The Old State House

Boston refers to this historic building as the "Old State House since it is the older of 2 buildings. The "New State House" was built in 1797 (only in Boston would a building over 200 years old be referred as "New").

This is one of my favorite spots in Boston. The Declaration of Independence was read to the the public on July 18, 1776. Each 4th of July, the tradition of reading the Declaration of Independence is renewed.

Directly infront of the balcony is the site of the Boston Massacre where 5 colonists were killed by British soldiers. The term "massacre" was used by Paul Revere and Sam Adams to fan the flames toward independence from Mother England.

Although my favorite story is that this great building began to decay over the years, and plans were made to demolish the building (ca. 1870). A Historical society in Chicago learned of Bostons plans to demolish this historic building and made an offer to purchase the building and ship it "brick-by-brick" to Chicago where it can stand as a symbol of the American Revolution. It wasn't until the offer was made that Boston realized that they "loved" this building, and there was no way they could part with it.

So the building was saved for another 130+ years and counting.

Missed Opportunities not to be missed, again!

I (Ward) remember living in Southern California in my early 20's. I lived less that 10 miles from Disneyland which has always been one of my favorite places. Despite my affinity for Disneyland, the only time that I went to the amusement park was when family or friends came in from out of town to visit the park (1-2 times per year). Today, Disneyland is too expensive to go more than once a year, but back then it was only $15-$20 for entry which would have been a great date or group activity. As I look back, I realize that I missed the advantage of living so close to a place that so many travel thousands of miles to be. New England has one of the richest histories in the US that date back to the 17th century (Plymouth rock and the Salem witch trials) up to the present day (Whitey Bulger and gay marriage, "not that there is anything wrong with it"). There is so much to explore with great stories that accompany these historic sites, and we don't want to regret the missed opportunities to explore this area. So we will continue to explore this area (we have been New England Explorers for over 5 years) We hope to use this blog to keep you updated on our travels and our lives in New England.