Pictured above is a side view of the John Adams Stone Library, built next to the John and Abigail Adams house. Regrettably pictures are not allowed inside these dwellings; they are a treasured part of American History.
Thankfully, the NPS provides a trolley to escort you to the birthplaces of both John Adams, our 2nd President, and John Quincy Adams, his son and the nations 6th President.
Located in what is now Quincy, MA these are the nation's oldest presidential birthplaces. They sit on the original foundations at the foot of Penn's Hill about 75 feet apart. The "very genteel dwelling house" built on 75 acres is just over one mile from his birthplace.
After our tour, we head for Boston Commons!
Walking into downtown Boston, we find The Freedom Trail, and these gentleman, who are tour guilds. We buy our tickets and set out on foot, with our guide who proclaims himself to be John Otis.
The Freedom Trail is about 2 1/2 miles long, and today we cover just over a mile of it. There are too many places to cover in the scope of a blog, but we hope you enjoy the pictures. The actual trail, shown above, is indicated by brick and sometimes by a red painted line.
The first picture above shows the State House which overlooks Boston Common, the oldest public park in the United States being established by Pilgrims in 1634. The second is just an interesting old building, and the last is the pulpit where I think our guide said the Declaration of Independence is still read every July 4th (at least it sounds good!)
Next to the Park Street Church sits the Granary Burying Ground. The graves of Patriots John Hancock, Paul Revere, James Otis (imagine that!) and Samuel Adams are all located here together with families and settlers ravaged by fire and plague. Mr. Otis explains the grave sites don't mean much. They headstones have fallen and been replaced many times, and although he believes the headstones of the patriots are correct, little is known of the others.
The first three following markers are located on the wall of the burying ground. These gentlemen are all signers of the U.S.Constitution:
Continuing our walk, we come to the first public school site.
What we find so intersting about the City of Boston is the contrast between old and new. It is a fascinating city!
The Old State House, built in 1713 has a cobblestone circle under its balcony marking the site of the 1770 Boston Massacre. Mr. Otis also explains this is the place where he opposed the Writs of Assistance and inspired John Adams to state "
then and there the child independence was born."
Faneuil Hall, first built in 1742, sits at the site of the old town dock. Town meetings were held here between 1764 and 1774 where Samuel Adams and others protest against the imposition of taxes on the colonies. This explains the unusual weather vane, as many of these meetings were held in secrecy and were indentified by unusal markings.
Finally, a few pictures of the newer side of Boston. We don't finish the trail today, but don't worry, we'll be back!
For further information:
The Adams NHP and
The Freedom Trail
