Boston Common

About this Location

Here the Colonial militia mustered for the Revolution. In 1768, the hated British Redcoats began an eight-year encampment. George Washington, John Adams, and General Lafayette came here to celebrate our nation’s independence. The 1860s saw Civil War recruitment and anti-slavery meetings. During World War I, victory gardens sprouted. During World War II, the Common gave most of its iron fencing away for scrap metal.

Boston Common continues to be a stage for free speech and public assembly. Here, during the 20th century, Charles Lindbergh promoted commercial aviation. Anti-Vietnam War and civil rights rallies were held, including one led by Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1979, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass.

Frederick Law Olmsted never touched Boston Common, but his sons did. About 1913, their firm supervised the paving of walkways, the replenishment of the soil, and the moving of 15-ton trees.

From a utilitarian common ground for activities like grazing, militia formations, and public hangings, the Common evolved. Its peaks were leveled cows were banned and 19th Century Bostonians added trees, fountains, and statuary. The Common became the park-like greenspace we know today. The park includes ballfields, a tot lot, and the Frog Pond, which provides skating in winter, and a spray pool for children in the summer.

About Freedom Trail

See all hotspots at Freedom Trail

The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile-long path through Boston that passes by 16 locations significant to the history of the United States. Marked largely with brick, it winds from Boston Common in downtown Boston through the North End to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. Stops along the trail include simple explanatory ground markers, graveyards, notable churches and buildings, and a historic naval frigate. While most of the sites are free or suggest donations, the Old South Meeting House, the Old State House, and the Paul Revere House charge admission. The Freedom Trail is overseen by the City of Boston’s Freedom Trail Commission and is supported in part by grants from various nonprofits and foundations, private philanthropy, and Boston National Historical Park.

Features

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Restrooms on site

  • Entrance fee

Content from Official Website and Freedom Trail Official Website

Last updated January 14, 2024