Snaking through 2.5 miles (4 km) of city streets, the Freedom Trail is a living link to Boston’s key revolutionary and colonial-era sites. As you walk it, you’ll see history adopt a vibrancy and palpability unparalleled among US cities. Some of Boston’s most special stores, restaurants, and attractions are also located along the Trail.
NEED TO KNOW
Start point: Boston Common. “T” station: Park St (red/green lines) • Finish point: Charlestown. “T” station: Community College (orange line) • www.thefreedomtrail.orgCopp’s Hill Burying Ground • Hull St • 617 635 4505 • open 9am–5pm daily • free 
Park Street Church • 1 Park St • 617 523 3383 • www.parkstreet.org - Give your sweet tooth a workout at Mike’s Pastry.
- Maps of the trail are available at the Boston Common Visitors’ Center. Two-hour MP3 tours cost $15.
- Most of the trail is indicated in red paint with a few sections in red brick.
1.Massachusetts State House
Arguably Boston architect Charles Bulfinch’s pièce de résistance, the “new” State House (completed in 1798) is one of the city’s most distinctive buildings (for further details see Massachusetts State House).
2.Park Street Church
Founded by a small group of Christians disenchanted with their Unitarian-leaning congregation, Park Street Church was constructed in 1809.
Park Street Church
3.Old Granary Burying Ground
A veritable who’s-who of revolutionary history fertilizes this plot next to Park Street Church (for further details see Old Granary Burying Ground). One of its most venerable residents is Samuel Adams.
Old Granary Burying Ground
4.King’s Chapel
The current granite building was erected in 1749, although the chapel was originally founded in 1686 by King James II as an outpost of the Anglican Church (for further details see King’s Chapel). Don’t miss the atmospheric burying ground next door, which shelters Massachusetts’ first Governor, John Winthrop.
5.Old South Meeting House
Boston’s Old South Meeting House was, to the colonial era, a crucible for free-speech debates and protests against taxation (for further details see Old South Meeting House).
6.Old State House
Built in 1713, this handsome colonial building was the headquarters the colonial legislature and the Royal Governor. The Declaration of Independence was first read from its balcony (for further details see Old State House).
Old State House
7.Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market
Known as the “Cradle of Liberty,” Faneuil Hall has played host to many a revolutionary meeting in its time. Neighboring Quincy Market, built in the early 1800s, once housed Boston’s wholesale food distribution (for further details see Faneuil Hall Marketplace).
8.Paul Revere House
In North Square, the Paul Revere House is Boston’s oldest private residence. Its principal owner was well regarded locally as a metalsmith prior to his history-changing ride (for further details see Paul Revere House).
Paul Revere House
9.Old North Church
This church has a pivotal place in revolutionary history. Prior to his midnight ride, Revere ordered Robert Newman to hang one or two lamps in the belfry to indicate, respectively, whether the British were approaching by land or via the Charles River (for further details see Old North Church).
Old North Church
10.Copp’s Hill Burying Ground
With headstones dating from the 17th century, Copp’s Hill is a must for history buffs. It was named after William Copp, a farmer who sold the land to the church (for further details see Copp’s Hill Burying Ground).
AN HOUR OF FREEDOM
For visitors tight on time, consider this condensed trail. Head up Tremont Street from Park Street “T” station, stopping to visit the Old Granary Burying Ground. At the corner of Tremont and School streets – site of King’s Chapel – turn right onto School and continue to Washington Street and the Old South Meeting House. Turn left on Washington to the Old State House then finish up at Faneuil Hall nearby on Congress Street.
Moments in Revolutionary History
1.Resistance to the Stamp Act (1765)
The king imposed a stamp duty on all published materials in the colonies, including newspapers. Furious Bostonians boycotted British goods in response.
2.Boston Massacre (1770)
Angry colonists picked a fight with British troops in front of the Old State House, resulting in the deaths of five unarmed Bostonians.
3.Samuel Adams’ Tea Tax Speech (1773)
Adams’ incendiary speech during a forum at the Old South Meeting House inspired the Boston Tea Party, the most subversive action undertaken yet in the debate over colonial secession.
4.Boston Tea Party (1773)
Led by Samuel Adams, the Sons of Liberty boarded three British East India Company ships and dumped their cargo into the Boston Harbor, a watershed moment of colonial defiance.
5.Paul Revere’s Ride (1775)
Revere rode to Lexington to warn revolutionaries Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops intended to arrest them. One of the bravest acts of the war, it would be immortalized in the Longfellow poem The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.
6.Battle of Lexington (1775)
Revere’s ride was followed by the first exchange of fire between the ragtag colonist army and the British at Lexington.
7.Battle of Bunker Hill (1775)
The colonists’ fortification of Charlestown resulted in a full-scale British attack. Despite their defeat, the colonists’ resolve was galvanized by this battle.
8.Washington Takes Command (1776)
The Virginia gentleman farmer George Washington led the newly formed Continental Army south from Cambridge to face British troops in New York.
George Washington
9.Fortification of Dorchester Heights (1776)
Fortifying the mouth of Boston Harbor with captured cannon, George Washington put the Royal Navy under his guns and forced a British retreat from the city.
10.Declaration of Independence (1776)
On July 4, the colonies rejected all allegiance to the British Crown. Independence was declared from the Royal Governor’s headquarters, the building known today as the Old State House.
The Signing of the Declaration of Independence
MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE
Finished in 1798, the State House is Charles Bulfinch’s masterwork. With its brash design details, imposing stature, and liberal use of fine materials, it embodies the optimism of post-revolutionary America. The building is in three distinct sections: the original Bulfinch front; the marble wings constructed in 1917; and the yellow-brick 1895 addition, known as the Brigham Extension after the architect who designed it. Just below Bulfinch’s central colonnade, statues of famous Massachusetts figures strike poses. Among them are the great orator Daniel Webster; President J. F. Kennedy; and Quaker Mary Dyer, who was hanged in 1660 for challenging the authority of Boston’s religious leaders. Directly below the State House’s immense gilded dome is the Senate Chamber, which has hosted some of the most influential debates and speeches in US history (for further details see Massachusetts State House).
The Sacred Cod was bestowed on the House of Representatives by Boston merchant Jonathan Rowe. This carved fish has presided over the Commonwealth’s legislature since 1784, though it vanished briefly in 1933, when Harvard’s Lampoon magazine orchestrated a dastardly “codnapping” prank.
TOP 10 STATE HOUSE FEATURES
1. 23-carat gold dome
2. Senate Chamber
3. House of Representatives
4. “Hear Us” exhibit
5. Stained-glass windows
6. Doric Hall
7. Hall of Flags
8. Nurses Hall
9. Sacred Cod
10. State House Pine Cone
Facade of the Massachusetts State House