A Few Hours in Boston and Environs

This may seem like a picture of nothing, but I was actually INSPIRED to take it as I was on the train to Needham, Mass. for my talk on Boston Vaudeville. Part of the idea of what I'm calling the Travalanche Roadshow is to get a taste of the vaudevillian's experience, a life of constant travel, mostly by rail. I've sure had a lot of that lately. The folks at North Hill in Needham were terrific, btw. I will likely turn the contents of my lecture into a blogpost on my primary blog Travalanche. When I do, I'll link back here. Here's me about to go on: 

After this I had a couple of hours to kill in Boston before I caught the bus up to Portland, Maine. I crammed as much sightseeing as I could into a couple of hours. I grew up just a couple of hours south of Boston so I've been there many times, but I've not yet seen the town to my satisfaction. There are many places on my bucket list I haven't gotten to so I must go back e'er long and do the rest. 

Boston's Orpheum Theatre (formerly known as the Boston Music Hall) was built in 1852. It is the oldest operating theatre in Boston, and one of the oldest in the United States. 

Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Robert Treat Paine are all interred at the Granary Burying Ground. I am distantly related to them all through my mother. 

My mother's family came over with the Winthrop Fleet to Found Boston in 1630.  Thomas Clinton, 3rd Earl of Lincoln, one of the backers of the venture, was my 10th great grandfather. 

John Brewster, my 1st cousin, 12x removed

This modern stone (and the two above ground crypts shown in the photos below) mark the final resting place of Mayflower passengers John Winslow and Mary Chilton Winslow, my 9th great grandparents. Moving from Plymouth to Boston made sense for them. Plymouth struggled; Boston prospered. 

Here is the site of the Boston Massacre: 

The Old State House, built 1713. 

Samuel Adams, organizer of revolution. There seems something eloquent about the structure behind him (Fanueil Hall) being under construction: 

Thomas Clinton, 3rd Earl of Lincoln, one of the backers of the Winthrop Fleet that founded Boston, was my 10th great grandfather. 

Haha, wherever you go, there is apparently no escaping Columbus. 

Now on to Portland, Maine!