Freedom Trail facts for kids

Markers in the sidewalk mark the stops along the Freedom Trail

The Freedom Trail is marked with red bricks

The Freedom Trail is a special walking path in Boston, Massachusetts. It takes you past 16 important places from American history. The Trail is about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. It begins at the Boston Common and finishes at the USS Constitution in the Charlestown Navy Yard.

A path called the Black Heritage Trail also crosses the Freedom Trail. It runs between the Massachusetts State House and Park Street Church.

Creating the Freedom Trail

A Boston journalist named William Schofield first had the idea for the Freedom Trail. In 1951, he suggested making a walking path to connect Boston's many historic spots. Boston's mayor, John Hynes, liked the idea.

The Trail was marked with red bricks and red paint. Signs were put up along the way to explain each of the 16 stops. By 1953, about 40,000 people walked the Freedom Trail every year.

The City of Boston's Freedom Trail Commission now manages the Trail. Money to keep up the Trail comes from different groups and donations.

Stops Along the Trail

The Boston Common

The Boston Common is America's oldest public park. When the Puritans came to Boston, they bought this land. They bought it from William Blackstone, who was the first European to live in Boston. The Puritans made it a "Common Area" where people could let their cows eat grass.

The Common was also used for public punishments and executions.

In 1775, before the American Revolution began, over 1,000 British soldiers camped and trained here.

The Common has been used for many other events, including:

Anti-war and civil rights gatherings. Martin Luther King, Jr. led one of these.
A speech by feminist Gloria Steinem.
A special church service given by Pope John Paul II in 1979.

The Massachusetts State House

The State House is where the Massachusetts state government works. It was built in 1798. The land used to be John Hancock's cow pasture. The building has a large dome on top. Paul Revere covered this dome with golden copper.

A Monument on the Way

On the way from the Common to the State House, you will see a monument. It honors Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. This was the first all-black volunteer regiment in the American Civil War.

Park Street Church

Park Street Church was built in 1809. It was once the tallest building in Boston. The Church became a strong supporter of the abolitionist movement. This movement worked to end slavery.

On Independence Day in 1829, William Lloyd Garrison gave his first big speech against slavery here.

During the War of 1812, the Church's members stored brimstone in the basement. Brimstone is a material used to make gunpowder.

Granary Burying Ground

Samuel Adams' grave at the Granary Burying Ground

Granary Burying Ground is a very old cemetery. It was created in 1660. Many important people are buried here, such as:

Three people who signed the Declaration of Independence: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Robert Treat Paine.
Paul Revere.
James Otis.
The people who died in the Boston Massacre.
Benjamin Franklin's parents.

Many other Bostonians are also buried in this historic cemetery.

King's Chapel

King's Chapel was Boston's first Anglican church. It was built in 1688. The church was built on land that was part of a cemetery. At that time, most people in Boston were Puritans.

King James II wanted the colonists to follow the Church of England. He ordered an Anglican church to be built in Boston. But no one in Boston would sell good land for a non-Puritan church. So, the King decided that a piece of the burying ground would be used for the church.

King's Chapel Burying Ground

King's Chapel Burying Ground was Boston's very first cemetery. It was created before King's Chapel was built. Many important Bostonians were buried here, including:

John Winthrop, Massachusetts' first governor.
Mary Chilton, who was the first person to step off the Mayflower ship.

Benjamin Franklin Statue and Boston Latin School

Boston Latin School was the first public school in America. It opened on April 23, 1635. Boys could go to school there for free, whether they were rich or poor. Girls were taught at home during that time.

Many famous Americans went to Boston Latin School, including:

Benjamin Franklin (though he left school early).
Samuel Adams.
John Hancock.
Robert Treat Paine.
William Hooper.

The original Boston Latin School building was taken down in 1745. However, a statue of Benjamin Franklin now marks the spot where the school once stood. Boston Latin School still exists today in a different location. Now, it teaches both boys and girls.

Old Corner Bookstore

Pictures of the Old Corner Bookstore building in the 19th century

The Old Corner Bookstore is the oldest business building in Boston. It was built in 1718 as a shop that sold medicines and herbs.

Before it was a business, Anne Hutchinson lived in this building. She held religious meetings in her home. She would read from the Bible. Sometimes, as many as 80 people came to her meetings. This was a lot of people for Boston at that time.

Eventually, Hutchinson was accused of having ideas that went against the Puritan leaders. She was also criticized for preaching without being a preacher. At that time, women were not allowed to be preachers. Hutchinson was removed from the church and sent away to Rhode Island in 1638.

In the 1800s, the Old Corner Bookstore became one of the most important book publishing companies in the United States. It published books by many famous authors. These authors would also meet at the Bookstore. They included:

Old South Meeting House

The Old South Meeting House was built in 1729. Puritans used it as a place to pray. Benjamin Franklin was baptized here. Famous members of this church included:

Phyllis Wheatley (the first African-American poet to have her poetry published).
James Otis.
William Dawes, who warned people that British soldiers were coming in 1775, just like Paul Revere.

