History and Attractions of Boston Common
Boston Common is the oldest city park in the United States. The eccentric William
Blaxton settled the land, all alone with his books, in the 1620s. In 1634 he sold the land
to English Puritan colonists for use as a shared cow and sheep pasture. Each household
contributed six shillings to the purchase. Eventually, the land was also used for military
training, sometimes by colonists and sometimes by their British occupiers. Until 1817,
the land was Bostons site for public hangings. Livestock grazing was banned in 1830.
In modern times, Boston Common serves mainly as a recreation center. It anchors
Bostons Emerald Necklace, a chain of parks that runs about seven miles through the
city. The park itself measures about forty-four acres.
As one of the nations oldest landmarks, Boston Common has become rich with items of
historical interest. The park is home to the Central Burying Ground, one of Bostons first
graveyards. Among those buried there are choral composer William Billings, portrait
artist Gilbert Stuart, and many casualties of the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill.
Unfortunately, the subway tunneling of 1894 disturbed more than 900 (perhaps 2,000) of
the cemeterys deceased residents! They were later reburied, and a tablet marks the
location of the event.
Several monuments can be spotted throughout the Common. The Robert Gould Shaw
Memorial, for example, is a Civil War monument honoring the first free black regiment
in the Union Army. (Shaw commanded the all-volunteer regiment and is depicted in the
Hollywood film Glory.) Another impressive Civil War sculpture is The Soldiers and
Sailors Monument. Located atop the Commons Flagstaff Hill, this neoclassical work of
art rises an impressive 126 feet. Elsewhere, in the parks Parkman Plaza, statues pay
homage to the ideals of Industry, Learning, and Religion.
With so many acres of green space, the park has hosted many large public events. In 1713
a public riot broke out in response to a food shortage. Two hundred people were present,
and the lieutenant governor was shot during the chaos. A century and half later, in 1969,
a Vietnam protest drew 100,000 people. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Pope John Paul II
also drew large crowds for their speeches. The parks Parkman Bandstand holds smaller
crowds for plays and concerts.
Boston Common is full of longstanding attractions for people of all ages. The Public
Garden was established in 1837 as the nations oldest botanical garden. Prior to that time,
the land had been a salty swamp. The 24-acre garden is especially famous for its fleet of
swan-shaped boats. Weather permitting, visitors ride the boats from spring through
autumn.
The Frog Pond is another popular destination within the park. The Frog Pond is a popular
childrens wading pool in the summer. During the brisk Boston winters, it freezes into an
ice skating rink. When the Frog Pond first opened in 1848, school was closed for a day
just so children could play in the fountain! Today the Tadpole Playground is adjacent.
Boston Common is flanked by other points of interest, such as: the Massachusetts State
House, which stands to the north; Park Street Station Americas first subway station
in the eastern corner; and Boylston Street Station Americas second subway station to
the south. For those who prefer to walk, the Freedom Trail (a popular walking tour) also
starts to the south of Boston Common at the Visitor Center.
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Tag: Union army
Ellis Island: Site of Picnics, War, and Immigration
Ellis Island: Site of Picnics, War, and Immigration
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was once the main immigration station for people
entering the United States. About a third of Americans can trace their ancestry to this
entry point. Today Ellis Island is a museum accessible by ferryboat.
The island is named for Samuel Ellis, a wealthy colonial landholder. He once owned the
land and used it as a picnic area. When selling the island, Ellis advertised it along with
several other items he had for sale, including a few barrels of excellent shad and
herrings and a large Pleasure Sleigh, almost new.
The U.S. War Department purchased the island for $10,000 in 1808. They built defenses
there in the buildup to the War of 1812. Fort Gibson was erected to house prisoners of
that conflict. Fifty years later during the Civil War, the Union army used the fort as a
munitions arsenal.
When the Civil War ended, Ellis Island was abandoned for twenty-five years. Then, in
1890, the government wanted a new immigration processing center. (This would replace
the Castle Garden Immigration Depot, the countrys first immigration station, which was
located on the tip of Manhattan.) Ellis Island opened in 1892 as the main processing point
for newcomers; at the time, about 70% of all immigrants passed through the island
facilities.
The first immigrant processed was Annie Moore, a teenager from Ireland who was
meeting her parents in New York. (She received a $10 gold coin!) The Ellis Island staff
continued to process immigrant steamship passengers until 1954, when the last immigrant
was the Norwegian merchant seaman Arne Peterssen. In the more than six decades of
operation, the immigration building on Ellis Island saw more than 12 million hopeful
immigrants. After 1954, the building was not attended to for about thirty years. It was
eventually refurbished in the late 1980s and re-opened as a museum in 1990. It is now
under jurisdiction of the US National Park Service.
Immigrants experiences on Ellis Island differed with social class. Wealthier immigrants
who traveled first or second class generally entered automatically without delay. Third-
class steerage passengers had medical exams and interviews. In the end, about two
percent were sent back across the ocean after these procedures. With these people in
mind, Ellis is also known as The Island of Tears and or Heartbreak Island.
Standard interviews included twenty-nine questions, including name, skills, and amount
of money available. Adults who seemed likely to become a public charge would be
turned away. The medical exams on Ellis Island were brief; they usually lasted only six
seconds! However, people who appeared ill received much more attention. Chalk
markings were put on their clothes to indicate suspected medical conditions. People who
didnt discreetly remove these markings were typically sent home or to the islands
hospital. About three thousand people travelers died in Ellis Islands hospital.
The United States enacted Quota Laws in 1924. These restricted immigration and
resulted in most processing being performed at embassies and consulates instead of
freestanding immigration stations. After 1924 Ellis Island was only sporadically used to
see war refugees and displaced persons. The island was used for Japanese internment and
to house German Americans accused of being Nazis.
Ellis Island was once the subject of a border dispute between New York and New Jersey.
Today the two states have divided ownership of the historic site: the main building
containing the museum is part of New York, and the old hospital buildings are part of
New Jersey. The monument has been managed and preserved by the National Park
Service since 1966.
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