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During your Boston vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Boston Common
In 1634, when their settlement was just 4 years old, the town fathers paid the Rev. William Blackstone £30 for this property. In 1640 it was set aside as common land. The 45 or so acres of the country's oldest public park have served as a cow pasture, a military camp, and the site of hangings, protest marches, and visits by dignitaries. Today the Common is a bit run-down, especially compared with the adjacent Public Garden, but it buzzes with activity all day. You might see a demonstration, a musical performance, a picnic lunch, or a game of tag -- almost everything but a cow. Cows have been banned since 1830, which seems to be one of the few events related to the Common that isn't commemorated with a plaque.One of the loveliest markers is on this route; head up the hill from the train station inside the fence. At Beacon Street is a memorial designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens to celebrate the deeds (indeed, the very existence) of Col. Robert Gould Shaw and the Union Army's 54th Massachusetts Colored Regiment, who fought in the Civil War. You might remember the story of the first American army unit made up of free black soldiers from the movie Glory.To continue on the Freedom Trail: Cross Beacon Street.
Museum of Afro-American History
The final stop on the Black Heritage Trail, this museum offers a comprehensive look at the history and contributions of blacks in Boston and Massachusetts. It occupies the recently restored Abiel Smith School (1834), the first American public grammar school for African-American children, and the African Meeting House, 8 Smith Court. Changing and permanent exhibits use art, artifacts, documents, historic photographs, and other objects -- including many family heirlooms -- to explore an important era that often takes a back seat in Revolutionary War-obsessed New England. Children enjoy the interactive touch-screen displays and multimedia presentations, and the patient, enthusiastic staff helps them put the exhibits in context. The oldest standing black church in the United States, the meeting house opened in 1806. William Lloyd Garrison founded the New England Anti-Slavery Society in this building, where Frederick Douglass made some of his great abolitionist speeches. Once known as the "Black Faneuil Hall," it also schedules lectures, concerts, and church meetings.
Old Corner Bookstore Building
Built in 1718, this building is on a plot of land that was once home to the religious reformer Anne Hutchinson, who was excommunicated and expelled from Boston in 1638 for heresy. In the middle of the 19th century, the little brick building held the publishing house of Ticknor & Fields, which effectively made this the literary center of America. Publisher James Fields, known as "Jamie," counted among his friends Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, James Russell Lowell, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Harriet Beecher Stowe. For many years this was the Globe Corner Bookstore (the bookstore is now in Harvard Square). Today the building houses the Boston Globe Store (tel. 617/367-4000), which sells souvenirs and newspaper-related merchandise.To continue on the Freedom Trail: Turn right and walk 1 block.
Copley Square Hotel
Perhaps it's the personalized service and somewhat casual atmosphere that encourages writers to describe the hotel as European in style. Though understandable, the hotel is also, undoubtedly, unique to Boston. Owned and operated by the Saunders family of Boston for three generations, the Copley Square Hotel is a local landmark, gracing the corner of Huntington Avenue and Exeter ...
Omni Parker House
Minutes from the Boston Common, the Omni Parker House is Boston's only hotel on historic Freedom Trail. Walking distance to Post Office Square and the Financial District of Boston. Minutes from Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, the Waterfront, the Theatre District and the best shopping in the ...
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