Boston Common
A Brief History: Known as Americas oldest park, the Boston Common was founded in 1634 by the Puritans who settled there bringing with them their English views. They built up a town around the common, using the grounds as a meetings place for the towns’ people. In 1640 some men of Boston wanted to split up the land of the common selling it off into parcels, but the towns’ people fought against it and won, and the land remained a common ground. For years to come after that the common was used for meeting grounds and a location where punishments were held such as whipping posts, pillory and stocks. At one point there were hangings that occurred at the common from a tree known as ”The Great Elm” which is not there anymore. The people who were hung here were pirates, murderers, and accused witches.
The Common is also used as a location where citizens would hold protests, and in 1713 over 200 towns’ people protested over a food shortage that was citywide, and the Lieutenant Governor at the time ended up getting shot and killed.
The following is a timeline that led up to the American Revolution, and why the Boston Common became so important. In 1733 the British issued a 6 pence tax per gallon of molasses creating the Molasses Act. This act interfered with the French in the Caribbean and was the first time that business owners in Boston were affected by a tax. Between 1754-1763 the French and Indian War broke out between England and France, which was a battle for colonial domination in North America, Caribbean, and India. England was successful in controlling the colonies of North America but not without cost. The English government took a huge financial burden from the war, which caused them to levy taxes; with the idea the expenses would be recovered. In 1764 the Sugar Act was passed which allowed the British government to raise money from the colonies without the colony representatives’ approval, hence the term “taxation without representation”. In 1765 the Stamp Act was created and was the first direct tax on the American colonies. This act would put a tax on all printed materials such as legal documents, newspapers, dice and playing cards. This resulted in the crippling of the shipping industry and legal systems of Boston. The Stamp Act riots occurred in Boston in August of 1765 were British crown appointed officials were found hanging from the Liberty Tree, and Lt. Governor Thomas Hutchinson’s businesses and home was destroyed as well as some local businesses and homes. In 1766 British ruled that Parliament’s power to legislate the colonies in all cases was passed called the Declaratory Act. In 1767 The Townshend Act was passed which levied a tax on paint, lead, glass, paper and tea. There were also three new Vice Admiralty courts added to directly prosecute smugglers. This created the American Board of Customs housed in Boston. This would control the trade regulations imposed by England suspending the New York Assembly. The idea was that the revenue of this would help pay for the salaries of the appointed royal officials.
On May 9, 1768 John Hancock’s ship the Liberty was seized by British Customs in accusations of smuggling goods. The British officials’ stories kept changing, which gave John Hancock credibility through the towns’ people, which in later years would aid in his rise to power. Later in the year in 1768 British government reacted to the opposition of the Townshend Act and dispatched troops to Boston where they took up encampments in the Boston Common, Court House, and Faneuil Hall.
On March 5, 1770 after tensions have been building up between the towns people and the British Regulars and argument broke out and one of the British Regular’s gun accidentally discharged and a riot broke out and the British Regular’s wound up killing 5 Bostonians, which is known as the Boston Massacre. This led Parliament to ease up a little and repeal the Townshend Acts.
Over the next 3 years tensions kept growing between the Colonials and the British Government. On May 10, 1773 after The East India Company requested Parliament to repeal the tea tax, the British Government decided to pass a new tax on tea, increasing it to three pence per pound and the Tea Act was officially passed. The British Government did this because they did not want to show any signs of weakness, which in December of 1773 the Boston Tea Party occurred. In 1774 The British Parliament passed The Coercive Acts also known as The Intolerable Acts, which declares Boston Harbor closed, and puts Massachusetts under control of Britain and allowed troops to take up housing in any unoccupied buildings. The Acts also stated that if Parliament thought there were unfair trials, then the trails would be moved to Britain, and this was the official start of the American Revolution.
In the 1860s the Boston Common was used as a Civil War recruitment area and ant-slavery meetings were held here.
In the 1900s anti-Vietnam War and civil rights protests occurred at the Common, as well as speeches from Martin Luther King Jr. Charles Lindbergh spoke about commercial aviation on these grounds as well, and Pope John Paul II conducted a Mass here. There is also the Central Burying Ground located on the Bolyston Street side of the park.
Today the Common is still used and has a variety of monuments all around the park. The park also has softball fields, tennis courts, a skate park, botanical gardens, and ponds. So next time you’re in Boston check out all of the historical sites including the Common where you can take a look back in time at its rich history.
Haunted History: The Boston Common has such a rich history dating back from the 1600s, so it does not surprise me that that are many sightings of ghosts and hauntings here. Near where the Old Elm Tree stood people have claimed to have seen apparitions of people hanging in the nearby trees and the sounds of a rope swinging and sounds of gasping for air. Tantamous was a known Native American and spiritual healer who spoke out against the Colonialists. They whipped him and sent him to Deer Island. He escaped and came back to Boston where the Colonialist found him and hanged him from the Great Elm Tree, along with 45 other Native Americans. People claim to hear his voice aloud and through EVP (electronic voice phenomenon).
Ann “Goody” Glover was a strong will Irish woman living in Boston, and working for wealthy families washing their laundry. The story goes that she got into an argument with her bosses daughter, and after the argument the children of the household started to act up. Glover was accused of being a witch and was imprisoned. While in her imprisonment people claimed she would have arguments with the devil. During her trial Glover was told to recite the Lord’s Prayer in English, but she was unable to because she mainly spoke Gaelic. She was then hanged from the Great Elm Tree being deemed a witch. Today people have reported seeing an apparition of a woman in Puritan-era clothing weeping and sometimes screaming in the middle of the common, and then just disappear.
The story of Rachel Wall is an interesting one. She met her husband in Pennsylvania and they decided to move to Boston were they can try and become wealthy at the expense of others. They came up with a plan and they would use there ship and have Rachel call out signs of distress. When other ships would go and aid Rachel, her and her husband would jump on board and kill the sailor and take over their ship and goods. Overall they would have taken over 12 ships and killed 24 sailors. Her husband George wound up drowning in a shipwreck and Rachel would keep trying to pursue her lifestyle. Eventually she was caught and pleaded guilty to piracy and was sentenced to death by hanging from the Great Elm Tree. People have claimed to have seen an apparition of a woman creep up behind people and disappear. There have also been claims of people having picnics in the common and having some of their items mysteriously disappear never to be found. People think it’s the ghost of Rachel still stealing people’s belongings.
People believe that one of the most haunted parts of the Boston Common is the Central Burying Ground because of the number of unclaimed bodies that are buried there and forgotten. People say around that area the air is very thick and sometimes hard to breath. Many people claim to have feelings of being watched and see shadow people lurking around the grounds.