Boston the Hub of the Universe—Continued
was established in Boston by John Campbell, the postmaster of the town. In 1711 the town was visited by a conflagration which destroyed the first Meeting-house, the old Town House, and about one hundred other buildings. From 1770 to 1776, the stirring days of the Revolution, Boston was an especial point of historic interest. On March 5, 1770, the British troops fired on the citizens of Boston; several were killed and others mortally wounded. The whole British force was afterwards driven from the town. In 1773 the Boston Tea Party assembled at the Old South Church; thence went to Griffin’s Wharf, now known as Liverpool Wharf, and emptied into the sea the contents of tea which were contained in three vessels lying at that place. On June 17, 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought, and this has established Boston as a pre-eminent point of historic interest in connection with the days of American fight for liberty. On March 4, 1776, General Washington, in command of the Continental army, entered Boston, erected forts and encampments on the several hills commanding the town, and on March 17 forced the British to evacuate.
In February, 1822, the legislature of Massachusetts passed an act establishing the City of Boston, and on March 4, by a vote taken of the citizens in Faneuil Hall, the act was accepted and Boston became a city. The first city government constituted the Hon. John Phillips as Mayor and a City Council consisting of eight aldermen and forty-eight councilmen.
In the war of 1812 and the Mexican war the men or Boston volunteered, and in each instance regiments were sent to the front and upon their return a grand reception followed. In 1861 commenced the great Rebellion, and at the capture of Fort Sumter by the rebel forces and in response to the call of President Lincoln for volunteers, Boston sent to the front a full quota of men for the army and navy. November 9 and 10, 1872, the great Boston fire took place and destroyed $75,000,000 of property.
Since the first incorporation of Boston as a city, South Boston, under the old name of Dorchester Village, has been annexed; likewise Roxbury, Dorchester, Charlestown, West Roxbury, Brighton and the Back Bay. The present area of Boston is 23,700 acres. The city contains a population of more than 500,000 and the Metropolitan district will include a million people. The present Mayor of Boston is the Hon. Josiah Quiney, and the city government consists of a Board of Aldermen of twelve members and a City Council of seventy-five.
PLACES OF HISTORIC INTEREST.
Old State House. At the head of State street. Here Endicott, Leverett, Bradstreet, Sir Edmund Andros, Dudley, Burnett, and Shirley presided over the proceedings for the government of the colony and province by royal consent; and here John Adams, James Otis, Quincy, Warren, Cushing, Hancock, and the patriots of those days made the first opposition to royal authority on the continent. It was here also that the Massachusetts Constitution was planned and that the early legislation of the Commonwealth was established.
28 State Street. The site of the Provincial Custom House, Royal Exchange Tavern, and the United States Bank.
27 State Street. First church in Boston with thatched roof was built here in 1632.
66 State Street. The British Coffee House, headquarters of the Tory army and navy officers. Here James Otis, the patriot, was brutally attacked by one of the crown officers and severely injured. He was afterwards killed in Andover, Mass., when standing in the doorway of his house, being struck by lightning. His remains are buried in the Granary Burying Ground.
Northeast Corner of Liberty Square and Kilby Street. Scene of the Stamp Act riots.
Faneuil Hall. Known throughout the republic and the world as the "Cradle of Liberty." The main hall has many portraits of prominent men of the historic days. The greatest American orators have addressed the people on the questions of liberty from the rostrum of this hall. Such men as Otis, Channing, Webster, Jefferson Davis, Sumner, Garrison, Everett, Phillips, and men of our day have made this hall famous. It is
