Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1906-10-04
and. Them xe sax The oldest house


gland. Then we saw the oldest house
10 Boston, an old brick building
on Washington street erected in liz
and now used as a candy store.
Near here is the Old South Church,
built in 1730, which still holds its
own, though great twelve-story Of
fee building has it almost entirely
surrounded. One of the most inter.
esting places that we visited was the
old original State House at the head
Of State street. First built in lib,
it was burned in 1747 and rebuilt in
1748, still retaining its original form
to this day. 1t has served as State
House, Town House, Court House
and City Hall, and is now occupied
and preserved by the Bostonian So
ciety. It contains many rare treas.
ures, including some of its original
furniture, quaint articles used in the
early days of the colonies, and some
of the very tea that started the Amer.
lean revolution when that famous tea
party occurred in l773. 1t was from
the balcony of this building-im.
pressive fact-that George I, George
II and George III were proclaimed
as Kings of England, and from the
same place, years later, George Wash
ington reviewed great procession on
his last visit to Boston. The whole
town is filled with Accordingly inter.
esting landmarks and points of in
terest. We stood on the very spot
where the victims of the Boston mas
sacre fell; saw the place where Ben.
jamin Franklin was born. and Fan
euil Hall, the "cradle of liberty )"
visited the ancient graveyards where
lies the dust of 80 many noted men
burying-grounds $50 to 275 years
old, with quaint tombstones and
queer inscriptions to mark the graves
of those so long since passed away.
Space forbids. more than a mention
of the well.known places in the sub.
urbs of the city-the route of Paul
Revere on his famous ride to arouse
the minute men in 1775-Bunker
Hill. Concord, Lexington of splen.
did Harvard College and its environ
ment; Brookline, the richest town in
the United States, the Charles Town
Navy Yard, and scores Of other in
teresting places.
A word about modern Boston.
The writer thinks, from his brief visit,
that it is pretty nearly all right. In
1880 William Blaxton sold the whole
place for ESQ. Now it is one Of the
richest cities in the world, and its
enormous business is conducted on
safe and conservative business. Its
public buildings are splendid, its bus
mess structures solid and imposing,
it's homes attractive and beautiful.
It's streets are clean. its public utili.
ties of the very best. One of the
most beautiful places we have ever
seen is Copley Square, a vast triangle
in which pretty plot Of green oc.
cupies the central space, and around
which are famous and magnificent
buildings: The Boston Public Lii
brary. a splendid structure that cost
1921, 900, built of Milford granite,
artistic to the highest degree, con.
tanning a million books. and with
splendid paintings and mural decora.
tions by Sargent and other celebrated
artists; the charming Trinity Church
AMI lite cloisters. notable because of
its grand old pastor, Phillips Brooks;
the imposing new Old South Chr rch
the Museum of Fine Arts the BULL.
ings of the Massachusetts, Institute of
Technology; and handsome private
residences and apartment houses.
The stores and hotels and theatres are
of the best-modern and attractive
and up-to-date in every particular.
The street railway system is almost
perfect, with it's elevated, subway and
surface lines. The steam railways
have probably the best arrangement
in this country. There are two mag.
nifcent depots-the South Station
and the North Station. The former
is a model of convenience and is more
interesting every day than Morgan's
Grove fair on a Thursday. 1t covers
fourteen acres and thirty tracks &C
commodate the passenger trains that
enter or depart every minute or so.
In all things, Boston seems to have
provided the very best for it's people.
As for the people themselves, we
found them to be polite and agreea.
BILE and considerable. That they are
intelligent above the average is a
statement at which others either
smile or sneer, but we accept it as
absolutely true-their many men Of
letters would seem to prove this be.
yond question. Their patriotism is
a matter of history and civic pride of
the proper sort is apparent even to
the casual observer.
Yes, we acknowledge that we fell
in love with Boston. If ever we
shall leave our happy home in the
dear old Shenandoah Valley it will
be to go straight to the Hub--or
Heaven.