Historic Places connects buildings, landscapes and monuments to the larger story of Boston. Each page separates what happened from why it mattered and ends with research sources.
Boston Common
America’s oldest public park landscape and a stage for grazing, military activity, protest and recreation.
Boston Public Garden
A nineteenth-century botanical garden shaped by landfill, design, monuments and the Swan Boats.
Faneuil Hall
Market, meeting hall, revolutionary symbol and a place whose history also requires confronting Atlantic slavery.
Old North Church
Boston’s oldest surviving church building and the site of the famous April 18, 1775 lantern signal.
Granary Burying Ground
A 1660 burying ground holding thousands of Bostonians, including major Revolutionary figures and people from many social backgrounds.
Bunker Hill Monument
A 221-foot granite obelisk commemorating the Revolution’s first major battle and nearly two centuries of public memory.