the burying ground where you will find the resting places of the first Governor of Massachusetts, John Winthrop, and Mary Chilton, the first woman to step off of the Mayflower ship, as well as William Dawes, Jr. who finished Paul Revere's "midnight ride." Tremont and School Streets.

6. First Public School Site
Located on School Street and marked by a sidewalk plaque, the Boston Latin School is an extension of the First Public School in America. It was attended by Sam Adams ∓ Ben Franklin, who was born in Boston. It is also located in front of Old City Hall. Tremont and School Streets.

7. Old Corner Bookstore
Originally built in 1712 for Thomas Crease, it is now a contemporary book store housing books, maps and globes from around the world. The Old Corner Bookstore was also a meeting place for famous writers such as Longfellow, Emerson, Hawthorne and Oliver Wendell Holmes. Washington and School Streets.
 
Take the tour and photograph this site with your camera!
8. Old South Meeting House
Built in 1729 as a Congregational Church, it served as Boston's Town Meeting Hall, famous for the fiery meeting that led to the Boston Tea Party incident which caused the port of Boston to be closed and brought the country a step closer to rebellion. Washington and Milk Streets.
 

9. Old State House
Built in 1713, this site is where you will find the landmark for the Boston Massacre, which took place March 5, 1770 and where five Patriots were killed. A circle of cobblestone depicts the original site. This was the seat of the British Parliment and later the Colonial Government. Washington and State Streets.
 

10. Boston Massacre Site
The Boston Massacre site can be seen from the Old State House balcony where the first reading of the Declaration of Independence was given in July of 1776 by John Hancock. Congress and State Streets.
 

 
11. Faneuil Hall
Peter Faneuil dedicated this building to the City of Boston in 1742. Nicknamed the Cradle of Liberty, this building is where many town meetings took place, presidential candidates debated and is where immigrants are sworn in as American citizens. Located on the third level is the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company Museum. Located out front on Congress Street is the famous statue of Samuel Adams. Congress Street.
 

 
12. Paul Revere House
Originally built around 1680, this is the oldest home in Boston, and it is where Paul Revere lived from 1770 until 1800 with his two wives and 16 children. Its restoration was completed by the Paul Revere Memorial Association in 1908. Visit Paul Revere's House on Tour 1. 19 North Square. Click here for Tour One
 

13. Old North (Christ) Church
Originally built in 1723 as a house of prayer for all Bostonians, the Old North is nicknamed "Christ Church". From here in its steeple, Robert Newman hung two lanterns signalling Paul Revere on his famous "midnight ride." A reenactment takes place every year on April 19. Open daily. 193 Salem Street.
 

14. Copp's Hill Burial Ground
This cemetery was begun in the 1660's and overlooks Boston Harbor and the Charles River. It was used by the British for target practice before the revolution. From this vantage point, one can see Bunker Hill, Logan Airport and the Ship U.S.S. Constitution. Open daily. Snowhill St., between Charter and Hull Streets.
 

15. Bunker Hill Monument
This obelisk commemorates the first battle of the American Revolution, which was fought here on June 17, 1775 by 2,000 British soldiers and 1,000 colonials. Take the stairs to the top, ascending 294 feet. Open daily. Monument Ave. and High Streets, Charlestown.
 

16. U.S.S. Constitution
The U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest commissioned Navy war ship in America's fleet. Each year on July 4, she is towed into Boston Harbor for the ceremonial turning of the ship. Built in 1797, she is open to the public. Located next door is the U.S.S. Constitution Museum containing audio-visual programs, model ships, souvenirs and many items of memorabilia from that era. Having never lost a battle in her long career, in 1997 she celebrated her bicentennial.

Paul Revere House
http://www.paulreverehouse.org/
YouTube Video 

On the night of April 18, 1775, silversmith Paul Revere left his small wooden home in Boston's North End and set out on a journey that would make him into a legend. Today that home is still standing at 19 North Square and has become a national historic landmark. It is downtown Boston's oldest building and one of the few remaining from an early era in the history of colonial America.

The home was built about 1680 on the site of the former parsonage of the Second Church of Boston. Increase Mather, the Minister of the Second Church, and his family (including his son, Cotton Mather) occupied this parsonage from 1670 until it was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1676. A large and fashionable new home was built at the same location about four years later.

Harvard University, which celebrated its 350th anniversary in 1986, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Founded 16 years after the arrival of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, the University has grown from nine students with a single master to an enrollment of more than 18,000 degree candidates, including undergraduates and students in 10 principal academic units. An additional 13,000 students are enrolled in one or more courses in the Harvard Extension School. Over 14,000 people work at Harvard, including more than 2,000 faculty. There are also 7,000 faculty appointments in affiliated teaching hospitals.

Seven presidents of the United States – John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Theodore and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Rutherford B. Hayes, John Fitzgerald Kennedy and George W. Bush – were graduates of Harvard. Its faculty have produced more than 40 Nobel laureates.