Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Church Chat
One surefire way to announce yourself as an out-of-towner is to pause on
Hanover Street between Prince and Fleet streets and proclaim that you see the
Old North Church. The first house of worship you see is St. Stephen's, the only
Charles Bulfinch-designed church still standing in Boston. It was Unitarian
when it was dedicated in 1804. The next year, the congregation bought a bell
(still in use) from Paul Revere's foundry for $800. The design is a paragon of
Federal-style symmetry. St. Stephen's became Roman Catholic in 1862. During
refurbishment in 1964 and 1965, it regained its original appearance, with clear
glass windows, white walls, and gilded organ pipes. It's one of the plainest
Catholic churches you'll ever see.
Moments
To continue on the Freedom Trail: The trail leaves the square on Prince Street and
runs along Hanover Street past Clark Street. Before turning onto Prince Street, take a
few steps down Garden Court Street and look for no. 4, on the right. The private resi-
dence was the birthplace of Rose Fitzgerald (later Kennedy).
19 North Sq. & 617/523-2338. www.paulreverehouse.org. Admission $3 adults, $2.50 seniors and students, $1
children 5-17, free for children under 5. Freedom Trail ticket (with Old South Meeting House and Old State House)
$11 adults, $3 children. Daily Apr 15-Oct 9:30am-5:15pm; daily Apr 1-14 and Nov-Dec 9:30am-4:15pm; Jan-Mar
Tues-Sun 9:30am-4:15pm. Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving, and Dec 25. T: Green or Orange Line to Haymarket, Blue Line
to Aquarium, or Green or Blue Line to Government Center.
James Rego Square (Paul Revere Mall) A pleasant little brick-paved park also
known as “the Prado,” the mall holds a famous equestrian statue of Paul Revere—a
great photo op. Take time to read some of the tablets on the left-hand wall that
describe famous people and places in the history of the North End.
To continue on the Freedom Trail: Walk around the fountain and continue to
Salem Street, heading toward the steeple of the Old North Church.
Hanover St. at Clark St. T: Green or Orange Line to Haymarket.
Old North Church Look up! In this building's original steeple, sexton Robert
Newman hung two lanterns on the night of April 18, 1775, to signal Paul Revere that
British troops were setting out for Lexington and Concord in boats across the Charles
River, not on foot. We know that part of the story in Longfellow's words: “One if by
land, and two if by sea.”
Officially named Christ Church, this is the oldest church building in Boston
(1723). The design is in the style of Sir Christopher Wren. The steeple fell in hurri-
canes in 1804 and 1954; the current version is an exact copy of the original. The 190-
foot spire, long a reference point for sailors, appears on navigational charts to this day.
And how's this for a coincidence: Newman was a great-grandson of George Bur-
roughs, one of the victims of the Salem witch trials of 1692.
Members of the Revere family attended this church (their plaque is on pew 54);
famous visitors have included Presidents James Monroe, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin
Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Gerald R. Ford, and Queen Elizabeth II. There
are markers and plaques throughout; note the bust of George Washington, reputedly
the first memorial to the first president. The gardens
on the north side of the
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