Boston
Boston Lighthouse
If American history is your cup of tea, then you will want to see the home of the Boston Tea Party.
Its rich history began as a homesteading community in 1630 and it is one of America’s oldest cities. Because of the location it became the busiest port in the Massachusetts Bay Colony where their famous lighthouse welcomed tall ships. European settlers originally named it Trimountaine after three hills. However, only Beacon Hill remains to this day and the name was soon changed to Boston.
The first settler, who paid nothing for it, sold land and water rights to those who came later. Our forefathers were nothing if not resourceful. Settlers in Boston established the first school and the first college (Harvard) in America.
In 1660, they hung poor Mary Dyer for letting Quakers move in and her statue stands in front of the Massachusetts State House.
The largest earthquake to hit the Northeastern U.S. happened in 1760 (6.0) and started Boston’s first fire destroying 349 buildings. A short ten years later, the residence of Boston found themselves to be major players in the coming American Revolution. Visitors can learn about The Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party and several of the early battles of the Revolution including the Battle of Bunker Hill. It was From Boston Paul Revere made his famous midnight ride – “one if by sea, two if by land.”
Boston has preserved its historic sites well and they are popular tourist attractions. Her harbor holds the tall ship USS Constitution and there is much to see along the Freedom Trail. Boston is home to nearly 590,000 and is north of New York City.
Learn more: www.cityofboston.gov/
(Authors Note: Our predecessors were not good at finding original names for American cities and normally named them after places they left behind. When settlers reached Seattle, they first thought to call it New York. That bid failed, but calling the territory “Washington” did not. These days we have to say “the other Washington” or no one knows what we are talking about.)
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