A DAY’S TRIP THROUGH HISTORIC
BOSTON
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The Start: Leaving the Providence Street side of the Hotel Statler, walk directly ahead on Arlington Street one block to Boylston Street. Turn right, proceed on Boylston Street to Charles Street, at which point we cross to the
Boston Common
The Boston Common is a tract of land, containing nearly fifty acres, bought in 1634 by Governor Winthrop and others from William Blaxton, who held his title by right of possession gained prior to the settlement of Boston in 1630. It was set apart for common use as a cow pasture and training field, and amusingly still retains that status. As you enter the Common, pause for a moment at the little cemetery on the Boylston Street side for here lies buried Gilbert Stuart, the noted portrait painter, and also a number of prominent Boston citizens.
Proceeding through the Common, we view the Soldiers’ Monument which crowns Flagstaff Hill where British Artillery was stationed during the siege of Boston, when troops were quartered and entrenched there. From what is now Park Square, the British embarked for Lexington on April 18, 1775. On the Common, the British mustered before the Battle of Bunker Hill and here also gathered contingents for Colonial expeditions against Louisburg and Quebec. Many Massachusetts regiments assembled here prior to going to the front in the Civil War. On Beacon Street Mall, opposite the State House, stands the Shaw monument by Augustus St. Gaudens, a memorial to Colonel Robert G. Shaw and the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Infantry.
Continuing our stroll, we come to the Park and Tremont Street side of the Common and directly across the street we find the old
Park Street Church
The Park Street Church was erected in 1810 on the site of the Granary where the sails of the “Constitution” were made. Brimstone was stored in the basement in 1812, giving the church the name of “Brimstone Corner.” Here, on July 4, 1832, “America” was first publicly sung.
Leaving the Park Street Church, we turn left on Tremont Street and move on to the
