spotstory: spots near Ten Pound Island Light

Derby Wharf Lighthouse

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:09:11 +0000

This brick lighthouse was built in 1871 and is currently operated by the National Parks Service.The Derby Wharf lighthouse was not operational from 1977 to 1983. In 1983, it was relit and automated. The lighthouse building is not open to the public; the grounds and wharf are open to the public year-round. Stroll to the end of the wharf and enjoy the views of passing boats and the Marblehead shore.It is not uncommon to see local fishermen casting off the wharf.The House of Seven Gables is...

Salem Customs House

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 02:58:29 +0000

The U.S. Customs House on Derby Street in Salem, MA was built in 1819. It overlooks Salem Harbor and is directly across from Derby Wharf and Central Wharf.Nathaniel Hawthorne worked in the customs house from 1846 to 1848. His time at the customs house is referenced in The Scarlet Letter.

Graves Light

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 14:10:39 +0000

Graves Light on The Graves, Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. Graves Light was built in 1905.

Boston Light

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 11:36:31 +0000

Boston Light lighthouse on Little Brewster Island in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. It was built in 1783 and is the second oldest working lighthouse in America. It is also the only lighthouse still actively staffed by the US Coast Guard.

Windmill Point Launch, Hull

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 11:53:27 +0000

Windmill Point at the end of Hull, Massachusetts is a great boat launch (especially for kayakers) for quick access to the islands in outer Boston Harbor. There is ample parking along Main Street, and the best place to put in is bayside, to the right of the ferry dock. A few yards to the right is Hull Gut, the channel to get out into Boston Harbor. Try to time your entrance and exit through Hull Gut as close to slack current as possible, as the standing waves at max ebb and max flood can be...

Wright's Tower, Middlesex Fells Reservation

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 03:10:28 +0000

Wright's Tower is a stone tower on Pine Hill in the southern area of Middlesex Fells Reservation in Medford, Massachusetts. The tower was built in the 1937 by the Works Progress Administration and named after Elizur Wright, a businessman who in the late 1800s was an important proponent of nature conservation in the area and advocate for the Fells.Wright's Tower is easily accessible by parking near Bellevue Pond on S Border Roard to the southwest and following the signs. It's also...

Amelia Earhart Dam

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 12:47:57 +0000

Amelia Earhart dam is on the Mystic River between Somerville and Everett, Massachusetts. It is a great place to put in your kayak. Put in upstream of the dam and access the Mystic River up to the Lower Mystic Lake. Put in downstream and access Inner Boston Harbor.

Bellevue Pond, Middlesex Fells Reservation

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 03:20:09 +0000

Bellevue Pond is a small pond in the southern area of the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Medford, Massachusetts. There is a small parking area for accessing the southern part of the park.For more info on the Middlesex Fells, see www.fells.org

The Old North Church

Tue, 01 May 2007 21:30:29 +0000

The Old North Church, officially known as Christ Church, is the church from which shone the famous lanterns—"one if by land/two if by sea"—which initiated Paul Revere’s famous ride to Lexington and Concord.The church was built in 1723 and is in the Georgian style. The steeple has actually been rebuilt twice: once after a storm in 1804, and after Hurricane Carol in 1954. The first replacement was designed by Charles Bulfinch.The steeple holds eight...

Copp's Hill Burying Ground

Wed, 02 May 2007 21:52:16 +0000

Copp's Hill Burying Ground sits atop Cop's Hill, one of the three hills of Boston, in the North End. The hill and the grounds are named after William Copp, a local shoemaker, who was the original land owner.The burying ground is actually four different cemeteries, the first of which dates back to 1659.The most notable people interred are the preachers Increase Mather and Cotton Mather.Originally, the hill was known a "Windmill Hill" after the wind-driven corn mill was...

