The Freedom Trail in Boston is a pedestrian route that spans approximately 2.5 miles and links a collection of historically significant locations. This path serves as a conduit to 16 sites that are pivotal to understanding the narrative of the American Revolution. It encompasses a diverse array of landmarks, including but not limited to, churches, museums, parks, and monuments. These sites collectively chronicle the valorous individuals and seminal events that contributed to the establishment of the nation’s liberty. The trail offers an immersive historical experience, providing a tangible connection to the formative years of the United States. It is considered an essential experience for those with an interest in the nation’s founding and revolutionary history.

Old North Church from Paul Revere Mall

Freedom Trail

 At the second stop, on Broadway at Chambers Street, James Kaplan discusses the battles of Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, and the story of George Washington and the theft of the cannon at Ticonderoga in 1776. He also talks about the Surrogate's Court Statues of Pieter DeVries, Caleb Heathcote, DeWitt Clinton, Phillip Hone, Abram Hewitt, Peter Stuyvesant, Cadwallader Colden, and James Duane (the name behind Duane Reade). 

 Professor of Urban Design Alex Krieger discusses the urban renewal of Boston from what it was to what it is today. 

 Preservation Planner Lynn Smiledge discusses the Old North Church. Built in 1723, it is the oldest church built in Boston. 

 Preservation Planner Lynn Smiledge discusses the history of Paul Revere and the Old North Church. 

 Preservation Planner Lynn Smiledge talks about the King's Chapel in Boston. It was one of the first major buildings in America to be made by cut stone. 

Emily Curran, the Executive Director of the Old South Meeting House, talks about the history of the building, built in 1729. It was used not only for religious meetings, but also for political meetings that fueled the start of the Revolutionary War.

Emily Curran, the Executive Director of the Old South Meeting House, discusses the architectural style of meeting houses in general, and the Old South Meeting House in Boston.

Emily Curran, the Executive Director of the Old South Meeting House, discusses the preservation of the building. In 1877, the building was actually on the auction block ready to be sold for parts. An association was established to preserve the historic building.

Emily Curran, the Executive Director of the Old South Meeting House, discusses the interior of the building. It contains the last example of a two-tiered gallery in a meeting house.

Emily Curran, the Executive Director of the Old South Meeting House, discusses the urban context of the building. The building's use has changed even though its exterior has not over since it's inception in 1729.

Emily Curran, the Executive Director of the Old South Meeting House, discusses the historical background of the house in an urban context. 

Jay Wickersham tells the story of the first planned residential development in America: Beacon Hill. The podcast includes the history of local families (Hancock and Copley) and takes you on a journey of design (State House by Charles Bulfinch) and real estate development.   

Established in 1634, Boston Common is America’s oldest public park. Puritan colonists purchased the land rights to the Common’s 44 acres from the first European settler of the area, Anglican minister William Blackstone. Until 1830, Boston Commons was known as the "Common Land" and used by Boston townsfolk to graze livestock. Overgrazing became an issue, however, and over time the land transitioned into its current use as a more conventional public park. Over 1000 Redcoats camped on the Common during the British occupation of Boston in 1775. It has been the site of innumerable celebrations and protests.

Designed by Charles Bulfinch, the ‘new’ and current State House has served as the seat of Massachusetts government since its opening in 1798. Holding the legislative and executive branches, it sits adjacent to the former site of the historic Hancock mansion.&nbsp;Completed on January 11, 1798, the Massachussets State House was widely praised as one of the most magnificent buildings in the country. Paul Revere overlaid the building's original wooden dome with copper. In 1874 the dome was again overlaid, with 23 karat gold leaf.

Massachusetts State House

George Middleton House

The Park Street Churches location at the intersection of Park and Tremont Street became known as "Brimstone Corner" for both the fiery preaching of the church and the gunpowder stored on-site during the War of 1812.The church's greatest legacy, however, is one of human rights and social justice. The congregation has been a center for women's suffrage, prison reform and abolition. The church hosted an anti-slavery lecture series as early as 1823.

The Park Street Churches location at the intersection of Park and Tremont Street became known as "Brimstone Corner" for both the fiery preaching of the church and the gunpowder stored on-site during the War of 1812. The church's greatest legacy, however, is one of human rights and social justice. The congregation has been a center for women's suffrage, prison reform and abolition. The church hosted an anti-slavery lecture series as early as 1823.

