March Madness--Hockey Style

If you're more of a puckhead than a hoops fan, it doesn't mean you have to miss out on the Madness of March. This weekend, Boston plays host to some of the best men's and women's college hockey teams in the country. The Women's Frozen Four comes to Agganis Arena with semi-finals Friday (Minnesota-Duluth vs. Wisconsin and Mercyhurst v. Minnesota) and the championship Sunday at noon. Tickets are $24.50 for each session and available through Ticketmaster. 

The men will take to the ice at the TD Banknorth Garden for the Hockey East Championship on Friday and Saturday. The Friday night semi-finals feature Northeastern vs. UMass-Lowell followed by BU-BC at 8. The winners square off Saturday night at 7 PM with a berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line. Tickets range from $17-$39 and are available through Ticketmaster. If you ever wanted to sit in those swanky club level seats at the Garden, this is your chance to do so at a reasonable price--$39. As of this morning, club level seats were still available for Saturday night. 

Henry Knox's Boston

Boston-born Henry Knox is undoubtedly one of the unsung heroes of the American Revolution. Knox played a pivotal role in the evacuation of Boston in 1776. Even though he was only 25 and had limited military experience, Knox was impressive enough to gain the confidence of General George Washington, and that trust was well founded. 

As the long siege of Boston dragged on in 1775, Knox suggested that the cannons at the recently captured Fort Ticonderoga in New York could be valuable assets. Washington put Knox in command of the expedition to retrieve the cannons. It took 56 days for Knox to lead the expedition over the Berkshires and the nearly 300 miles of wintery terrain before arriving in Cambridge on January 24, 1776. On the night of March 4, the patriots managed to sneak the cannons to the top of Dorchester Heights, a strategically important mount with commanding views over the city of Boston and its harbor. That decisive move led to the British abandoning Boston on March 17, 1776. 

There are a number of sites in and around Boston where you can celebrate Evacuation Day in style and pay tribute to Knox:

Henry Knox birthplace site. A plaque dating back to 1911 at the southwest corner of Essex Street and Atlantic Avenue, across from South Station, commemorates the birthplace of Henry Knox, which no longer stands. 

Boston Athenaeum. Henry Knox was a bookseller in Boston before the Revolution. (According to Historic Mansions and Highways Around Boston, Knox's store on the Cornhill was later the site of the Boston Globe on Washington Street, which is commemorated by a plaque at 244 Washington Street.) After his death, Knox's library of 518 volumes was purchased for the Athenaeum in 1809 by William Smith Shaw. They are stored in wooden cabinets with glass fronts on the library's fourth floor, which is open only to members and their guests. Docent-led tours of the Athenaeum are giveon on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. 

Bunker Hill Monument. Knox was a volunteer at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Visitors can scale to the top of the monument and then catch their breath across the street at the new museum. 

Dorchester Heights Historic Site. Another monument, albeit smaller than the one at Bunker Hill, soars from the summit of Dorchester Heights where the 59 cannons that Knox dragged from upstate New York were firmly fixed on the British. The tower is usually closed but there are still historical markers in the surrounding park and great vistas of the city and the harbor. 

Cambridge Common. It was here that George Washington took command of the Continental Army on July 3, 1775, and it was here that Knox's long journey from Ticonderoga ended as he presented Washington with the cannons. The presentation of the cannons is commemorated with a marker on the west side of the Common on Garden Street. 

The Knox Trail. If you want to take a road trip to follow in Knox's footsteps, then the Knox Trail is for you. It shouldn't take you 56 days to make the trek unless you're really getting into the spirit and traveling by oxen and toting some heavy artillery. The Knox Trail was laid out in 1927 and included 56 roadside markers nearby the route thought to be taken by Knox's expedition. There were 30 markers in New York and 26 in Massachusetts. A complete list of the markers can be found at this web site. Inside of I-495, markers can be found in Marlborough, Southborough, Framingham, Wayland, Weston, Waltham, and Watertown. And just this past weekend, a 27th marker has been added in Boston at the Roxbury Heritage State Park.  

Happy St. Patrick's, er, I mean Evacuation Day!

