bunker hill

Sixteen historic sites in 2.5 miles. Here’s how to make the most of the Freedom Trail, from start to finish.

The New Hampshire motto, “Live Free or Die,” is arguably one of the most memorable in the country. Learn more about its history.

Enjoy this behind-the-scenes tour of the Old North Church, Boston’s oldest surviving church building, including a bonus look at the church’s bell-ringing chamber and underground tombs.

Admire an original copy of the Declaration of Independence, hear the musket fire at a Patriots’ Day reenactment, and learn about a treasonous massacre at these New England Revolutionary War sites and events.

by Lawrence Rathbun IN THE BEGINNING America was a forest, and the finest for the use of man to be found in the world. Her trees furnished the first raw materials for permanent settlement; fence posts and rails, rough logs, and planks. By 1631 a little mill at the mouth of the Piscataqua River in […]

Lots of places claim the honor of being the birthplace of the American Navy and, surprisingly, each one makes a pretty convincing argument in its favor…

A collection of images celebrating the vibrant history and stark beauty of Boston in winter from photographer Christopher Churchill.

White-steepled churches, country stores, black-shuttered white clapboard houses, and bobbing boats provide the backdrop to the prettiest towns in New England.

How many of these immortal phrases do you recognize? “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” —James Otis (1725–83) Colonial lawyer and member of the Massachusetts provincial assembly   “What a glorious morning is this!” —Sam Adams (1722–1803) One of the “Founding Fathers” of the Revolution, upon hearing the sound of musket fire at Lexington, Massachusetts, April […]

For me, the most puzzling of New England legends is the one involving Molly Stark. Puzzling because the historic Molly Stark never said or did anything of note. Nothing. And yet she is really big in New England today. For instance, the road between Brattleboro and Bennington, Vermont is called the Molly Stark Trail. A […]

Since 1991, Ethan Beeler has been a ranger based at Boston National Historical Park, where his territory includes the Bunker Hill Monument, the Charlestown Navy Yard, the U.S.S. Constitution, Faneuil Hall, and other iconic downtown sites.

The National Park ranger clears his throat. Across from the State House at the Shaw Memorial, under the frozen eyes of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, a small semicircle of guests huddle close around him. He shouts to be heard over the trolleys and duck boats speeding by. The story he tells is typical of […]