Bunker Hill Monument - Charlestown, MA

By Molly G. @ The Bumbles Blog

Boston is a great walking city.  In fact, you can see some of the most historic sites just by walking along the Freedom Trail.  If walking the Freedom Trail isn’t enough exercise for you, one of the stops along the way provides a good old fashioned stair master workout.

The Bunker Hill Monument is one of two sites along the Freedom Trail that is actually located in Charlestown, just across the Charles River.  The hill that it resides on provides a perfect spot for a picnic, or to rest your weary feet.  It also marks the site of one of the first major battles against the British forces in the American Revolution which let the British know that these Minutemen meant business.

This early battle made famous that familiar phrase not to fire until seeing “the whites of their eyes.”  An inexperienced and diverse militia made up of everyone from farmers to prominent society members from across New England snuck into Charlestown one night and surprised the rival British by digging in on Breed’s Hill.  The British didn’t take too kindly to being surrounded so they came on over and wreaked havoc.  It took them 3 attempts but the British finally took the hill and won the battle.  But in the process they lost almost half their soldiers in the fight and faced the harsh reality that they had underestimated their foe.

View of Boston from the top

But where is Bunker Hill in all of this story?  It was passed over on the way to Breed’s Hill and the majority involved didn’t realize the difference.  The monument itself stands over 200’ high on Breed‘s Hill.  There isn’t an elevator so you have to climb almost 300 steps to get to the top.  But there is no charge for this pleasure and on a clear day the views of Boston and the rewarding breeze are worthwhile.  And you can look down at the site where over 1,500 men from both sides became casualties, yet the courage and confidence of a Revolution gained steam.

QUICK HITS:

• COST = Free.
• DURATION = Depends how easily you tire of stairs.  No big lines.
• HOURS = Daily, 9AM – 5PM (the stairs close at 4:30, the museum is open until 5:00)
• ENVIRONMENT = Family friendly.  Not handicap accessible.
• ACCESSIBILITY = By foot and is near public transportation. Limited parking options.
• WEBSITE = http://www.nps.gov/bost/historyculture/bhm.htm
• FUN FACTS = It took a bake sale by the women in the community to get the monument completed – typical.  The Washington Monument of similar design is more than double the height and was completed about 40 years later – copy cats.