Bunker Hill Monument The Bunker Hill Monument was built to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill . The 221 foot ( 67 m ) granite obelisk was erected between 1827 and 1843 in Charlestown , Massachusetts , with granite from Quincy , Massachusetts , conveyed to the site via the Granite Railway , built specially for that purpose , followed by a trip by barge . There are 294 steps to the top . The Bunker Hill Monument is not on Bunker Hill but instead on Breed ' s Hill , where most of the fighting in the misnamed Battle of Bunker Hill actually took place . The Monument Association , which had purchased the battlefield site , was forced to sell off all but the hill ' s summit in order to complete the monument . The monument , one of the first in the United States , was erected to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill , the first major conflict between British and Patriot forces in the American Revolutionary War , fought there June 17 , 1775 . The first monument at the site was created in memory of Mason and fallen Bunker Hill hero Dr . Joseph Warren in 1794 by King Solomon ' s Lodge of Masons and was initially an 18 foot ( 5 . 5 m ) wooden pillar topped with a gilt urn . In front of the obelisk is a statue of Col . William Prescott , a native of Groton , another hero of Bunker Hill . During the battle , according to popular stories , he coined the famous Revolutionary War phrase , " Don ' t fire until you see the whites of their eyes " . However , it is uncertain as to who said it , since various writers attribute it to Putnam , Stark , Prescott or Gridley . Doubts have also been expressed as to how original it was , and whether it was said at all . An exhibit lodge built adjacent to the monument in the late 19th century houses a statue of Warren and a diorama of the battle . Bunker Hill is one of the sites along the Freedom Trail and is part of Boston National Historical Park . The monument site reopened on April 2 , 2007 , after completion of a $ 3 . 7 million renovation that included repairs , handicap accessibility improvements , and new lighting for the Bunker Hill Monument that was switched on for the first time on April 20 , 2007 . The Bunker Hill Museum , across the street from the Monument , was dedicated on June 17 , 2007 , and includes many exhibits about the battle . No admission charge applies to this attraction . Construction of the monument . William Ticknor , a well - known Boston lawyer and antiquarian , first suggested the memorial and an interested group of men met for breakfast at the home of Colonel Thomas Handasyd Perkins . Among them were William Tudor , Daniel Webster , Professor George Ticknor , Doctor John C . Warren , William Sullivan , and George Blake . On May 10 , 1823 , the first public meeting was called . Each member subscribed five dollars , and on June 7 , 1823 , the Bunker Hill Monument Association was established and the work of raising money was begun . Famed nineteenth - century philanthropist Amos Lawrence contributed $ 10 , 000 to fund the building . In the spring of 1825 the directors had purchased about 15 acres ( 61 , 000 m² ) on the slope of Breed ' s Hill , but had not yet chosen a design . The first design committee consisted of Daniel Webster , noted engineer Loammi Baldwin , Jr . , George Ticknor , Gilbert Stuart , and Washington Allston . One hundred dollars was offered for the best design ; about 50 plans were presented in response . Choice was soon narrowed to two ( a column and an obelisk ) and a new committee was appointed to procure designs and estimate expenses for each . At the next meeting the majority voted that the obelisk designed by Solomon Willard be used . The directors laid the cornerstone on June 17 , 1825 . The Marquis de Lafayette ( who was on a 14 - month tour of the United States on the 50th anniversary of the War ) performed the ceremony , Daniel Webster delivered the oration , and the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts , Ancient Free and Accepted Masons , conducted the services . Rev . Joseph Thaxter , who was wounded in the battle , officiated as chaplain at the ceremony , offering a prayer in thanks for the colonists ' victory . Perhaps surprisingly , a railroad was created to carry granite to the monument for its construction . Work proceeded somewhat slowly at first , but the Granite Railway was completed in short order and became operational on October 7 , 1826 , as the first commercial railroad in the United States functioning as a common carrier . Construction was frequently halted as available funds were depleted . To bring the project to completion the Monument Association in 1838 began to sell off the of the battlefield as house lots , eventually preserving only the summit of Breed ' s Hill as the monument grounds . Neighbors disgruntled with the construction eyesore were rumored to have plans to raise money to tear down the partially completed monument . Sarah Josepha Hale and the readers of her magazine supplied funds essential to the monument ' s successful completion . The capstone was laid on July 23 , 1842 with the monument being dedicated on June 17 of the following year , again with a Daniel Webster oration . The Bunker Hill Monument Association maintained the monument and grounds until 1919 when it was turned over to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts . In 1976 the monument was transferred to the National Park Service and became a unit of Boston National Historical Park . Details of Construction . The blocks of granite for the monument average two cubic yards each and were quarried by wedging , and delivered to the site of the monument at an actual cost of $ 5 . 40 per cubic yard , from a quarry opened for the purpose . The average contract offers for the same were $ 24 . 30 .