Saturday, Oct. 17, we drove back into Boston. We were interested in seeing the historical areas and decided to walk The Freedom Trail. We parked in the parking garage under the Boston Common, America's oldest public park. It was established in 1634 when a group of Puritans bought 44 acres to be used for a common area for grazing. Looking across the Boston Common to the Massachusetts State House.
The Massachusetts State House was completed in 1798. The gold dome was originally made of wood, but later overlaid with copper by Paul Revere. It was covered with 23 carat gold leaf in 1874.
Park Street Church was founded in 1809. It has a 217 ft steeple which was once the first thing travelers saw as they approached Boston.
Built in 1729, Old South Meeting House was not a church, but rather a meeting house for the Puritans to worship. It was the biggest building in all of colonial Boston and the stage for some of the most dramatic events leading up to the American Revolution, including the meeting that occurred on Dec. 16, 1773 when over five thousand colonists crowded in to discuss what would happen to over 30 tons of tea sitting in Boston Harbor. They decided to distroy it rather than pay taxes on it and the event became known as the Boston Tea Party.
In 1876 this historical building was sold by its congregation and scheduled for demolition. In its final hour it was saved and became the first successful act of historic preservation in New England.
Just across the street from the Old South Meeting House is the spot where Benjamin Franklin was born.
The Old State House was built in 1713 to house the colony's government. The movement for rebellion against the British began here. It was from this balcony that the Declaration of Independence was first read to the people of Boston in 1776.
It was also the site of the Boston Massacre on Mar. 5, 1770.
Faneuil Hall was built in 1741 as a center of commerce. It was the site of Boston's first town meeting and it was there that the Sons of Liberty first proclaimed their dissent against British oppression. There is a statue of Samuel Adams in front.
Boston Latin Schood was founded in 1635 and is the oldest public school in America.
The statue of Benjamin Franklin graces the spot where the school originally stood, even though he was a dropout.
Nearby is King's Chapel, first built in 1686 as a wooden structure for non-Puritan worshipers. The current building was built in 1749.
King's Chapel Burying Grounds is a fascinating historical cemetery. It is the burial place of the first woman to step off of the Mayflower, Mary Chilton. It has many unusual headstones.
A statue of Paul Revere marks the place where he was born.
Bunker Hill Monument was erected to mark the spot of the first major battle of the American Revolution on June 17, 1775.
The USS Constitution was launched in 1797. The oldest commissioned warship afloat earned her nickname "Old Ironsides" during the war of 1812. The warship is currently undergoing a major restoration.
A model inside the museum.
After a long day and a lot of walking, we started back to the motorhome. On the way we decided we were so near Plymouth Rock that we just had to make a detour by there. This is only a portion of the rock that originally marked the spot where they came ashore.
There was also a replica of the Mayflower.
And a beautiful sunset.
Sunday, Oct. 18, we had to leave the campground because they were closing for the season. We had learned that most campgrounds in the New England area close between Oct. 1 and Oct. 15, so we were glad to have found this one open through today.
As we were leaving we saw the harvesting of cranberries. The field is flooded and the cranberries float to the top.
We decided to drive the motorhome to Cape Cod to see some Lighthouses and the Pilgrim Monument. There was no place to park, so we had to do a drive by of the Monument. This is where the Pilgrims first landed and where the Mayflower Compact was signed.
We also drove by Long Point Lighthouse.
We were able to park at Nauset Lighthouse.
The Atlantic Ocean off Cape Cod.
These are called Three Sisters Lighthouses. They are not in use.
By the time we got off of Cape Cod, it was getting late and we needed to find a place to park for the night. We finally found an RV campground not too far away at Middleboro and settled in for the night.
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