February 21, 2019 |
If your looking for any type of map, chances are you'll find it at the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center in the Boston Public Library in Copley Square.
There are 200,000 historic and contemporary maps and 5,000 atlases. The Largest Collection in New England is the Osher Map Library at the University of Maine - 300,000 maps
There are all sorts of map books - from Maps of the Holy Land to detailed printed maps of every city and town in New England. Looking for a road map of Aruba? You'll find it in the Map Room.
There's plenty of creative map games in the back of map room - fun for all ages! What a fun way to spend a few hours - playing map games in the Map Room. (Try the Scrambled States of America Game!)
Enjoy learning about geography with a large collection of maps to help with the learning.
You can see a old map of Boston overlay to what the city looks like today. You can see how Washington Street was an important street.
February 14, 2019 |
Located in the center of the State House is Memorial Hall. This is where some historical paintings and historic flags are located. The hall was created as a memorial to those that fought and died in the Civil War.
February 7, 2019 |
The Massachusetts Senate Chamber is an interesting place to visit. A lot of history has been made in this room. When the Senate is not in session you can walk on part of the Senate floor.
The Senate Chamber is located directly below the Massachusetts State House Gold Dome.
There are 39 chairs around the circle of desks. The Senate President sits at the rostrum under a golden eagle and American Flag.
There are nine busts in the Senate Chamber
Guns in the Gallery
There are two guns that are hanging in the gallery - both from the early days of the American Revolutionary War:
Misc
If you look at the arches above you can see pendants with emblems for Commerce, Agriculture, Peace and War.
From January 1798 to June 1896 all the Senate meetings were held in the Old Senate Chamber - now the Senate Reception Room.
In 2017, the Massachusetts Legislator approved a $23 million renovation. This will be the first major renovation to support the standard of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The project was completed last month.
January 31, 2019 |
As you walk along Boylston Street in the winter, you may notice a strange looking garden in front of the Old South Church. It's the famous Winter Stick Garden:
Red Osier Drift
Spruce, solid casein stain, salt marsh hay
A winter garden of color for Old South Church's street front. This stick garden is a sculptural abstraction of a drift of Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea) a native shrub found across the eastern United States, and appearing in our planters boxes near the front door.
The sticker was stained and installed by a team of members of Old South Church as a labor of love and gift to the city. Besides being a thing of beauty, the stick garden is also a proclamation of our faith: that beauty will spring from barrenness, form out of chaos, life out of death. Here in the coldest and darkest time of year, we make bold to proclaim that spring and life are on the way.
January 24, 2019 |
At one of the Beacon Street entrances to the Boston Commons, is Boston's Founders Monument. It's a special monument to the founders of the City of Boston.
The sculpture shows William Blackstone (also known as Blaxton) greeting John Winthrop and his company. TO the right of Winthrop, are John Wilson, clergyman; Ann Pollard, first white woman to arrive in Boston, and a female figure representing Boston. At the left are two Native Americans. In the background, men are pulling the boats onto the shore.
The memorial was requested by the City of Boston to commemorate the Boston's Tercentenary.
The 15' by 45' by 20' monument with a 5.5' by 11' bronze relief sculpture was created by sculptor John Francis Paramino.
It was dedicated on September 16, 1930 at 2:30 pm.
The memorial cost $45,000 ($661,139.47 in 2018) and paid for by the City of Boston.
The two men on the memorial are William Blackstone (also spelled Blaxton), the first white settler and owner of the Boston Commons and Gov. John Winthrop the official founder and organizer of both the Bay Colony and Boston.
The memorial is located at the location of the ancient freshwater spring. The spring is the main reason people came to Boston - they weren't going to drinking the water, the early settlers wanted the water to make beer.
The memorial features a small fountain which is symbolic to the spring that was at the site 300 years ago.
