Perhaps more than any other US city, Boston is packed with history. But while you’re investigating the hang-outs of the patriots and getting to know John F. Kennedy, it’s also possible to have some serious fun.
Boston from the HarborIt might be stretching things a little bit, but the Old South Meeting House has a fair claim to being the spot where the American Revolution began. Built in 1729 as a puritan house of worship, it was Boston’s largest hall in the 1770s – and whilst Faneuil Hall was the official meeting spot, large turnouts often meant that gatherings had to be moved.
John Hancock’s tombstoneIn 1773, Britain had repealed most taxes imposed on the American colonies, but kept a tax on tea there to prove a point – that the mother country had the right to tax the colonies if it so wished. A growing band of colonists resented this, and the flashpoint came when a British ships bearing tea arrived in Boston Harbor. Patriot leaders asked the Royal Governor to have them sent away – if they had to pay the taxes without the right to vote, they wouldn’t take the tea. After three weeks of tense discussion, a meeting was held in the Old South Meeting House. Five-thousand men crowded in and as Samuel Adams spoke the words “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country,” some slipped out to begin what would become known as the Boston Tea Party. Adams’ words were a prearranged signal, and the men tipped 342 chests of tea into the sea. It was the first major act of open defiance, and the War of Independence would start just 16 months later.
Today the Old South Meeting House is still occasionally used for public meetings, although it functions largely as a museum focusing on the events in which the the building has played a key part, and contains dioramas showing what Boston would have been like on the night of the Tea Party.
The Old South Meeting House is part of the city’s Freedom Trail. This walking route is marked with a red line on the streets, and links together a number of historic sites. It’s perfectly possible to pick up a leaflet and walk along it alone, but you’ll get a better appreciation of the detail if you go as part of a guided tour. Highlights include the Granary Burial Ground, where the likes of Paul Revere, John Hancock and Samuel Adams are buried. On your own, you can look at the gravestones; with a guide you get to hear the stories. Only the King of France contributed more money as an individual to the Revolutionary movement than Hancock, Paul Revere introduced the system of dental records that we still use today and Adams did actually have a brief stint as a brewer. Alas, his beer was so bad that the brewery went out of business after two years; the modern brewery that bears his name did a much better job. Stats like that, you’re unlikely to get just by looking at epitaphs.
The water that those famous tea chests got thrown into is worth it to explore as well. Numerous cruises depart from Long Wharf for the likes of Cape Cod, but it’s possible to get on board for a quick jaunt around the Harbor. Long Wharf has been in use since 1710, and is the oldest wharf in continuous use within the United States. It isn’t as long as it once was, however – reclaimed land has swallowed much of the original wharf up.
On the water itself, buoys mark lobster traps, small boats bring in fish to the fish market and you pass numerous old piers that have been left to rot as industrial shipping has moved elsewhere. The cruise round is a pleasant introduction to Boston’s maritime history, and allows a stop off at the Charlestown Navy Yard. This is where the USS Constitution – the oldest commissioned warship in existence – has its home. It’s possible to go and have a look round the ship known as ‘Old Ironsides’.
John F Kennedy Presidential Library and MuseumMany major cities have kid-friendly science museums, where it’s possible to learn the principles of physics and the other sciences using interactive gimmickry. Many of them are very good, but similar to each other, and I expected Boston’s take on the theme to merge into the crowd somewhat. I was wrong – the Museum of Science has some truly excellent exhibits. For a geography geek, the Mapping The World Around Us section is some kind of nirvana. There are all manner of maps to look at in different formats, and plenty that you can try making yourself. The best bit is the special video mapping system, that behaves a bit like the flight path simulator that you get on planes. The difference is that you can go wherever you like across the world, switch the lights on and off in cities across the planet and play with state borders and artificial clouds.
The Mathematics section, with all manner of cool models and contraptions, is great, as are the huge dinosaurs. But the quirky star of the show comes in the Playing By The Rules: Fish, Fads and Fireflies exhibit. Here, you can make your own computerised fish, giving it whatever characteristics you see fit, and then release it to swim amongst everybody else’s fish on a series of video screens. Be warned, though: you’re likely to see your beloved creation get eaten at some point.
It’s a little out of Central Boston, but the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is easy enough to get to by public transport and is well worth the journey. The bayside setting with views out over the city and the IM Pei-designed building are spectacular - but it gets properly interesting inside. What makes the hairs stand up at the back of the neck is the introductory video, which is full of footage and photos from JFK’s early life, and it tells his tale from being a boy to running for the Democratic Party Presidential Nomination in 1960. More importantly, you’re told this by Kennedy himself – the story of his career, war record and writings is told by cleverly spliced-together archive audio.
Beyond that, there are a series of carefully-crafted displays that tell the life story of arguably the most popular US president in history. Visitors can learn about the people who inspired his speaking techniques, the methods he used to win the 1960 election, the causes close to his heart and the serious stuff – the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and his death in Dallas.
With something for everyone, especially history buffs, Boston is a must-visit destination. Don’t let it go overlooked when planning your next trip!
- David Whitley
Editor’s Note: Both the Colonnade in Boston itself and the Royal Sonesta just over the Charles River in Cambridge are excellent accommodation options. David Whitley stayed at both as a guest of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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