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Take a Virtual Tour of Bunker Hill With Ranger Josh»
Can’t get to Boston to climb the Bunker Hill Monument? Follow Boston National Historical Park’s Ranger Josh as he guides us up the 294 steps to the top in this fun and informative six-minute video (click here.)
The Bunker Hill Monument is a 221 foot tall granite obelisk built to commemorate the bloody “Battle of Bunker Hill” that took place in 1775, the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War. The monument actually sits on top of Breed’s Hill, which is where most of the fighting really took place…history just got the name wrong somewhere along the line. This is where the American commanders urged the troops, ‘Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.”
Although the British claimed victory here, it came at a great cost to them. Of the 2400 British soldiers fighting in the Battle of Bunker Hill, 1000 were killed or wounded. Eventually the British commander was replaced by another who retreated from the area once GW came to town, rather than risk another bloodbath.
The obelisk was built in the early 1800s over a period of 17 years. The adjoining Bunker Hill Lodge was built in 1901. If you wish to climb the steps to the top of the obelisk, you must enter through the lodge.
Boston Posts:
- Charlestown Yard
- Bunker Hill
- Freedom Trail
- Boston Light
- Bunker Hill Virtual Tour
Location: Monument Sq, Charlestown, MA 02129
Designation: National Historical Park
Date designated or established: 1/20/1961
Date of my visit: 7/15/2015
