December 7, 2024 • 8 mins
Boston is beautiful this time of year, celebrating the holidays with decorations and lights adorning our generations-old historic homes and businesses. Visitors and residents alike have a chance over the coming weeks to see the city’s historic sights through the lens of the past, and learn how holiday traditions here have evolved through the centuries. Jeremiah Poope, a tour guide with the Freedom Trail Foundation in Boston, chats with Nichole about their Historic Holiday Strolls that are running until the end of the year, and shares some fun facts you may not have known about our city’s past!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each and every week we come together right here. We
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. It is great to be back
with you again this week. I'm Nicole Davis. I love
the city of Boston all year round, but I really
really love it during the holidays. We've all the lights up,
We've got all decorations out. The tree from Nova Scotia's here.
(00:30):
It's really perfect weather to go walk around with a
big old scarf and a puffy coat and just take
it all in. Now, imagine experiencing the magic of Christmas
and the holidays in Boston through the lens of the past.
The heartwarming sentiments were the same, but it was more
candles and not so many LEDs twinkling to Mariah Carey. Anyway,
the Freedom Trail Foundation is hosting special holiday strolls this
(00:52):
month where visitors and residents can come to town channel
a touch of nostalgia while getting a solid history lesson,
and we have a tour guide. You're on the show
to talk about it. Jeremiah Poop is here from the
Freedom Trail Foundation. Jeremiah, thanks for being here. Tell us
more about the work you're doing on the trail and
these events that you're holding.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Well. The Freedom Trail Foundation has been around about almost
seventy five years now, and it started when a boss
and Globe journalist named William Schofield. You know, it occurred
to him that there should be a trail on the
ground connecting all of Boston's historic sites. And so ever
since then, that Freedom Trail has existed, and the Freedom
Trail Foundation as well, and their mission is to promote
(01:32):
the history of all the sites along the trail and
the history of Boston how it became, you know, its
role in the War for Independence against England.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
No, we definitely played a huge role in that, and
I love the fact that we still to this day.
I mean, everybody I talked to says, I come to
Boston for the history, and we really embrace that around here.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
I think we really do, and I'm glad to see
it embrace. I'm glad that we're embracing a wider story too.
You know, for so many years, you know, women and
of color and other people who are kind of marginalized,
we're written out the story and we're making a big
effort now to try to include some of the stories
that have been forgotten for far too long.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Yeah, I agree. So we're talking about holiday strolls because
you can walk the Freedom Trail pretty much anytime you want,
which is great. I mean, it's open to all, and
you've got the tours and all. But this is the
time of year where we really start to get into
the Christmas and Hanikah vibe. So tell us how you
over at the Freedom Trail Foundation are changing up your
normal tours to embrace the holidays.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Oh sure, Well, you know, the normal tour we would
be dressed in eighteenth century colonial costumes and talking about
all the revolutionary stuff. On this we kind of go
all you know, Scroogey and Christmas Carol. Really we get
up in the sort of Dickensie and Victorian garb, and
we focus on sort of Boston's holiday traditions, you know,
Christmas and Honkah and so many others, and we point
(02:53):
out a bunch of interesting stuff. I mean, I think
one thing a lot of people don't realize is Christmas
was against the law and achieves during much of the
seventeenth century. I didn't Puritans? Oh yeah, the Puritans were
not fans of Christmas. They considered to be a veristive
Catholic and Pagan holiday, and they didn't have much use
for Catholics or Pagans. And also Christmas to them was
(03:17):
not you know, the warm, fuzzy family all day. We
know today, that's kind of our Victorian Christmas. To them,
Christmas is often a time of you know, drunken rowdies
going around and demanding that people you know, serve them
food at their home and stuff. I mean, in fact,
the song we Wish You a Merry Christmas is all about,
you know, mobs showing up at a rich person's as
in demanding to be fed.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Basically, I never really thought about that, but now that
I'm thinking about the lyrics, oh my.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Gosh, you're right kind of terrifying when you think about
it a little bit.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
A little bit, my goodness.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Well, you know, weve till we get some.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Yeah exactly, and bring it right here. But you know,
we do have the beautiful Christmas lights as well, so
I'm sure that's going to be something you'll point out
as well along the tour.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Oh yes, that'll definitely be featured. In fact, we look
at a couple of different Christmas trees every year. Every
year Halifax sends us a beautiful Christmas tree from Nova Scotia.
