Old landmarks and historic personages of Boston . early plans of the was a tall mast standing on cross tim-bers placed upon a stone foundation,and supported by braces. Treenails weredriven through the mast by which it wasascended; and near the top projected acrane of iron sixty-five feet from the base,upon which w^as suspended an iron skele-ton frame, designed to receive a barrel oftar, or other combustibles. This recep-tacle was placed at an altitude of morethan two hundred feet from the sea level, beacon. and could be seen, when fired, for a great distance iidand. Itsobject was to al
Old landmarks and historic personages of Boston . early plans of the was a tall mast standing on cross tim-bers placed upon a stone foundation,and supported by braces. Treenails weredriven through the mast by which it wasascended; and near the top projected acrane of iron sixty-five feet from the base,upon which w^as suspended an iron skele-ton frame, designed to receive a barrel oftar, or other combustibles. This recep-tacle was placed at an altitude of morethan two hundred feet from the sea level, beacon. and could be seen, when fired, for a great distance iidand. Itsobject was to alarm the country in case of in^asion. Thisbeacon was erected about 1634-35, the town having orderedit set up on Gentry Hill in this year, wdth a w^atch of oneperson, to give the signal on the approach of danger. It wasnewly erected in 1768, having fallen from some cause un-known. In November, 1789, the beacon was blown down. Following the primitive signal sjDar, a monument of brick,sixty feet in height and four in diameter, was erected, in 1790,. 350 LANDMARKS OF BOSTON. commemoiating the events of the Eevolution. Charles Bul-tiiich was the designer. It was a plain Doric shaft, raisedon a pedestal of stone and brick, eightfeet high. The outside was encrustedwith cement; and on the top was alarge gilded eagle of wood, supportingthe American Arms. After the fall ofthe old beacon, Governor Hancock of-fered to erect another at his own cost,but the movement for an obelisk beingalready on foot, the proposal Avas with-drawn, and the selectmen proceeded tolay out the hill for the monument. Themonument was taken down and thehill levelled in 1811. It stood verynear the southeavst corner of the Reser-voir, Temple Street passing directlyover its position. The earth whichformed the cone was deposited in the]\Iillpond, making a future foundationfor the Lowell and Eastern Railroadstations. The tablets of slate bear in-scriptions wTitten by the architect,
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidoldlandmarkshist00drak