From 1630 to 1660, King's Chapel Burying Ground was Boston's only burying ground. Among those buried here are John Winthrop, Massachusetts's first Governor and Mary Chilton, who arrived aboard the Mayflower. King's Chapel Burying Ground is a site on the Freedom Trail.

Established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in colonial-era British America and the oldest existing school in the United States.

1st location

A historic commercial building located at the corner of School Street in the historic core of Boston. It was built in 1718 as a residence and apothecary shop, and first became a bookstore in 1828.

Old Corner Bookstore 

A historic Congregational church building located in the Downtown Crossing area of Boston, built in 1729. It gained fame as the organizing point for the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. Around Five thousand colonists gathered at the Meeting House, the largest building in Boston at the time.

The Old State House, also known as the Old Provincial State House, is a historic building in Boston, built in 1713. It was the seat of the Massachusetts General Court until 1798. It is one of the oldest public buildings in the United States.

Court Street, in the block bounded by School, Washington and Tremont Streets

The Massacre grew out of the anger against the British troops sent to Boston to maintain order and to enforce the Townshend Acts of 1767. The troops were constantly tormented by gangs. On March 5, 1770, British troops fired into a rioting crowd and killed five men: three on the spot,with two dying later of their wounds. The British captain, Thomas Preston, and his men were tried for murder, with Robert Treat Paine as prosecutor, John Adams and Josiah Quincy as lawyers for the defense. Preston and six of his men were acquitted; two others were found guilty of manslaughter, punished, and discharged from the army.

In front of the Old State House, a circle of cobblestones commemorates the Boston Massacre. 

Originally built as a center of commerce, Faneuil Hall became a center of revolutionary politics in Colonial America. Nicknamed the "Cradle of Liberty" the building's second floor meeting hall was the site of protest against the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Act, and the Redcoat occupation.The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is the final component of the Big Dig project in Boston. It is named for the matriarch of the Kennedy family, who was born in the nearby North End.

The Point

Bell in Hand Tavern

Built about 1680 Paul Revere House is downtown Boston's oldest standing building. The house was home to Paul Revere from 1770 to 1800. The restored dwelling maintains its late 17th century appearance as ninety percent of the structure is original.&nbsp;This church was originally called "New North," and it was a Unitarian parish when the building was designed. It wasn't converted to a Catholic church with a Catholic name until 1862, when the neighborhood had become mostly Irish. St. Stephen's is the only Charles Bulfinch church still standing in Boston. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy was baptized here in 1890 and her funeral was held her in 1995.

The enduring fame of the Old North began on the evening of April 18, 1775, when the church sexton, Robert Newman, climbed the steeple and held high two lanterns as a signal from Paul Revere that the British were marching to Lexington and Concord by sea and not by land. The Church was built in 1723 and is the oldest standing church in Boston.

Named for shoemaker William Copp, Copp's Hill Burying Ground was Boston's largest colonial burying ground. It is the final resting place of Cotton Mather and Increase Mather, two Puritan ministers famous for their association with the Salem witch trials, as well as Robert Newman, sexton of Old North Church, and Edmund Hartt, the builder of the USS Constitution. The majority of Bostonions buried here were merchants, artisans and crafts people from the North End.&nbsp;

First launched in 1797, the USS Constitution is the world's oldest commissioned warship that is still afloat. The Constitution is one of the six ships that George Washington ordered for construction to help America's maritime interests. The museum (located on land and next to where the ship is docked) originally served as a supplement to active naval USS Constitution. Now it houses artifacts from the ships history as well as experiential learning exhibitions, the purpose of which is to inspire both children and adults to appreciate all that the USS Constitution stands for. Additionally, this site is on the Freedom Trail.&nbsp;

Charleston Navy Yard

This was the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first major battle of the Revolutionary War. Over the course of three assaults made on June 17, 1775, 3000 Redcoats dislodged the Colonial Militia from Breed's Hill in Charlestown. The Militia was forced to give up defense of the hill largely due to a lack of ammunition - a shortage which led to the famous order "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes," which has been attributed to different commanders involved in the battle. Though the battle was technically a British victory, it proved that Colonial forces could fight effectively against the British forces, which suffered a staggering 1000 casualties. The Monument was constructed between 1827 and 1843 in memory of the Battle of Bunker Hill during the Revolutionary War. The construction was sponsored by many prominent Boston philanthropists of the time. The monument itself is made of granite quarried from nearby Quincy. The monument is now part of the Boston National Historical Park, and is a stop on the Freedom Trail. Courtesy of Boston Art Commission.

Freedom Trail

Tour Stops

HISTORIC MAPS