Ten years after the Pilgrims landed on the shores of Cape Cod, another group of English Puritans led by John Winthrop arrived in Massachusetts and made the Shawmut Peninsula home. They soon founded the town of Boston in September 1630. As one of America’s oldest cities, Boston lays claim to many American “firsts” including the first windmill (1632), public park (1634), public elementary school (1639), mail route (1672), continuously published newspaper (1704), and the first inoculation delivered by Dr. Zabdiel Boylston on June 26, 1721 in defense against smallpox.
While 21st century Boston continues to be a leader in intellectual, cultural, and scientific innovation, a visit to “The Hub” can feel like a walk back into the past. Many of the city’s firsts and groundbreaking organizations are still operational today, hundreds of years later! Here are a few ways to experience history in Boston:
1. Ride America’s First Subway
Boston’s subway, known by locals as the “T” is an inexpensive and easy way to get around the city. Take a ride on the T through the first subway tunnels built in North America, still in use today under Boston Common. The Tremont Street subway tunnel opened in 1897, connecting Government Center, Park Street, and Boylston stations. Continue riding four stops past Boylston to land at Symphony Hall, where you can attend a concert by the Handel and Haydn Society, the oldest continuously performing arts organization in the U.S.
2. Experience a Historically Informed Performance
H+H was founded in 1815 by a group of music-loving Bostonians who came together to improve the quality of singing in their growing American city. They named the organization after two composers—Handel and Haydn—to represent both the old music of the 18th century and what was then the new music of the 19th century. H+H gave the American premieres of Handel’s Messiah (1818), Haydn’s Creation (1819), Verdi’s Requiem (1878), and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (1879), and has now given more than 2,600 performances of Baroque and Classical music…and counting! Listening to the H+H Orchestra and Chorus is like musical time travel; this is because H+H is a leader in Historically Informed Performance, reproducing with as much accuracy as possible the same sound audiences heard when the music was first performed hundreds of years ago. H+H musicians use historic instruments (or authentic reproductions) associated with the time of the composer and apply traditional technical and stylistic aspects of playing them. H+H Concertmaster Aislinn Nosky’s violin was made by Salvatore Bofill in Barcelona in 1746! Adding to the authenticity of the sound, the number of orchestra and chorus members on stage is informed by the composer’s score, diaries, or other records. Historically Informed Performance offers an alternative way of engaging with music of the past, in other words, making the old new again.
3. Refuel at Boston’s Oldest Restaurant Still Serving
When it’s time for a break, refuel at America’s oldest continuously operating restaurant, The Union Oyster House, serving classic New England seafood to hungry patriots, presidents, artists, sports stars, actors, and tourists since 1826. Take a seat at the bar where Daniel Webster was a regular or enjoy a meal in J.F.K.’s favorite booth. Located on the Freedom Trail just a block from Faneuil Hall, the Department of the Interior designated the Union Oyster House as a National Historic Landmark in 2003. Another fun fact: the toothpick was first used in the United States at the Union Oyster House around 1890.
4. Sail Across Boston Harbor
For another perspective on the city, set sail around Boston Harbor on an authentic tall ship like those that shaped Boston’s maritime economy and cultural identity. Three magnificent schooners: the Adirondack III, the Liberty Clipper, and the Liberty Star offer cruises to the public from May through October. Don’t have sea legs? You can walk aboard the USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat, docked almost year round in the Charlestown Navy Yard. Crew members offer free, 30-minute tours and share stories about life aboard the ship 200+ years ago, her victorious battles, and role in American history. The nearby USS Constitution Museum offers an interactive journey into American maritime history.
5. Follow in the Footsteps of Abolitionists
A short walk from the Massachusetts State House is the African Meeting House, the oldest extant black church building in the nation. Built by free African American craftsmen in 1806, the building served as a church and later a synagogue, housed the first public school in the US for African American children, and was a vital meeting place for the cultural and political life of Boston’s black community and abolitionist movement. The building is now home to the Museum of African American History Boston, offering a variety of educational exhibits and programs that showcase the stories of black families who changed the course of American history. In 2012, the Museum hosted a free Emancipation Concert given by H+H to commemorate the Grand Jubilee Concert held in Boston on January 1, 1863 to celebrate the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation, at which members of the Handel and Haydn Society performed. The Emancipation Concert is now held annually as part of First Night celebrations in Boston.
6. Cheer the Home Team
Whether for the love of the game or to eat a famous frank, complete your visit with a trip to Fenway Park. Home of the Boston Red Sox since it opened in April 1912, Fenway Park is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. Fenway was substantially renovated in 1934, but the blue grandstand seats around the infield remain virtually unchanged from Smoky Joe Wood’s days on the mound. If the Sox aren’t in town during your time in Boston, Fenway Park tours run year-round including the Fenway Park Living Museum collection.
From hearing the music of great Baroque and Classical composers performed on period instruments by the Handel and Haydn Society, to walking the deck of the oldest warship still afloat, step back in time and experience historical Boston like you haven’t before!