T H E   F R E E D O M   T R A I L

Boston, Massachusetts

If you haven't been living under a rock then I'm pretty sure you've heard the story. It is here, on the evening of April 18, 1775, where Robert Newman climbed the church's 191 foot steeple to hang two lanterns, signaling to Paul Revere that the British were coming by sea. Upon receiving the steeple-top message, Paul Revere was in a boat, being rowed to the Charlestown shore. Once on land, he mounted a horse, then proceeded on horseback to warn the militia of the impending invasion. It was on the following morning that "the shot heard around the world" was fired on the battlefield of Lexington Green.

My next stop is Copp's Hill Burying Ground. The final resting place of more than 10,000 souls, established in 1659, the cemetery is the second oldest in Boston. Many important people from the Colonial and Revolutionary periods are buried here, including Robert Newman, the patriot I mentioned earlier, who hung the two lanterns in the Old North Church.

Some facts and figures about the burying ground. In my opinion, the most interesting one is the fact that seven pirates were hung and buried here, all witness by a large crowd stationed on the hill and in boats on the Charles River.

Some shots of the cemetery.

Time to move on to the last sight of my tour, the USS Constitution. I have a bit of a walk ahead of me, it's located a ways away in the Charlestown Navy Yard.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to see the Bunker Hill Monument, time is running short. Certainly worthy of mention, Bunker Hill was the scene of one of the bloodiest battles in the War of Independence, the Battle of Bunker Hill. It is here the legendary order was made, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!" The British won the battle, however, the large losses they incurred provided sufficient catalyst to inspire the patriots to continue on with the war, which eventually resulted in the hard-earned independence from England in 1783.