Is kind of a gesture of thanks to us, because
back in nineteen seventeen there was a horrible explosion that
devastated Halifax in Boston. Were really the first people to
(04:17):
send medical aid and supplies up there and help them rebuild,
and so out of gratitude they always send us the
special tree. And I guess it's considered quite an honor
to have your tree selected if you live up there
and sent to Boston where it arrives with great fanfare.
And at the end of the tour we had a
Quinsey Market. They've got a spectacular Christmas tree there that's
just dazzling with lights, and usually people in the tour
(04:40):
like to get their picture taken with the tree at
the end.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
What are some of the other key sites that you
try to focus on for the holiday.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Tours, Oh, quite a few. I mean we look at
Tremont Temple, which is actually where Charles Dickens gave the
first public reading of a Christmas Carol in America, and
those days, people used to pay money to see their
favorite authors do dramatic readings of their favorite stories, and
he came here in eighteen sixty seven and gave it
reading at the Tremont Temple, which is a special building anyway.
(05:07):
It was the first racially integrated church in America. And
right next door is the Parker House where Dickens stayed
during that. We'll see the old Corner Bookstore which used
to house used to house the publishing house of Tickner
and Fields, where I believe the first people to publish
Dickens in America. And we'll see you know, some of
(05:28):
the former sites of Jordan Marsh and Philins, which also
played such big roles in Boston's Christmas traditions and holiday traditions,
what with their enchanted village and their famous blueberry muffins.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
The muffins. I missed the muffins so much.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Me too.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Oh, they were so good.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I think you can still get them somewhere. I'm not
sure if it's Jordan's furniture somewhere where they have the
enchanted village and the muffins.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, I think so, But it's quite the same for
those of us of a certain page, so I get it.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Yeah, Well, that sounds like an incredible time and this
is not something though that you can do you all
week long, just a couple of days per week.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Correct, that's right on Fridays and Saturdays at three thirty.
And those will be running through December twenty eighth, So
it's just for a limited time, okay.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
And you've got the regular tours still going on though
on top of these. Correct.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Oh yeah, those go rain or shine every day, you know,
matter of the weather. We're like the postal service that
those run throughout the day, each and every day from
the Boston Common Visitor Center.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
And then these are free or do you have to
pay to get this tour? What's the deal with that?
Speaker 2 (06:29):
These are paid? And you know they can be purchased.
Tickets are twenty dollars for adults and ten for kids.
Or reservations can be made online at Thefreedomtrail dot org
or you can purchase your tickets in person at the
Boston Common Visitor Center as well.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
And if people want to find out more information about
not just the holiday tour, but also your other tours
and all the other and everything else the Freedom Trail
Foundation has to offer, where can they do that?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Well, very easily. The Freedom Trail dot Org is sort
of a great place for info on our regular historic
tours and our special holidays strolls as well.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Okay, last question for you, what is your favorite place
to spend time at in Boston during Christmas?
Speaker 2 (07:10):
I think probably Quinsey Market. I just think it has
such a festival vibe too, and it's very sort of
cheerful and festive, and I just love it. I remember
a few years ago they had this spectacular light show
where the trees, the lights on the trees were synchronized
to music and it was just absolutely magical. And I
also really love going to Symphony Hall and seeing the
(07:31):
holiday pops as well. It's always wonderful too.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
It never gets old when Santa comes out and everybody
just starts to cheer, and it's such a beautiful place. Well,
jeremijoy Is, I really appreciate your time here. Happy holidays
and enjoy your tours. It's going to be a great time.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Thank you very much. I have a great day, have a.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Safe and healthy weekend, Stay warm, and join me again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each and every week we come together right here. We
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. It is great to be back
with you again this week. I'm Nicole Davis. I love
the city of Boston all year round, but I really
really love it during the holidays. We've all the lights up,
We've got all decorations out. The tree from Nova Scotia's here.
(00:30):
It's really perfect weather to go walk around with a
big old scarf and a puffy coat and just take
it all in. Now, imagine experiencing the magic of Christmas
and the holidays in Boston through the lens of the past.
