Needham Community Education

This walking and sightseeing tour is centered around the local sites and stories of the American Revolution, and so much more! Street by street and block by block and neighborhood by neighborhood, there are tales to explore spanning from the contributions of the indigenous Massachusett Tribe who have called this area home for millennia, through nearly four centuries since the arrival of British Puritans who hoisted their flag on what they viewed as “a city upon a hill” with the eyes of all people upon them, and the resultant growth, conflict, revolution, industrialization, immigration, civil rights progress and civic improvement. We’ll begin at the stunning Old State House (the former seat of British power in colonial Boston), and end in the shadow of Breed’s Hill in Charlestown (site of the Battle of Bunker Hill), to explore how Boston went from the capital of a loyal and fruitful British colony to the cantankerous powder keg that exploded into a revolution that reverberated all over the world, and also how we’ve wrestled with our own dark demons to continually strive for social progress, religious freedom, medical advancements, educational excellence and more than a few championship sports parades. Johnny Kinsman is a Boston Duck Tours guide, American Revolution buff, actor and storyteller who loves this town and tells its history the way it is and the way it was; beans and all. After the conclusion of the tour, a table in the cozy and historic Warren Tavern is a great place to discuss how lucky we are to be in the greatest city in the country! The distance traveled on foot will be under two miles, over the course of two hours. The tour is rain or shine, so please wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. Limited to 10.