I spent Sunday in Boston on a tour bus. I talked Bruce into it (he usually likes to work solo) and I'm glad we did. We saw so much of Boston and the historical sites there. Bunker Hill, the U.S.S. Constitution (ship a.k.a. as "Old Ironsides"), the Old North Church, Fenway Park. Ok so Fenway wasn't so much historical as fun, but there you are.
The thing I learned that will stick with me most is the fact that the history I remember being taught as a child was somewhat skewed. Its amazing the number of historical "truths" I thought I knew turned out to be slightly off-kilter. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow took some significant license when he wrote his poem of Paul Revere's ride. The 'sea' referred to was actually the Charles river...not the Atlantic Ocean as I always thought. Plus there were several other riders besides Paul Revere who made the historical ride. The riders fanned out in many directions.
The site of the famous "Boston Tea Party" is nothing more than a plaque about 500 feet from the actual site of the uprising. The area has been filled in and a bank sits there now.
Old Ironsides isn't made of iron at all. (OK so maybe I was 10 years old and took things a bit to literally.) It got it's nic-name from a dying British soldier who said as he was dying in the river after a fierce battle (and I paraphrase here...) "Oy! Is that thing made of iron????" His remark founded on the fact that cannon balls had little effect on the hull of the ship. The actual hull is about 18 inch thick oak. Its a beautiful old vessel and the oldest still commissioned battle ship in the U.S. Navy.
The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activities and sites. I hope to write about many of them soon. Mostly to keep my memory which tends to get a little skewed (just like the history I learned) clear and as true as a few days can make it.
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