Saturday, August 8, 2015

My trip to Massachusetts





This summer, I had the opportunity to spend a week in Massachusetts as part of a seminar titled "Crossroads of Revolution: Concord and Lexington in 1775". During the week, our group toured historic sites, studied primary sources, and attended lectures by well-known American Revolution historians Dr. Benjamin Carp (The Defiance of the Patriots) and Dr. Robert Gross (The Minutemen and Their World). This was my second seminar in a row participating in a summer seminar for social studies teachers (I went to Philadelphia last summer). I can't wait to share what I learned with students. Here's a few of the pictures I took during the week. Enjoy!


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First things first...no trip to Boston is complete without a visit to Mike's Pastry. I sampled the pistachio (pictures above) and the peanut butter cannoli. Wow!

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The Customs House in Boston

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Paul Revere's house in Boston

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Paul Revere statue with North Church in the background. One of my all-time favorite American Revolution images!


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One of the lanterns used in the North Church the night of April 18th, 1775 to communicate British troop movements to Paul Revere.

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This spot marks the site of the Boston Massacre in March of 1770. Interestingly, the site is right in the middle of downtown. In the 18th Century, it was right on the waterfront. The city of Boston looks much different from what it did 250 years ago because much of the shallow areas have been filled in and are now used for building and residential space. The area known as "the Back Bay", for example (where Fenway Park is located), is all filled in. 250 years ago, that was still part of Boston Harbor. Another example is what used to be known as Boston Neck. This was a very narrow strip of land that connected Boston to Dorchester. Most of the land between the neck and Dorchester has been filled in. The Neck doesn't really exist anymore as a result. 


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Walking around the North End






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Boston from the Bunker Hill Memorial




Proof that I made it all the way to the top of the Bunker Hill Memorial!

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At the USS Constitution Museum. I was able to etch my name into a copper panel that will be used to repair the Constitution over the next couple years.



On board the USS Constitution, the oldest active-duty warship in the world!

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Tea recovered from Boston Harbor after the "Tea Party" of December 16th, 1773.

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Ensign Jeremy Lister, one of the British soldiers we went during the "Battle Road Heroes" program. To say the least, Ensign Lister was not a big fan of the Americans!

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A reconstructed portion of the Bay Road. This was the road British troops used during the events of April 18-19, 1775.

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The Colonial Inn in Concord. The building dates back to the early 18th Century. This is where we stayed.












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Memorial to Henry David Thoreau in Concord. In 1846, he refused to pay his taxes because he opposed the American war in Mexico. He spent one night in jail as a result.

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Tombstone of John Jack. Epitaph written by a prominent Concord Loyalist who saw great hypocrisy in the Americans fighting the British for liberty while owning slaves.


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At the North Bridge in Concord. This was the site of the first successful armed resistance by Americans against British troops. After the fight at the North Bridge, thousands of Massachusetts militia descended on the Bay Road (which linked Concord to Boston) and inflicted heavy casualties on the British troops during the 20-mile march back to Boston.


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An actual piece of the original North Bridge in Concord. The bridge was torn down about 20 years after the War for Independence ended.

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Buckman Tavern in Lexington. This is where the Lexington militia waited for the British troops. Lexington Green, just to the left of the tavern, was the site of the first battle of the War for Independence on April 19th, 1775. 8 Americans were killed. A few hours later, the British troops encountered armed resistance at Concord (a few miles further west) and were driven back to Boston.


Lexington Green, the site of the first battle of the American War for Independence.

Lexington Green, the site of the first battle of the American War for Independence.

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At this spot, Patriot alarm riders Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott were confronted by a patrol of British soldiers. Dawes escaped but Revere was taken into custody. Prescott also escaped and rode ahead to Concord to warn the militia. Revere was released a few hours later. Even though he had been captured and did not complete his mission, Revere was able to bluff his captors by telling them that there were thousands of Americans waiting for the British at Concord. 

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The "Battle Road" is the name given to the many sites along the road from Concord to Boston where American militia and British troops fought on April 19th, 1775. Almost 4,000 militia from dozens of towns arrived in time to fire at the British troops as they marched back to Boston. By the end of the day, about 90 Americans had been killed or wounded. British losses were much heavier. About 250 British troops were killed or wounded during the day.


Many British soldiers were killed on April 19th, 1775. This rock marks the final resting spot of some of these men.

 

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We attended a dinner featuring 18th Century cuisine and entertainment. The highlight of the evening was enjoying a dessert of strawberry shortcake and drinking a toast to the brave heroes of Concord and Lexington...Huzzah!





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  Here's some pictures of the landscape around Concord. Back in 1775, there were very few trees. Most of the forests had been cleared for farms. These stone walls are very common in rural areas of Massachusetts. They were built along the sides of roads to help farmers drive livestock to market. The last picture above is the modern "Bay Road". Downtown Concord is a few miles further down the road. Boston is about 15 miles the opposite way. This is the route the British troops marched along April 18th-19th, 1775.

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During the week, I had a chance to watch my White Sox play the BoSox at Fenway Park. The White Sox beat the Red Sox 3 our of 4 games, including the game I was at.


The "Green Monster" in left field.



My sister lives near Boston. I got to spend a lot of time with her and her family. We had a great time!


My sister and me at Fenway Park


The Red Sox were retiring Pedro Martinez's number at the game I attended. Many former Red Sox greats were in attendance. Yes, CWS fans...that is Pudge! He was #27 that night instead of #72.




At Fenway Park. Crazy BoSox fan photobombing me...