Bunker Hill

Bunker Hill Museum

On June 17, 1775, the first pitched battle of the American Revolutionary War raged in and around this area. The rebellious colonists, having chased the British troops from Concord back into Boston, moved to secure a key piece of high ground overlooking the city. The colonists fortified Breed’s Hill, instead of building the redoubt on Bunker Hill as planned, but the battle retained its association with the unfortified terrain. It took the British three bloody assaults to force the colonists to retreat, at the cost of more than a thousand casualties. The Battle of Bunker Hill proved that the rebellious colonists would not be easily subdued.

This museum, which was the Charlestown Public Library until 2008, now contains exhibits about the battle and dioramas depicting the events.

Bunker Hill Lodge

This building was originally constructed in the 1890s by the Bunker Hill Monument Association. Here visitors would pay the entrance fee of twelve and a half cents to go to the Monument and see the view from the top. It still serves that purpose today, though since the National Park Service took over management of the site no fee has been necessary to visit the Monument.

The Lodge contains a statue of Joseph Warren, who was killed during the battle, as well as a plaque honoring Colonel Richard Gridley, who had helped plan the colonial fortifications and is known today as the First Chief Engineer of the US Army Corps of Engineers.

William Prescott Statue

There are four entrances to the grounds of the Bunker Hill Monument. Three are named for the colonies that contributed troops to the rebel force that occupied Breed’s Hill on June 17, 1775, and the fourth is named for the United States. Entering through the Massachusetts Gate, you will see in front of the Monument the statue of a man in a long coat, brandishing a sword. This is Colonel William Prescott, the commander of the colonial forces on Breed’s Hill during the battle.

Prescott played a key role during the battle. According to accounts from the day, he walked along the top of the fortifications while they were being shelled by the British, to keep his men from panicking under the bombardment. He dispatched Captain Thomas Knowlton to defend the left flank of the American redoubt, putting troops in position to block the planned British envelopment of the hill.

Prescott survived the battle, and the war. He died in 1796 at the age of 70. The statue was commissioned in 1880 by the Bunker Hill Monument Association. Since no portraits of Prescott existed, the sculptor used a photograph of Prescott’s grandson as a reference. It was completed and unveiled in 1881.

Bunker Hill Monument

This granite obelisk marks the location of the American redoubt on Breed’s Hill, the centerpiece of the Battle of Bunker Hill, named for the hill that was supposed to be fortified. From this position, American colonists threw back two British assaults. They inflicted heavy casualties, but the depletion of their ammunition forced the Americans to retreat when the third British assault reached the redoubt.

The cornerstone of the monument was laid on June 17, 1825, the fiftieth anniversary of the battle, in a ceremony featuring the visiting Marquis de Lafayette. Construction of the monument, which had to be halted several times because of funding issues, took fifteen years. The monument was officially opened in 1843. Until the completion of the Washington Monument in 1880, this was the tallest structure in the United States.