Bunker Hill Monument

The Bunker Hill Monument stands 221 feet tall at Breed's Hill, the site of the first major battle of the American Revolution, fought on June 17, 1775. Control of this high ground near the harbor was important to the British occupation of Boston. When colonial forces chose to fortify Charlestown, they bypassed the more dominant "Bunker Hill" and dug in on Breed's Hill, which was lower and closer to the water. "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes" is the legendary order attributed to Colonel William Prescott to make sure that each shot would count. The poorly trained and ill prepared colonial forces repelled two major assaults by the British Army before retreating. Almost half of the British soldiers were either killed or injured. Although the colonists lost the battle, their bravery and strong showing against the British encouraged them to fight on (National Park Service website). The Bunker Hill Monument Association was formed in 1825 to establish an enduring tribute to the Battle of Bunker Hill. It decided on the form of an obelisk, and chose local carver and carpenter Solomon Willard as the architect. Willard estimated that the most cost effective way to build the structure would be to quarry the stone for construction using a quarry that the Association would own outright. He suggested using a railroad to transport the stone, seeing potential savings in taking advantage of emerging railway technology. Only a few experimental railroads had been used in the United States at that time. The Association acquired Pine Hill Quarry in Quincy in 1825, just 12 miles from the monument site. The land later became known as the Bunker Hill Quarry. The Granite Railway was constructed in 1826 to service the Association's work.