March 17 is, of course, an unofficial holiday for millions of Americans. Except in Boston, that is, where March 17 an official holiday. For out-of-towners, I kid you not. 

So wait, the city takes off to celebrate St. Patrick? Well, not exactly. It just so happens that March 17 marks Evacuation Day--the date in 1776 when the British troops gave up Boston and set sail for Nova Scotia after George Washington's men seized the high ground of Dorchester Heights (in present-day South Boston). 

Well, then, it must just be a coincidence that a civic holiday falls on St. Patrick's Day, right? Surely the city must have had a long tradition of taking off on March 17 to commemorate the evacuation? Well, not exactly. March 17 did not become an official holiday until 1901--a full 125 years after the Redcoats set sail. By that time, of course, the massive wave of Irish immigration in the wake of the Great Famine had made Boston one of the most Irish cities in the world. 

Hmmm. Well, I'm sure it was just a coincidence. 

No doubt, though, that many who emigrated from the Old Sod had no problem with this trinity that would make St. Patrick's Irish eyes smile: a day off, a chance to have a few pints of Guinness, and the celebration of giving the British the boot. (St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. The colonists drove the British troops out of Boston. It's all the same theme anyway.) 

At least for the first official Evacuation Day holiday, the city put on its game face. The streets of South Boston were bedecked in red, white, and blue bunting; Old Glory; and portraits of George Washington for that initial commemoration. The Boston Globe reported in its March 18, 1901 issue: "St. Patrick's Day and Evacuation Day never seem to get in each others way." Well, the same can be said of the two holidays today--in the same sense that the Patriots and the Detroit Lions never get in each other's way when battling for NFL supremacy. These days, green, orange, and white are the tricolors most likely to be seen on Southie's streets on March 17, and the revelers filling the neighborhood pubs probably won't be raising a pint in honor of Henry Knox. 

It's somehow fitting in this intertwining of holidays that Dorchester Heights, with its commanding view of Boston and the harbor, is now in the heart of Boston's Irish enclave. The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade passes right by the mount, which is now topped by a 115-f00t monument that was completed in 1902. For those who want to start their, er, Evacuation Day frolicking early (and earn that day off with a clean conscious), head up to the Dorchester Heights National Historic Site for the commemorative exercises at the 233rd Evacuation Day Celebration at 10 AM. 

Happy Johnny Appleseed Day!

Put an apple pie in the oven: March 11 is Johnny Appleseed Day. Well, actually Johnny seems to be such an American legend that he gets two days on the calendar: March 11 and September 26. The September 26 date is the anniversary of his birth in 1774 and coincides with the apple harvest in New England. The March 11 date is thought to be the anniversary of his death (although other reports have it as February 18) and coincides with the growing season. Either way, whichever date you choose to celebrate ol' Johnny incorporates both birth and death themes, satisfying those who can't decide whether the glass of apple juice is half full or half empty. 

Now, somehow growing up around Boston, I wasn't aware that Johnny Appleseed (aka, John Chapman) came from Yankee stock. Johnny (I'll eschew the New York Times style; "Mr. Appleseed" looks too weird) was born in Leominster, Massachusetts,  about 50 miles northwest of Boston. My ignorance at Johnny's local roots is certainly not Leominster's fault. Spend five minutes in the city and you'll see bushels of references to its native son.

Leominster chooses to celebrate Johnny Appleseed with a festival in September (would that make them adherents to the Apple Orthodox calendar?), but if you just can't control your excitement--or your canonical calendar celebrates his death on March 11--Appleseed pilgrims can find some sights in Leominster to visit.  

Just before reaching Leominster, drivers heading west on Route 2 will encounter the Johnny Appleseed Visitors Center, which just reopened a couple weeks ago. In front, you can take your picture with a young Johnny, clad in a tricorn hat, carrying a basket of apples. Inside, the rest area sells food products from local businesses, and you can find apple cider and apple crisp to fortify yourself for your trip.

