NEIGHBORHOODS > BEACON HILL


Heart of the City
As much as early Bostonians struggled to define themselves as members of a separate nation, and not English citizens, remnants of the Old World's culture, morality and, particularly, its physical architecture were bound to live on in Boston. Today, there's nowhere in Boston that this still holds true more than the historically upper-class environs of the Beacon Hill neighborhood.

Beacon Hill has traditionally been the home of leaders-Boston's first mayor, John Phillips, lived here, as well as instrumental figures in the formation of Boston, such as Harrison Gray Otis, William Scollay and Charles Bulfinch, who were all property owners here. Beyond that, Beacon Hill has remained the seat  of political power in Boston. The Massachusetts State House was completed at the top of Beacon Hill in 1798, and in 1874 it received the gold leaf finish on its massive dome, which, thanks to diligent maintenance and renovations over the years, still shines brilliantly today.

It's here that visitors to the Freedom Trail begin their travels-passing by historical landmarks such as Park Street Church, the Old Granary Burying Ground (final resting place of John Hancock, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and other Revolution-era luminaries), King's Chapel and, on School Street, the site of America's first public school (in 1856, a statue of Benjamin Franklin was erected near the site). One spot on the Trail not to be missed is the Old State House, at the corner of Washington and State streets. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was first publicly read in Boston from the building's east balcony, and the building overlooks the site of the Boston Massacre in 1770.

Physically, the neighborhood still bears resemblance to its European roots-narrow cobblestone streets and gas-lit streetlamps still abound. While other areas of Boston are loaded with trendy restaurants and designer boutiques, visitors to Beacon Hill are more likely to find quaint antique shops along Charles Street and "local" restaurants, off the beaten path but beloved for generations. One exception is the original place "where everybody knows your name"-the Bull & Finch Pub, used as the inspiration for the classic sitcom "Cheers" can be found on Beacon Street and still draws in throngs of tourists annually.

And for those who cherish the outdoors, Beacon Hill shares the Boston Common with Downtown, offering visitors the opportunity to take advantage of a natural oasis upon which to throw a Frisbee, soak up some sun, ride a foot-pedaled Swan Boat through the Public Garden, or simply sit on a bench and watch the world go by, the way generations of Bostonians have done before.