On the Freedom Trail

Monday, July 12, 2010

On land that was originally John Hancock's cow pasture sits the beautiful Massachusetts State House.  Its gold dome shines brightly on Beacon Hill.  The dome which is made of wood was overlaid with copper by Paul Revere and later covered with 23 karate gold leaf.  This building is the "new" State House (having been completed in January of 1798) differentiating it from the Old State House (next photo below) on State and Congress streets.

Massachusetts State House

Old State House

The steeple of Park Street Church (seen in the photo above behind and to the left of the water fountain in Boston Common) was once the first landmark travelers saw when approaching Boston.  It was built atop the site of the town's grain storage building thus giving the name to the adjacent cemetery, Granary Burying Ground.  Jacob Eliott and the father of Paul Revere are buried here as well as three signers of the Declaration of Independence:  John Adams, John Hancock and Robert Treat Paine.  Granary Burying Ground is the final resting place of Boston's most famous sons. 

One of the most fascinating things about old grave yards is the ornate headstones.  Because Puritans did not believe in religious imagery, people used tombstones for artistic expression of their beliefs.  Notice the Soul Effigy on the very top front of the stone.  A Soul Effigy is a skull or "death's head" with a wing on each side.  It represents the soul flying to heaven after death.  Jacob Eliott's headstone reads:

JACOB ELIOTT

LATE DEACON OF Ye 3d

CHURCH OF CHRIST IN

BOSTON DEC D  Ye 17TH

OF AUGUST 1693 

BURIED Ye SAME DAY

AETATIS.SUAE 61 

Aetatis.suae refers to "of the age" of 61.  He died August 16th, 1693.  His death was likely from Yellow Fever (Malaria) as there was an epidemic in Boston in 1693.  This would explain why he was buried the day he died.  Yellow Fever often hit port cities like Boston very hard. 

What appears to be stone on the exterior columns of King's Chapel (left) is actually painted wood.  The church is considered to be one of the finest examples of Georgian church architecture in North America.  Next to it sits Boston's oldest burying ground.  It is as old as Boston itself. 

Massachusett's first governor, John Winthrop, is laid to rest in King's Church Burying Ground as well as Mary Chilton, the first woman off the Mayflower.

The burying grounds of Boston are truly laden with history but there is much, much more to see on the Freedom Trial.