According to Henry Lee, the former president of the Friends of the Public Gardens, there's one interesting quirk about the memorial. The image of Blackstone looks very similar to James Michael Curley - the mayor of Boston when the statue was unveiled.
The memorial was restored in 1982 by the City of Boston Environment Department.
The text on the monument may be hard to read. here's the quote from
John Winthrop gave this as part of a speech as his crew was disembarking the Arabella to the shores of Boston for the first time:
For wee must consider that wee shall be as a citty on a hill the lies of all people are uppon us so that if wee shall deale falsely with our god in this worke we have undertaken...Wee shall be made a story and a by-word through the world - john winthrop on board the Arbella 1630
William Bradford about Plymouth Plantation
thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by his hand that made all things out of nothing...and as one small candle may light a thousand so the light here kindled hath shone to many yea in some sorte to our whole nation - William Bradford at charles-towne 1630
Finally a quote during the dedication
in gratitude to god for the blessings enjoyed under a free government the city of boston has erected this memorial on the three hundred anniversary of its founding -- September 17th 1630 - 1930
james michael curley mayor
charles allerton coolidge architect - john francis pararmino sculptor
The Monument is located at the entrance to the Boston Public Commons at the intersection of Beacon Street and Spruce Street. There is a traffic light on Beacon Street.
Public Transportation: Take the Green Line to Park Street, and take the paths to Frog Pond. Then take Brinner Path towards Beacon Street and walk down the Beacon Street Mall. It's about a 5-minute walk.
January 17, 2019 |
Last year I blogged about some interesting facts on the Great Molasses Flood. However, one of the things that were left out was the mention of a small sign at the site.
The sign is small and is somewhat hidden along a stone wall. Most people may not notice the marker.
Here's the text on the marker:
Boston Molasses Flood
On January 15, 1919, a molasses tank at 529 Commercial Street exploded under pressure, killing 21 people. A 40-foot wave of molasses buckled the elevated railroad tracks, crushed buildings and inundated the neighborhood. Structural defects in the tank combined with unseasonably warm temperatures contributed to the disaster.
- The Bostonian Society
The marker is located between the two baseball fields on Commercial Street. Here's a picture of the area with a red arrow pointing to the Great Molasses Flood Marker.
If you want to set your GPS, heres the exact location on Google Maps.
January 10, 2019 |
The Boston Public Gardens will soon get a new memorial for Martin Luther King, Jr. The memorial is to not only commemorate the work that Marin Luther King and Coretta Scott King did but also to demonstrate that much work needs to be done.
The memorial will be located in the Boston Public Commons between the Armstrong Path and Liberty Mall near the State House.
Location of the King Monument.
Boston was where Marin Luther King and Coretta Scott King met for the first time while they both were going to school. Martin Luther King went to Boston University and Coretta Scott King went to New England Conservatory of Music.
The King Boston organization plans to raise $15 million for the Boston Commons project. So far, the group has raised about $4.5 million. Paul English, technology entrepreneur, donated $1 million, and the Lewis Family Foundation had also donated $1 million.
Early last year, the King Boston organization put out a design requests for the memorial. They received 126 submissions from around the world. In May, they narrowed the field down to five finalists.
'Boston's King Memorial'
David Adjaye and Adam Pendleton with FuturePace
'Empty Pulpit Monument'
Barbara Chase-Riboud with Michael Rosenfeld Gallery
'The Embrace'
Hank Willis Thomas with MASS Design Group
'The Ripple Effects'
Wodiczko + Bonder and Maryann Thompson Architects
'Avenue Of Peace'
Yinka Shonibare
Designs came from the King Boston foundation's website - added the team names to the images.
King Boston was to announce the winner of the design in December 2018. No announcement has been made yet. (Perhaps an announcement will be made on Marin Lither King day?)
January 3, 2019 |
The Oneida Football Club, founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1862, was the first organized team to play any kind of football in the United States.
In 1925, a monument was placed nearby the field that the OneIda Football club played.
