I always liked the New England accent although it is mostly abundant in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. I had a real dose of it when we visited Jo, my old housemate, but have heard it at stores, gas stations, and tourist stops. At one time, after I had lived out here for 20 years, I was told that I had a New England accent. I’m sure it’s long gone now though I still talk about ‘soda’ and ‘foul weather gear.’
The Freedom Trail in Bahston calling us back - since we only covahed the southern half the last time we were in town. So, back on the train but, this time, we can walk through the Nawth End and over to Bunkah Hill and the USS Constitution. Oh, yeah, we want to try to get some cannollis, an Italian treat for which the Nawth End is famous. (This picture shows only 2 kinds in the case: chocolate chip and plain. They also had walnut crunch, praline and several others.)
We passed by this door on the way up the hill. This is not the first short door that we have seen on a hill, we saw several in San Francisco several years ago.
First stop is Copp’s Burying Ground where we found graves of pre-Revolutionary Bahstonians.
Theah ah some interesting stones in this cemetery - but, then, theah ah interesting stones in every cemetery, and interesting stories about those buried heah. Here’s the story of an unabashed Patriot during the Revolutionary war, Captain Malcolm whose stone has been riddled by musket mahks of the British soldiers who were camped up here on the high ground overlooking Chahlston Hahbah and the neighboring peninsula, Chahlston where the Americans were. Increase and Cotton Mathah ah also buried here, 2 of the most famous of the Puritan ministahs. Hellfire and brimstone types of ministahs.
We also found the grave of Paul Newman, the sexton of the Old Nawth Church, one of those thought to have hung the lantehns in the steeple to alert Paul Reveah. He and several others snuck into a locked church and then snuck out again.
Here are the graves of a family, the father, George Worthylake, the lighthouse keeper, his wife, Ann, at least 5 children and 2 slaves, Shadwell and Dina, and a passenger who died on a small boat as they were coming into Boston for some shopping. Their teenage daughter and a friened watched from shore.
Always thrifty, here’s a stone for Theodore James which was carved on the back of a previous stone for 4 infants, one of whom, Henry, was only 10 months old when he died. No one knows what happened to the first grave or maybe this was just a practice stone for the cemetery stonecutter.
Here’s the grave of Captain Malcolm, where the British tried target practice.
Fuhthah down the Freedom Trail we find old Nawth Church itself.
Very much like the Old South Church with its enclosed pews with high walls to enclose footwarmers on those cold Bahston winter mornings. Here’s my view from one of the pews. The white hexagon hanging from the ceiling is directly over the pulpit. and the steps lead up to the pulpit.
Ah, heah is the bakery - finally. I was about to pass out from a lack of sweets. Which to choose? Which to choose? Why do they make so many choices? First we have to choose which kind of treat we want then we have to choose which kind of that kind to get. Oh, my too many choices.
We chose the chocolate chip connolli and, after drooling about connollis for the better part of 2 months in anticipation, it was a bit of a disappointment. The chips were nothing special and the cream was a bit chalky. Oh, well.
‘Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm.’
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Paul Reveah’s home is next. Built around 1680, it is the oldest remaining struchah in downtown Boston and the only actual home on the route. Reveah purchased this home in 1770 when he was 35 yeahs old, At that time he was with his wife, Sarah, their 5 children and his mothah, Deborah. Sarah died unexpectedly in 1773 and left him with 8 children and he soon married Rachael Walker with whom he had anothah 8 children.
Besides having 16 children and running a successful silver business, he was active in many othah ways. As we all know he was active in the Revolutionary movement, helping to dump tea into the Bahston Hahbah, becoming a membah of the Bahston Committee of Corespondence and other things. But it was the ride from his home in the Nawth End to Lexington to wahn them of the coming British troops that gained him his greatest fame. Probably because Longfellow wrote a poem about him and not the othah 2 men who also made the ride.
Aftah the wah, he continued to build on his reputation and opened America’s first copper-rolling mill and later a foundry.
Our next stop along the Freedom Trail is the Battle of Breed’s Hill - more commonly known as the Battle of Bunker Hill.
‘You know you are getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.’
Bob Hope
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