Overview of Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill, named for a warning beacon that once stood atop the highest point in central Boston, is now a downtown residential neighborhood, home to nearly 10,000 people. Excavation and grading destroyed the actual "beacon hill" in the early 1800s to allow housing development. Now, an established population, historic architecture, and urban horticulture make the area seem and act like small village.
The Beacon Hill neighborhood is commonly regarded as four distinct areas, each with its own beginnings and history:
the North Slope -originally a waterfront community frequented by sailors and British soldiers;
the South Slope -a well-to-do, carefully laid out community with aristocratic associations;
Flat of the Hill - stable area built on filled land after 1850, and
The Massachusetts State House overlooking Boston Common at the top of Beacon Hill.
Tours
Visitors can take in Beacon Hill's traditional character during any one of several walking tours. A system of one-way streets and no on-street parking strongly discourages nonresidential vehicle traffic. All tours require strenuous walking on brick pavement and cobblestones and so, sturdy shoes are necessary. Tours are difficult for young children and persons relying on wheel chairs and walkers.
Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill. This is a garden walking tour traditionally hosted by The Beacon Hill Garden Club and is the only day of the year that the public may enter private Beacon Hill GardenScapes not visible from the street. Presented the third Thursday of May, rain or shine; Price: $25; Tickets: Purchase about one month in advance via mail to guarantee admission. Online order form and information available on web site. Beacon Hill Garden Club Tour, Box 302 Charles Street Station, Boston, 02114.
Magnificent and Modest. Tour the Otis House Museum (Cambridge Street), a 1796 mansion, and then visit both sides of historic Beacon Hill to view elegant mansions and humble dwellings. Offered every Saturday Spring through October. Price: $6 to $12.
Bulfinch's Best Street. A Mount Vernon Street do-it-yourself Walking Tour. In a short period of time, visitors can explore Beacon Hill at its best on just one street – Mt. Vernon. Charles Bulfinch designed several buildings here, including the MA State House. The pleasure of investigating just one street is the chance to explore the countless architectural details: Iron work, brass knockers, carved lintels and doorstep boot scrapers. Offered: Beacon Hill Online, the neighborhood website.
WalkBoston. A volunteer group dedicated to walking offers many Boston-based tours that include two of Beacon Hill. Visitors can join WalkBoston for a scheduled tour or access the group's website and download do-it-yourself guides for the two Beacon Hill areas:
Beacon Hill: South slope - Bowfronts, Belt Courses & Balustrades: The Architecture of Elegance in Federalist Boston (Sponsored by: WalkBoston and the Bostonian Society).
Beacon Hill: North Slope - Meander alleyways and cul de sacs; Learn architectural history of the 19th-century African-American community, town houses of Yankee gentry from the early 1800s to the Civil War, and tenements that housed European Jews from 1880 to 1920.
Boston African American National Historic Site: Black Heritage Trail. Approximately two dozen sites and buildings on the north face of Beacon Hill demonstrate a thriving black community in the early to mid 1800s. Homes, businesses, schools, and churches are part of this large area of pre-Civil War black-owned structures. The Black Heritage Trail begins at the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial on Beacon Street and continues through the north slope of Beacon Hill. Visitors can choose from:
Self-guided tours at leisure; obtain maps and site brochures at the Abiel Smith School during site hours, or
NPS Ranger-guided tours during Summer Season - Memorial Day to Labor Day - three times daily, or Winter Season - Labor Day to Memorial Day by appointment only; Please telephone 24 hours in advance to schedule any tour: (617) 742-5415
Note: The Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, owned by the City of Boston, is located on the Boston Common and accessible 24 hours, 7 days a week. The African Meeting House and the Abiel Smith School are owned by the Museum of African-American History. The Abiel Smith School is accessible during posted hours. However, all other sites on the Black Heritage Trail are privately owned and not open to the public.