Text on the Marker
On this field the Oneida Football Club
of Boston, the first organized football
club in the United States played against
all comers from 1862 to 1865
The Oneida Goal was never crossed.
This monument is placed on Boston Commons on November 1925,
by the seven surviving members of the team.
The monument is located near the Beacon Street Mall path in the Parade Grounds area of the Boston Public Gardens. It's between the Solder's and Sailors Monument and Beacon Street. The nearest T stop would be the Boylston Street station.
December 27, 2018 |
This year there were a lot of great Boston blog posts. It was really hard to find the ones that stood out more than others.
These were selected based on posts that the most amount of traffic.
Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial - Inspiring place to remember fallen hero's.
Gerrymandering - Think congressional districts layouts are strange, learn where it all started from.
Marvin Goody Memorial - A flagpole tuck in the corner of the Boston Public Garden is a memorial to someone that help shape the garden to what it is today.
Boston Chinatown Gate - Discover some interesting history about the Chinatown Gate
MillStone by Haymarket - Historic Millstone is missing a marker. Stone has around longer than the city of Boston.
World War II Memorial in Boston - Many people don't know this large size memorial exist.
First Independence Day Toast - Learn how people celebrated on July 4th 1777.
Acorn Street - One of the last streets in Boston that still has cobblestones.
The tradition continues in 2019 - Every Thursday expect to see another exciting Boston post. There are still a lot of topics to cover on Boston - lots of forgotten stories to retell, and monuments that people don't pay much attention to.
I'll focus on better photos, unique stories and try to make each post interesting for those that are visiting the city.
If you have any post that you would like to see, let me know!
December 20, 2018 |
While walking around Boston's Beacon Hill, you may notice several houses that seem a bit are out of place. One such house is at the corner of Pinckney and Joy Street, it's 1 Pinckney Street.
Note: This is a still a private residence house.
December 13, 2018 |
As you walk around the streets of Back Bay, you can't help but notice the lamps that line up the streets. These lamps have decorated the streets of Back Bay and Beacon Hill for many years.
In the early part of the 19th Century, many of the streets in Boston were lit with colonial Oil Lamps
By the 1890s, the City of Boston had converted many of the oil lamps to gas lamps
In 1909, Boston began the process of installing tungsten electric lamps. By 1913, all the lamps along the major streets in Boston were converted to electric lamps. Gas lamps were still used in residential districts.
In the 1940s and 50s, the City of Boston took over the lamp maintenance and converted all the remaining lamps to electric to maintain a city-wide standards.
In the 1960s, the City started the process of reverting the lamps back to gas in various Boston historic neighborhoods.
In 1965, It cost $100 per lamp to convert the electric lamps back to gas. ($100 in 1965 would cost $800 in 2018.)
Today are approximately 67,000 lamps in the city of Boston and 2,800 of them are gas lamps.
Each gas lamp cost the city $2 a day or $180 a year in gas usage when it's on all day.
In 2011, 600 gas lamps were modified so they would go on at dusk. Prior to 2011, the gas lamps were always on. Some locations were manually controlled by residences or the gas company.
Having an auto-on/off igniter switch has saved the city $140,000 a year - or $980,000 since 2011. The city got a grant from the state's Department of Energy Resources to fund the switch over. The igniter switch cost $750 per lamp.
December 6, 2018 |
On the Massachusetts State House lawn is an evergreen tree that was donated to the state as the official state Holiday Tree.
Tip O'Neill is known as the longest serving speaker in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is best known for negotiating deals with President Ronald Reagan.
The tree is a 22-foot tall white fir
When the Tip O'Neill tree was announced there was some backlash about it being a Holiday Tree or a Christmas Tree.
Then Gov. Deval Patrick told the public that he calls it a Christmas Tree - despite the lighting ceremony calling a Holiday Tree lighting. The official invitations to the ceremony came from the governor's office.
