Boston National Historical Park

Boston National Historical Park is a National Park Service unit that tells the story of the events leading to the American Revolution and of the Navy that helped keep the young nation strong. Many of its sites lie along the Freedom Trail. Downtown, the Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere House and Old North Church bring to life early American ideals of free speech, religion, government and self-determination.

In Charlestown, the park includes the Bunker Hill Monument, marking the first major battle of the Revolution, and the Charlestown Navy Yard, one of the nation’s first naval shipyards and home to USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship afloat. Separate from the Freedom Trail, Dorchester Heights in South Boston marks the spot George Washington fortified to force the British to leave Boston after an eleven-month colonial siege.

What to Know

• The British evacuated Boston on March 17, 1776, months before the Declaration of Independence.
• The Siege of Boston also included skirmishes around greater Boston and on the Boston Harbor Islands.
• The park’s online resources include an interactive map of the Siege of Boston’s fortifications and troop locations.