U.S.S. Lexington Memorial

Location: Lexington, Massachusetts

Features: Series of monuments with plaques each representing one of the United States naval ships named "Lexington."

History: In honor of its place as the location of the start of the American Revolution, Lexington has given its name to several warships of the United States Navy.  The monuments here detail the exploits of these five ships:
-16 gun brigantine of the Revolutionary War era
-18 gun sloop-of-war seeing action during the 19th century including use during the Mexican War and sailing with Perry on his expedition to open Japan
-river gunboat of the American Civil War
-CV-2 "Lady Lex" Aircraft Carrier of the Battle of Coral Sea fame during World War II
-CV-16 "Blue Ghost" Aircraft Carrier of World War II

Traveler's Notes:  The U.S.S. Lexington Memorial stands out as a moving tribute to the legacy of these ships and the men who served aboard them.  Located nearby is a Visitors Center with additional information. Unfortunately it was closed at the time of my visit due to the late hour.

Resources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Lexington_(CV-2), en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Lexington_(CV-16)

16 Gun Brigantine

18 Gun Sloop

River Gunboat

CV-2 "Lady Lex"

CV-16 "Blue Ghost"

Concord Monument Square Civil War Monument

Location: Monument Square, Concord, Massachusetts

Features: Granite obelisk

History:  Monument honoring those residents of Concord lost in the American Civil War.  It was dedicated in 1867.

Traveler's Notes: Photographed October 2013.

Resources: http://ctmonuments.net/2010/05/monument-square-concord-mass/

USS Constitution

Location: Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts

Features: USS Constitution is open for self-tours of the deck and guided tours of the lower decks.  USS Constitution museum contains excellent exhibits, demonstrations, model ship building, films, library and gift shop.

History: The USS Constitution or "Old Ironsides" is the oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat, launched in 1797.  She is most famous for her actions against the British during the War of 1812.  Since that time the ship has been used in a variety of roles including life as a training ship during the American Civil War, as a ship of state and as a museum ship.  After numerous repairs over the past 200 years, the Constitution is now restored to her appearance during the 1812 period in celebration of the war's bicentennial.

Traveler's Notes: Standing on the deck of a 200 year old frigate is as close to the experience of entering a time machine as one can get.  The ship is more than just a piece of history, it is a piece of the past that has to be kept alive by the knowledge of her craftsman and skill of her crew.  This spirit of tradition permeates the Constitution and allows you to experience a different age as it was lived. Without the continued dedication of these preservationists this will all be lost to us.

Resources: http://www.history.navy.mil/ussconstitution/index.html, http://www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org/

Charlestown Navy Yard

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Features: Historic United States Navy shipyard, dry dock, Visitor Center, USS Constitution, USS Cassin Young, USS Constitution Museum

History:  The Charlestown Navy Yard served the US Navy from 1800-1974.  Warships from all of the United States' conflicts were built, maintained and supplied from these docks.  Full tours are available for the USS Constitution, the Navy's oldest heavy frigate, and the USS Cassin Young, World War II era destroyer.  The entire complex offers an array of interpretive displays relating the history of the location and the warships.

Traveler's Notes:  For anyone taken with the romance of the Age of the Fighting Sail, this is one place not to miss.  I greatly underestimated the amount of time a comprehensive visit would take at this amazing National Park.  If you have an interest in the US Navy, particularly the naval aspects of the War of 1812, plan a reasonable amount of time to take it all in.

Resources: http://www.nps.gov/bost/historyculture/cny.htm; http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/ussconstitution.asp;http://www.nps.gov/bost/historyculture/usscassinyoung.htm

Immaculate Conception Church World War One Memorial

Location: Salem, Massachusetts

Features: Monument

History: Immaculate Conception Church was the first Catholic Church in Salem, est. 1826.  The monument was built in 1920.

Traveler's Notes:  Photographed October 2013

Resources: Immaculate_Conception_Church, siris-artinventories.si.edu

Bunker Hill Monument

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Features:  Monument on battleground remnant park, climbing tour access to top of obelisk during operating hours, statues and placards, Bunker Hill Museum

History:  In the early days of the American Revolution, Colonial militia put the British controlled city of Boston under siege.   On June 13, 1775, British forces attacked the Colonials at Bunker and Breed's Hills on the Charlestown peninsula.  The Colonial troops repelled several assaults on their positions, causing considerable losses to the British.  The British eventually stormed and won the hills, but would never underestimate the resolve of the colonial militia again.
The Bunker Hill Monument actually sits on Breed's Hill, where the main colonial defensive position was located.  The construction of the monument has a long and controversial history.  The monument was expensive and construction was halted several times due to lack of funding.  The oversight Association had to sell off most of the land on Breed's Hill to cover the expense of finishing the project in 1842.  Only the hill's summit survives now as the park upon which the monument stands.

Traveler's Notes:  The discerning battlefield topographer will lament the urban growth that has wholly swallowed up the original hills.  Still, you can at least get some small feel of the orientation of the environs and the flow of the action.  Driving the narrow streets of Boston certainly works as a metaphorical recreation of the channeled avenue of advance that served the British so poorly that fateful day.  The Bunker Hill Museum across the street from the monument offers free admission as part of the National Parks.  It contains many excellent artifacts, dioramas and interactive maps to explain the battle and its participants.

Resources: www.nps.gov/bost/historyculture/bhm.htm, Bunker_Hill_Monument, Battle_of_Bunker_Hill