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NAR NXT kicks off in two days: That means thousands of National Association of REALTORS® members have already begun descending on the city of Boston for an exciting week of learning and networking. With so many education sessions and events taking place, free time is in short supply. But for American history buffs, the city offers tantalizing distractions.
Boston was, after all, the place where, in December 1773, disgruntled citizens dumped 340 chests of tea from the East India Company into the harbor to protest a British tax on colonists. That act spurred events that led to the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. For all you real estate lovers, here’s an armchair history of seven historical landmarks.
Year Built: 1661
The James Blake House
735 Columbia Road, Dorchester
This timber-framed charmer with a gable roof was built in 1661, making it the oldest house in Boston today. Originally part of a large property with a farm and orchard, the two-story structure was moved in the 1890s in what might have been the “first recorded instance of a historic private residence being moved from its original site in order to rescue it from demolition,” according to the Dorchester Historical Society. The move cost $295.
Year Built: 1713
Old State House
206 Washington Street
This grand 311-year-old building was originally the seat of the colonial government. On July 18, 1776, Bostonians gathered under its balcony to hear the Declaration of Independence. Thirteen years later, the building played host to George Washington on his first visit to Boston as president of the United States.
Year Built: 1718
Old Corner Bookstore
283 Washington Street
Originally a residence and apothecary shop, this relatively unassuming building has played an outsize role in American literature. In the 19th century, it was home to the acclaimed publishing company, Ticknor and Fields, which released famed works, including Nathanial Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter,” Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden: Life in the Woods,” and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride.” In 1960, the building would have been demolished to make way for a parking garage, but a group of locals formed a nonprofit to save it.
Year Built: 1723
Old North Church
193 Salem Street
This National Historic Landmark still an active Episcopal church, dates to 1723. As a teenager, Paul Revere rang the church bells here after Sunday services. Fast forward to April 18, 1775: When the sexton and vestryman climbed its steeple to hold up two lanterns, Revere made his famous midnight ride—with William Dawes—to warn fellow patriots of the British approach. The battles in Lexington and Concord followed.
Year Built: 1791
Massachusetts Historical Society
1154 Boylston Street
It’s the country’s first historical society, founded in 1791, and holds more than 13 million documents, books, pamphlets and artifacts. Here you’ll find, among other things, tea leaves in a glass bottle found in 1773, a 1776 letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams, and the world’s largest collection of Thomas Jefferson’s private papers.
Year Built: 1806
The African Meeting House
8 Smith Court
The oldest extant Black church building in the country was the setting for key events in the abolitionist movement. Originally, the meeting house was an African Baptist church whose founding members included 15 women. Later, the building was the site of speeches given by Frederick Douglass and meetings held by the Massachusetts General Colored Association, which fought slavery and discrimination, and the New England Freedom Association, which helped freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad. Inside its walls, William Lloyd Garrison founded the New England Anti-Slavery Society.
Year Built: 1912
Fenway Park
4 Jersey Street
Nineteen-twelve was a great year for Boston baseball fans: It marked the opening of Fenway Park and the year the Boston Red Sox won the second of their nine World Series championships. The park houses 170,000-plus artifacts, including 90 World Series team-signed baseballs and memorabilia from Babe Ruth and Ted Williams.
