Boston was founded in 1630 by English Puritans fleeing religious persecution. In 1630 the new settlement was named Boston after Boston in England from which many of the settlers came. The Puritans hoped to create a ‘city on a hill’ i.e. a shining example of a Godly society for the entire world to see.

Boston has played a central role in U.S. history, from its settlement by the Puritans, to its American Revolutionary battles to its storied universities. Boston has played a central role in U.S. history, from its settlement by the Puritans, to its American Revolutionary battles to its storied universities.

Boston played an important role in the American Revolution because it was the capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, the home of the colonial government, and the center of trade and commerce of the colony. Having control of Boston and the harbor was a great strategic advantage.

Boston Historical Sites: 21 Must-See Stops for History Buffs

• 1) The Freedom Trail.
• 2) Charles River Esplanade.
• 3) Boston Common.
• 4) Faneuil Hall Marketplace.
• 5) Bunker Hill Monument & Museum.
• 6) Boston Massacre Site.
• 7) The Paul Revere House.
• 8) Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum.

Best Historic Sites in Boston

• Harvard University. Photo courtesy of Paul Lowry.
• Granary Burial Ground. Downtown.
• Bunker Hill Monument. Charlestown.
• Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. Photo courtesy of By Chris Wood (User:chris_j_wood). [
• Old North Church.
• Plimoth Plantation.
• Paul Revere House.
• USS Constitution.

Like many harbors near cities along the eastern seaboard, the Boston Harbor in Massachusetts has been used for centuries as a receptacle for raw and partially treated sewage from the city of Boston and surrounding towns.

Massachusetts is a truly historic state. Indigenous people lived in Massachusetts for over ten thousand years before it was colonized by the English in the 17th century. The 17th century brought a mass migration of Puritan immigrants into the area while the preceding centuries brought new waves of immigrants.

The North End is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It has the distinction of being the city’s oldest residential community, where Europeans have continuously inhabited since it was colonized in the 1630s.

Boston was founded in 1630 by English Puritans fleeing religious persecution. On 29 March 1630, a fleet of 11 ships carrying 700 people sailed from England to Massachusetts. They were led by John Winthrop (1588-1649).

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On March 25, 1774, the British Parliament passed the Boston Port Act, closing Boston Harbor to commerce. The act was meant to force Boston into paying for tea dumped into the harbor four months earlier during the Boston Tea Party.

The path allows you to visit sites important to the city’s history, including the Paul Revere House, the statue of Benjamin Franklin, and the site of the Boston Massacre. Should you have any questions, the men and women dressed in colonial attire will be glad to answer them. Guided tours are available for a fee.

The Council Chamber – This chamber, originally part of the Boston Town House, provided the meeting place for the Royal Governor and his council members. Revolutionary Artifacts – The Old State House has a fantastic collection of artifacts from the 17th and 18th centuries, including furniture, clothes, and manuscripts.

Boston has transformed itself countless times over four centuries since the Puritans arrived in 1630 and founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Early figures such as John Winthrop, Cotton Mather, and Anne Hutchinson endeavored to create a “City upon a Hill” where Puritan values would flourish in the New World.

With the help of Irish labor, the city developed the South End and then the Back Bay, re-locating the Yankees during the 1860s and 1870s to the Victorian brownstones and town houses so associated with Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. Soon enough, iconic landmarks such as Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library existed in the Back Bay as well.