Just after the rest area, the billboard welcoming drivers on Route 2 to Leominster proclaims the city as the birthplace of Johnny Appleseed. (It also proclaims Leominster as the "Pioneer Plastics City." In addition to Johnny, the city was the birthplace of plastic pink flamingos, but that's a discussion for another day). Just off the highway, on Johnny Appleseed Way (naturally), you can find the spot near where Johnny was born of September 26, 1774. The site is commemorated by a granite marker and a miniature red cabin depicting what his birthplace looked like, although presumably it was a little larger. The marker actually lists Johnny's date of death as March 18, so the debate continues, I guess. 

While you may envision a young Johnny hiking across the country with an iron pot on his head, visit City Hall and you'll encounter a wooden statue of a grizzled Johnny with a walking stick in his left hand and a satchel of seed clutched in his right. The statue, with the inscription "Sowing West" is impressive, nine feet tall and weighing 800 pounds. It was carved using three chain saws from an ash tree that was severely damaged during an ice storm. How 'bout them apples?

2009 Boston Massacre Reenactment

March 5 marks the 239th anniversary of the Boston Massacre, one of the important historical events in the years leading up to the American Revolution. The Bostonian Society commemorates the massacre with a series of events this weekend. 

Friday, March 6

Historic Voices: Echoing Boston Patriots

6:30-8:30 PM

In the years that followed the Boston Massacre, citizens crowded the halls of Old South Meeting House on the anniversary of the event to hear Boston's greatest orators speak about freedom and democracy. Boston Latin School students will dramatize the eloquent words of orators such as John Hancock and Joseph Warren. Free; at the Old South Meeting House. 

Saturday, March 7

Little Redcoats: Kids Reenact the Massacre 

11-11:30 AM and 2-2:30 PM

Youngsters can star in a reenactment of the Boston Massacre led by National Park Service rangers. Free; on the mall outside of the Old State House.

Trial of the Century

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM and 2:30 PM-3:30 PM

Watch John Adams defend the British soldiers accused of murdering Bostonians. Audience members act as jurors to decide whether the soldiers acted in self-defense. Free with admission to Old State House museum.

Boston Massacre Reenactment

7-7:45 PM 

Local reenactors portray the Boston Massacre outside the Old State House. Free.

If you're looking for a way to commemorate the massacre on March 5 itself, visit the Boston Massacre Memorial on Boston Common. For more information on the monument's dedication (and the controversy about honoring the massacre victims), click here. 

Vote for the Boston Harbor Islands

The U.S. Mint has decided to continue its program of dedicating the reverse of a quarter ("tails") to an image related to one of the fifty states. Last time around, the Massachusetts quarter featured a depiction of the Minuteman statue in Concord superimposed over the state. This time, the quarter will feature national historical places, national parks, or other sites of national interest. You can help choose which site is featured on the quarter by voting at this web site. There are many worthy choices. I'm biased, obviously based on my book, but I'm casting a vote for the Boston Harbor Islands (under Suffolk County), home of the nation's first lighthouse, Boston Light, which has greeted visitors to Boston and immigrants to America for nearly 300 years. I think the beacon would be a great image for the quarter. You can vote as often as you like, so here's your chance to legally vote early and vote often. 

Lincoln's Birthday at Forbes House Museum

This February 12 marks the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, and there are a number of celebrations planned in the Boston area. The Forbes House Museum has a Lincoln Day celebration this Sunday that includes Civil War reenactors from the Massachusetts 22nd and 54th Regiments, a living history team portraying President and Mrs. Lincoln, and period music from a naval band. Guests will also get to peak inside a replica of Lincoln's log cabin birthplace that was built at the behest of Mary Bowditch Forbes, who used to live in the mansion that now houses the museum. Guests can also see her extensive collection of Lincoln artifacts. You can read more about the Lincoln collection and the museum in an article I wrote for last Sunday's travel section of The Boston Globe.

Another commemoration will be held at the Second Church in Dorchester, at the corner of Washington Street and Talbot Avenue. In conjunction with Gordon College, the church will host a Lincoln birthday party on February 112 from 7 to 9 PM. In addition to cake, the church will have a special display of archive material telling the story of the church's role in Lincoln's Dorchester presidential campaigns and its contributions to the Civil War. The exhibit is also open February 6 (6-8 PM), February 7 (10 AM-2PM), and February 10 (2-5 PM).