At the time, politicians were using "Holiday Tree" as a separation of Church and State. Many legal experts, such as Harvey Silverglate said that it didn't make sense. He said that politicians still used the term "Chanukah Menorah Lighting."
The original tree planted in 2012 didn't make it. It was infected with a fungus called Cytospora fungus and had to be taken down. It was replaced on October 24, 2017. Oddly enough the O'Neill tree replaced another tree that also had to be taken down.
The sign next to the tree makes no reference to it being a Christmas Tree:
The Commonwealth dedicates the Holiday Tree to:
Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr.
Massachusetts House of Representatives 1937 - 1953 Speaker 1949 - 1953 United States House of Representatives 1953 - 1987 Speaker 1977 - 1987
Given by his family to commemorate the centennial year of his birth December 9, 2012
November 29, 2018 |
Last year, the City of Boston announced that they planned to have a memorial on Boylston Street for the Boston Marathon bombing victims. The original ribbon cutting date was to be a few days before this year's Boston Marathon - 5 years after the bombing.
If you visit the sites today, you'll see that there is no memorial. The City has already laid out the spot for the memorial, but construction for the memorial is still a ways away.
The Boston Globe has a story with pictures of what the memorial will look like.
264 others were injured including 16 people who lost limbs
November 22, 2018 |
The BeanTown Pub is a unique restaurant that features all your favorite comfort foods. They have one special attraction that is unique to the restaurant location, you can toast to three signers of the Declaration of Independence - Samual Adams, John Hancock and Robert Treat Paine.
BeanTown Pub is located directly across the street from the Granary Burying Ground. You can see the grave of Samual Adams from the restaurant.
With over a dozen draft beers to choose from and a burger that has been recognized as one of the best in town, you won't find a better local spot for lunch, dinner, or a night out! We are the only pub in Boston where you can drink a Sam Adams while viewing the grave of Sam Adams!
The Beantown Pub is located on 100 Tremont Street, directly across the street from the entrance of the gates of the Granary Burying Ground. There is no public parking. The closest T stop is Park Street, just make sure to cross the streets when you come up at the train station.
November 15, 2018 |
At the corner of Boylston and Hereford Street, is a picturesque building that houses one of the busiest firehouses in the city of Boston.
This firehouse first opened on February 20, 1888, when Engine Company 33 and Ladder Company 15 were organized in this new firehouse.
Boston's Great Blizzard of 1888 happened on March 11, 1888 - it's one of the worst snow storms that hit the Northeast.
The Firehouse was designed by city architect Arthur H. Vinal in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.
This is Bostons Oldest Firehouse.
Engine 33 responds to approximately 4,100 incidents per year, making it one of the most active firehouses in Boston. That comes out to 11 calls a day.
Ladder 15 responds to approximately 3,800 incidents per year. That's about 10 calls per day.
This firehouse is part of the Boston Fire Department District 4 Unit
There are four plaques on the firehouse to remember those that have died at the line of duty: Cornelius J. Noonan (d. 1938), Richard F. Concannon (d. 1961), Richard B. Magee (d. 1972), and Stephen F. Minehan (d. 1994).
These only represent a small group of the fire fighter's who have died in the line of duty.
Engine 33 (5)
Lt. Michael D. Greene - Killed on the Line of Duty January 13, 1913.
Cornelius J. Noonan - Killed on the Line of Duty February 10, 1938.
Malachi F. Reddington - Killed on the Line of Duty November 15, 1942.
Richard B. Magee - Killed on the Line of Duty June 17, 1972.
Lt. Edward Walsh - Killed on the Line of Duty March 26, 2014.
Ladder 15 (4)
Will C. Swan - Killed on the Line of Duty September 28, 1922.
Richard Concannon - Killed on the Line of Duty January 23, 1961.
Stephen F. Minehan - Killed on the Line of Duty June 24, 1994.
Michael Kennedy - Killed on the Line of Duty March 26, 2014.