• Colonial Boston Map, Faneuil Hall and the Charlestown Navy Yard skyline

    Boston

    National Historical Park Massachusetts

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  • New Bunker Hill Climbing Pass

    From April 8 to June 30, for safe occupancy requirements, all visitors who climb the Bunker Hill Monument must first obtain a free climbing pass from the Bunker Hill Museum at 43 Monument Square. For groups of 10 or more, please call 617-242-5689.

Development of ship building at the Charlestown Navy Yard

USS Independence

USS Independence

The first ship built by the Navy Yard, the USS Independence was the nation's first ship-of-the-line to enter service. Regarded as somewhat unsuccessful, largely because of the ill-advised modifications made by Capt. William Bainbridge during construction, the ship was taken into Dry Dock 1 and "razed" (cut down) to a large frigate in 1835-36. A much more successful ship thereafter, it was long a fixture at the Mare Island Navy Yard, serving as receving ship there from 1857 to 1912. Plans to converth the venerable ship into a floating restaurant at the Panama-Pacific Exposition fell through, and Independence was finally burned for scrap off Hunter's Point in San Francisco.

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Did You Know?

Colonial Boston Docks

Owning a shop to sell sewing supplies was one of the few occupations available to women in 18th century Boston. Many women were widowed by the French & Indian War and supported their families by working in the sewing trades. By 1770 over 70 shop-owning women in Boston were called "She-Merchants."