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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mimi La Camera Freedom Trail® Marks 50th
Year with Year-Long Celebration of Boston History Tourism Agencies Uniting to Promote“50 Events
to Celebrate 50 Years” Highlighting Boston’s Revolutionary Roots BOSTON — February 11, 2008 — The British
are coming – again! The Freedom Trail Foundation today introduced
50 Events to Celebrate 50 Years, a year-long,
citywide program to celebrate the 50th anniversary
of one of the country’s most valued historic treasures – Boston’s
Freedom Trail. Major events that are part of this celebration
include the first British soldier encampment on Boston Common
since 1776 and an international fife & drum pageant. The 16 Freedom Trail
sites, the Freedom Trail Foundation and 20 other city entities
will present Freedom Trail and American Revolutionary history-related
events that mark Boston’s role in America’s founding. Under the
leadership of the Freedom Trail Foundation, tourism partners will
help promote the events, which are available at TheFreedomTrail.org. “Boston citizens had
the wisdom in 1958 to preserve the largest collection of original
18th-century American buildings to create the most
significant and convenient walking-history experience in the country,”
said Mimi La Camera, president of the Freedom Trail Foundation.
“The American Revolution began in Boston. Strolling the Freedom
Trail makes traveling through this history easy and fun in the
midst of this very sophisticated city. Stop and eat, stay overnight,
shop and do the history – the 50th anniversary events
make it a special experience this year.” Eighteenth-century costumed Freedom Trail Players® will retell the story of the Revolution every day, right in the heart of the city. Freedom Trail sites have installed special exhibits. Some of the special highlights of the yearlong celebration include: · 100th birthday party for the Paul Revere House, where the famous patriot began his fabled midnight ride, April 18-26. · Grape Alarm Skirmish, a retelling of the very first skirmish of the Revolution, a battle over hay on Grape Island, which includes a boat ride to Boston Harbor Islands, May 25. · Black Heritage Trail and the 145th anniversary tour of the 54th Regiment, May 28. · Harborfest activities and events, including a re-enactment of the Second Continental Congress, July 1-6. · 18th Century Gardens Tour of hidden gardens in period designs, July 3-5. · Redcoat encampment on Boston Common, the first there since 1776, Aug. 15- 17. · Fife and Drum Tattoo in conjunction with the opening of the Rose Kennedy Greenway, Oct. 3. · Bank of American’s Art on the Trail: People & Places of the American Revolution, including holdings dating from Revolutionary times belonging to John Adams and John Hancock, November through December. · Historic Re-enactments, including the Boston Massacre, March 8, the first reading of the Declaration of Independence , July 4, and the Boston Tea Party, Dec. 14. · New Walking Tours: o African American Patriots Tour – of the Freedom Trail telling the story of the Revolutionary contributions of Boston’s black population.
o
Pirates, Privateers & Patriots Tour
of Boston’s colorful waterfront history, the pirates who prowled
the harbor and the marine merchants who built Boston’s seafaring
trade. “The Freedom Trail is
an American icon and belongs not only to the people of Boston,
but to the entire country,” La Camera said. “It’s important that
we celebrate the uniqueness of Boston’s Freedom Trail and the
great value it has for our citizens. To help us celebrate this
history, more than 20 history organization offered to share their
Revolutionary-era events to fill out a year of activities.” Month-by-Month Event Highlights February, Black History
month, will feature a special tour of the Freedom Trail that tells
the story of the important role of Black Bostonians in the Revolution,
their contributions to the cause and heroic efforts to create
a free nation. March and April will
feature traditional annual events that celebrate significant historic
dates. These include the familiar Evacuation Day celebration;
Boston Massacre re-enactments; lighting of the lantern in Old
North Church; Paul Revere’s crossing of the Charles River and
ride to Lexington and Concord; and Patriot’s Day parades. July events include
Independence Day celebrations and fireworks and Harborfest – a
weeklong, citywide history celebration. In August, more than
50 tents will house hundreds of Redcoat re-enactors, creating
a living history weekend of camp life for Revolutionary-era British
soldiers. Never before has there been a British encampment on
Boston Common since British troops camped during the long, bitter
siege of Boston that ended in 1776. September and October
events will include performances of 18th-century classical
music by the Handel & Haydn Society; a fife and drum concert
– called a “tattoo” – at the formal opening celebration of the
Rose Kennedy Greenway; and a Discover Roxbury tour of Dorchester
Heights, from which vantage point Colonists “drove out” the British
soldiers. November and December
event highlights include the 235th reenactment of the
Boston Tea Party; Thanksgiving at Plimoth Plantation; a special
exhibit of Bank of America’s 18th century art collection
including landscapes, portraits and artifacts at the bank’s gallery;
and the opening of the 2008 season of the Historic Holiday Stroll
of the Freedom Trail. Participating partners 16 Freedom Trail sites: · Boston Common · State House · Granary (Boston Parks & Recreation Department) · Kings Chapel & Burying Ground · Benjamin Franklin Statue and Boston Latin School · Old Corner Bookstore · Old South Meeting House · Old State House Museum · Boston Massacre Site · Faneuil Hall · Paul Revere House · Old North Church · Copp’s Hill Burying Ground · USS Constitution (“Old Ironsides”) · USS Constitution Museum · Bunker Hill Monument
· Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts · Bank of America · Boston Athenaeum · Charlestown Navy Yard (National Park Service) · City of Boston · Commonwealth Museum · Dorchester Heights Monument (National Park Service) · Downtown Crossing (Boston Redevelopment Authority) · Downtown Crossing Association · Faneuil Hall Marketplace · Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau · Handel & Haydn Society · Harbor Island Alliance · Liberty Clipper · Massachusetts Historical Society · Massachusetts Lodging Association · Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism · Museum of African American History · Museum of Fine Arts · Myriad restaurants on and near the Trail · Roxbury Collaborative · Union Oyster House About
the Freedom Trail The Freedom Trail is made up of 16 distinct, original historic sites related to the establishment of the country. It is a repository of some of the country’s most valuable historic and cultural artifacts. The Freedom Trail Foundation is charged to protect, restore, conserve, and raise public awareness of these sites of exceptional cultural and historic significance. Established in 1958, the Freedom Trail is a national icon and draws domestic and international visitors, resulting in more than $800 million in spending annually. The Freedom Trail was designated as a Millennium Trail in 2000 by First Lady Hilary Clinton. It attracts more than three million tourists, residents of Massachusetts and school children each year.
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