The Paul Revere House

Wed, 02 May 2007 15:53:34 +0000

The Paul Revere House in tiny North Square was built circa 1680 and was occupied by Revere's family intermittently from 1770 to 1800.The timber house was built on the former location of the Second Church of Boston's parsonage. This was home to the famous Puritan Pastor Increase Mather and his reverend son, Cotton Mather. That building was lost to the Great Fire of 1676.The 1680 house underwent many renovations. A rear kitchen area was added during the 17th...

Lighthouse Cafe

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 10:17:15 +0000

Lighthouse Cafe is a delicious diner in Medford Square, Medford, Massachusetts. If you go there, try the super French Toast loaded with fruit!

The Old Corner Bookstore

Thu, 03 May 2007 22:38:36 +0000

The Old Corner Bookstore is one of the oldest buildings in Boston. It was built in 1712 by Thomas Crease as its predecessor was lost to the Great Fire of 1711.Originally, the building housed an apothecary on the lower floor and as a residence above. It first served as a bookstore in 1828 and did so into the twentieth century. It is currently home to a jeweler.

Old South Meeting House

Wed, 02 May 2007 19:46:34 +0000

The Old South Meeting House was built in 1729 and is one of the oldest churches remaining in Boston.The Georgian style brick structure stands in the same spot as its wooden predecessor which was built in 1669. Benjamin Franklin was baptized in that building.The meeting house was often used for gatherings when the crowd was too large to fit in nearby Faneuil Hall. The most famous of these is the meeting of 5000 people which preceded the Boston Tea Party.During the Siege of Boston,...

King's Chapel Burying Ground

Tue, 01 May 2007 16:27:29 +0000

King's Chapel Burying Ground dates back to the early founding and settlement of Boston itself in 1630. Though the exact date of establishment is unknown, the earliest recorded interment is that of Governor Winthrop in 1649. The last known burial occurred in 1796.The burying ground contains the remains of many other Winthrops, as well as members of other leading Boston families of the time including the Mathers, Leveretts, and Wendells. Two more Massachusetts Governors...

King's Chapel

Thu, 03 May 2007 21:14:01 +0000

Construction of King's Chapel began in 1749, though due to scarcity of funds, the construction proceeded slowly and was not completed until 1754. For the same reason, the church spire was never constructed.The chapel was constructed around the smaller all-wood 1688 church that it replaced.The building is made primarily of granite, though some wood is employed for the columns. The granite comes from Quincy, MA and Braintree, MA. The church bell was cast by Paul...

Fill-A-Buster

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 08:06:48 +0000

Directly across the street from the State House the Fill-A-Buster (where the politicians go to eat) has been around forever. What’s noteworthy about them is that the food is really good and you always feel you’ve gotten your money’s worth. Actually, you usually feel you got too much. The people there are always greet their regulars with a smile. The menu is comprised of standard US lunch fare plus some Greek plates, and standard home cooking. They also have a great, and...

Park Street Church

Wed, 02 May 2007 00:09:31 +0000

The Park Street Church was erected in 1809. The main part of the building is of brick. The wooded spire reaches a height of 217 feet.The church stands on the corner of Tremont Street and Park Street, which was once supposedly known as "Brimstone Corner." It's unclear if this appellation is a product of the gunpowder that was stored in the crypt during the War of 1812, or for the nature of the oratory delivered from the pulpit.In 1902, the church and its site were sold to...

Freedom Trail Information Center

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:51:17 +0000

The Freedon Trail information center marks the head of Boston's Freedom Trail. The center is located in Boston Common steps away from the Park Street subway station.Guide Pictured is from The Histrionic Academy LLC. ResourcesThe Freedom Trail Foundationwww.freedomtrailtours.com

Ceiling, Sevens, Boston

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:43:58 +0000

Go into the Sevens some time and walk toward the back. Take a moment to look up at the ceiling and you'll be greeted by this smiling fellow. The room is dark and frankly the ceiling isn't the first place people look so it might not jump out at you unless you're looking for it.