OK, I finally seem to have found something official dating when the USS Constitution became an "Official" stop on the Freedom Trail. It happened in 1972. https://archive.org/stream/cityrecord1972bost/cityrecord1972bost_djvu.txt Link above contains official City of Boston records. In a section named and dated: OFFICIAL CHRONICLE, MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS . HON. KEVIN H. WHITE, MAYOR OF BOSTON GABRIEL F. PIEMONTE PRESIDENT CITY COUNCIL VOL. 64 MONDAY, JUNE 12, 1972 There is this item: "OLD IRONSIDES" ADDED TO FREEDOM TRAIL '"Old Ironsides' is now official site number 16 on the Freedom Trail," for ..read more

An excellent find! However, he does confirm the info that was in that 60's brochure. That the Freedom Trail begins at Boston Commons (which had been added as of that 60's brochure) and ends at Old North Church. Exact transcription beginning at 2:33 ..."But it starts on Boston Common and winds its way through the city - over a mile and a half and winds up - the Trail itself actually winds up at Old North Church. But then continues as a "Path" on to Charlestown - to the Boston Naval Yard, Old Ironsides. And in that second interview, when describing stops on the Trail - again it's mentioned th ..read more

Found this recording in the Boston record archives, recorded in 1966 with the President of the Freedom Trail Foundation and two others. In the interview he confirms that the start of the trail is in Boston Commons and goes across Old Ironsides. During the second interview around 17:32 mins in he says the Freedom trial ended in the North End but now that the USS Constitution and Bunker Hill Monument but now they have been unified into the trail tourism has picked up. https://cityofboston.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_2279aece-61fc-4bdd-81b3-e66801ce8d81/ Statistics: Posted by jayhee ..read more

Haven't heard from Billy for a while. Did he get arrested for grave digging? Statistics: Posted by Choice — Fri May 07, 2021 4:00 pm ..read more

Anytime. The idea in your original post intrigued me. If anyone wants, here are more pics from that first version of the brochure. 1950-59 version. Group 1 - front and back covers plus opening boilerplate, including credits and declaration from Mayor Hynes. https://i.vgy.me/a6eGBt.jpg Group2 - trail map page and legend plus one page of write ups on specific stops and points of interest. https://i.vgy.me/tV7a12.jpg Statistics: Posted by Kang — Thu May 06, 2021 4:54 pm ..read more

Thanks for the information and your time to give it a second look. It does seem like the steps changed based on the publication. Statistics: Posted by jayheedan1 — Thu May 06, 2021 2:42 am ..read more

jayheedan1 wrote: Kang wrote:It seems The freedom Trail was a indeed different years ago than it is today. I found a few sources from around the right time period. Had only 15 stops/steps. Did not include Boston Commons and northernmost stop was Copps Hill. Did not continue on to USS Constitution and Bunker Hill monument. (Those were an off-shoot called the Freedom Path). Were those postcards you tracked down officially published by the City of Boston or the Freedom Trail Historical Society? When looking at the original proposal for the Freedom Trail in 1951, it listed the State House in t ..read more

Yeah, right under the plate! Statistics: Posted by erexere — Wed May 05, 2021 3:44 am ..read more

erexere wrote: Maybe the reason for the line "take five steps in the area of his direction," is only to solidify a perspective on a place with five stepping "stones": 1st, 2nd, 3rd base, home plate, and the pitcher's plate. I feel that it could have been buried under the Home Base Plate that was originally there in the 80's. Statistics: Posted by jayheedan1 — Wed May 05, 2021 3:37 am ..read more

Kang wrote: jayheedan1 wrote:...I was thinking about IN TRUTH BE FREE line...In Truth be Free - Freedom Trail Take five steps (somewhere along the trail). There are 16 places along the freedom, but which ones? Step 1. If Thucydides is North of Xenophon = 1. Horace Mann statue at the Mass. State House. Some argue this simply is to reference Boston, I disagree as there is actually a Horace Mann icon in Boston. Granted it isn't the same Horace Mann as in the letter from Walpole but it is a location on the freedom trail, and still possible. ...Once we take the steps and we are "in the area ..read more