A 1789 painting of the Boston Tea Party

Some events that led to the American Revolutionary War happened at Old South Church. For example, five thousand people met here just before the Boston Tea Party in 1773. They were trying to decide what to do with the tea on ships in Boston Harbor.

After the British passed the Tea Act, Bostonians would have to pay taxes on the tea. They felt this was unfair because they had no say in the taxes. They tried to send the tea back to England, but they could not. After this, Samuel Adams stood up and said, "This meeting can do nothing more to save the country." This was a secret signal for the Sons of Liberty to go destroy the tea. This is how the Boston Tea Party began.

Several years later, when British soldiers were in Boston, they damaged Old South Church. They ripped out the church's benches and turned the church into a horse stable. They used it to teach British cavalry soldiers how to ride horses. After the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, the church members fixed the building.

Irish Potato Famine Memorial

The Irish Potato Famine memorial statue is on the way to the Old South Meeting House. During the Irish Potato Famine, over one million Irish people died. Another million Irish people moved to the United States, mostly to Boston. The statue shows a family who were starving but became strong and healthy after moving to Boston.

Old State House

The Old State House was built in 1713. The Massachusetts Bay Colony's government worked there. The Old State House was very important in starting the American Revolution. In 1768, the colony's House of Representatives decided that people in Massachusetts should not pay taxes to the British. The British then removed the colony's government and sent soldiers to Boston.

In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read to the people of Boston for the first time. It was read from the balcony of the Old State House.

Site of the Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre happened right in front of the Old State House in 1770. After British soldiers came to Boston, many people in Boston became very angry. On March 5, 1770, an angry crowd of Bostonians surrounded British soldiers. Someone yelled "fire," and the British soldiers began shooting their guns. Five Bostonians were killed.

When news of the Boston Massacre spread through the Thirteen Colonies, people became even angrier at the British. The Boston Massacre made more people want to fight the British for independence.

Faneuil Hall

A rich merchant named Peter Faneuil built Faneuil Hall in 1741. He wanted Faneuil Hall to be a place for trade and business. However, it became an important meeting place for people who wanted to fight against British rule.

America's first town meeting was held at Faneuil Hall. Americans first met there in 1764 to protest the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act. Later, they would meet there to protest the Tea Act, the Townshend Duties, and the British military presence in Boston.

On top of Faneuil Hall, there is a famous weathervane. It tells which way the wind is blowing. It is shaped like a golden grasshopper. Legend says that Bostonians used this weathervane during the War of 1812 to find spies. If a person did not know the answer to "What is on top of Faneuil Hall?", they were thought to be a spy.

In the 19th century, abolitionists like Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Lucy Stone spoke against slavery at Faneuil Hall.

Paul Revere's House

The Paul Revere house is the oldest building in downtown Boston that is still standing. It was built around 1680. Revere bought it in 1770. He lived here when he made his famous "Midnight Ride".

Old North Church

Drawing of the Old North Church from around 1882

The Old North Church is the oldest church in Boston that is still standing. This Episcopal church opened in 1723. The first bells ever brought to America were put in its tall steeple.

The steeple was the tallest in Boston at the time. It played an important role just before the American Revolution began. Before the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the Revolution, the British had two ways to get to Lexington and Concord. They could walk, or they could row across the Charles River. The Sons of Liberty hung two lanterns in the church's steeple. This was a signal that British soldiers were crossing the Charles River. This helped the Americans know the best way to defend themselves.

Copp's Hill Burying Ground

Copp's Hill Burying Ground was the largest cemetery in colonial Boston. It was created in 1659. Famous people buried here include:

Cotton Mather and Increase Mather, two Puritan preachers involved with the Salem Witch Trials.
Robert Newman, the man who hung the lanterns in the Old North Church on the night of Paul Revere's "Midnight Ride."
Edmund Hartt, who built the USS Constitution.
Prince Hall, a free African-American man who started the first Black Masonic Lodge. He also worked to end slavery in Massachusetts.

British soldiers placed their cannons at Copp's Hill Burying Ground during the Battle of Bunker Hill.

The Bunker Hill Monument

The Bunker Hill Monument honors the Battle of Bunker Hill. This was the first major battle of the American Revolution. The British won this battle. However, it was so difficult for them to win that it showed the Americans would not be easy to defeat.

The USS Constitution

Until May 2015, the USS Constitution was the oldest warship in the world that still floated. It was first put into the water in 1797. The Constitution became famous during the War of 1812. The ship got the nickname "Old Ironsides." This was because cannonballs would bounce off the wooden sides of the ship as if they were made of iron.

The Constitution is still a United States Navy warship today.

Photo gallery

Painting of the Boston Common area in 1898-99
Boston in 1841 with the State House at the top of the hill
Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Infantry
Park Street Church in the 1800s
King's Chapel as it looked in 1688
Drawing of the Old Corner Bookstore in the 1800s
Drawing of Faneuil Hall, dated 1776
The famous grasshopper weather vane on top of Faneuil Hall
The Paul Revere House, from the side
Postcard of the Bunker Hill Monument from around 1900
The USS Constitution, still floating, sails into Boston Harbor in the 21st century