The heartwarming sentiments were the same, but it was more
candles and not so many LEDs twinkling to Mariah Carey. Anyway,
the Freedom Trail Foundation is hosting special holiday strolls this
(00:52):
month where visitors and residents can come to town channel
a touch of nostalgia while getting a solid history lesson,
and we have a tour guide. You're on the show
to talk about it. Jeremiah Poop is here from the
Freedom Trail Foundation. Jeremiah, thanks for being here. Tell us
more about the work you're doing on the trail and
these events that you're holding.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Well. The Freedom Trail Foundation has been around about almost
seventy five years now, and it started when a boss
and Globe journalist named William Schofield. You know, it occurred
to him that there should be a trail on the
ground connecting all of Boston's historic sites. And so ever
since then, that Freedom Trail has existed, and the Freedom
Trail Foundation as well, and their mission is to promote
(01:32):
the history of all the sites along the trail and
the history of Boston how it became, you know, its
role in the War for Independence against England.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
No, we definitely played a huge role in that, and
I love the fact that we still to this day.
I mean, everybody I talked to says, I come to
Boston for the history, and we really embrace that around here.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
I think we really do, and I'm glad to see
it embrace. I'm glad that we're embracing a wider story too.
You know, for so many years, you know, women and
of color and other people who are kind of marginalized,
we're written out the story and we're making a big
effort now to try to include some of the stories
that have been forgotten for far too long.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Yeah, I agree. So we're talking about holiday strolls because
you can walk the Freedom Trail pretty much anytime you want,
which is great. I mean, it's open to all, and
you've got the tours and all. But this is the
time of year where we really start to get into
the Christmas and Hanikah vibe. So tell us how you
over at the Freedom Trail Foundation are changing up your
normal tours to embrace the holidays.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Oh sure, Well, you know, the normal tour we would
be dressed in eighteenth century colonial costumes and talking about
all the revolutionary stuff. On this we kind of go
all you know, Scroogey and Christmas Carol. Really we get
up in the sort of Dickensie and Victorian garb, and
we focus on sort of Boston's holiday traditions, you know,
Christmas and Honkah and so many others, and we point
(02:53):
out a bunch of interesting stuff. I mean, I think
one thing a lot of people don't realize is Christmas
was against the law and achieves during much of the
seventeenth century. I didn't Puritans? Oh yeah, the Puritans were
not fans of Christmas. They considered to be a veristive
Catholic and Pagan holiday, and they didn't have much use
for Catholics or Pagans. And also Christmas to them was
(03:17):
not you know, the warm, fuzzy family all day. We
know today, that's kind of our Victorian Christmas. To them,
Christmas is often a time of you know, drunken rowdies
going around and demanding that people you know, serve them
food at their home and stuff. I mean, in fact,
the song we Wish You a Merry Christmas is all about,
you know, mobs showing up at a rich person's as
in demanding to be fed.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Basically, I never really thought about that, but now that
I'm thinking about the lyrics, oh my.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Gosh, you're right kind of terrifying when you think about
it a little bit.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
A little bit, my goodness.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Well, you know, weve till we get some.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Yeah exactly, and bring it right here. But you know,
we do have the beautiful Christmas lights as well, so
I'm sure that's going to be something you'll point out
as well along the tour.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Oh yes, that'll definitely be featured. In fact, we look
at a couple of different Christmas trees every year. Every
year Halifax sends us a beautiful Christmas tree from Nova Scotia.
Is kind of a gesture of thanks to us, because
back in nineteen seventeen there was a horrible explosion that
devastated Halifax in Boston. Were really the first people to
(04:17):
send medical aid and supplies up there and help them rebuild,
and so out of gratitude they always send us the
special tree. And I guess it's considered quite an honor
to have your tree selected if you live up there
and sent to Boston where it arrives with great fanfare.
And at the end of the tour we had a
Quinsey Market. They've got a spectacular Christmas tree there that's
just dazzling with lights, and usually people in the tour
(04:40):
like to get their picture taken with the tree at
the end.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
What are some of the other key sites that you
try to focus on for the holiday.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Tours, Oh, quite a few. I mean we look at
Tremont Temple, which is actually where Charles Dickens gave the
first public reading of a Christmas Carol in America, and
those days, people used to pay money to see their
favorite authors do dramatic readings of their favorite stories, and
he came here in eighteen sixty seven and gave it
reading at the Tremont Temple, which is a special building anyway.
(05:07):
It was the first racially integrated church in America. And
right next door is the Parker House where Dickens stayed
during that. We'll see the old Corner Bookstore which used
to house used to house the publishing house of Tickner
and Fields, where I believe the first people to publish
Dickens in America. And we'll see you know, some of
(05:28):
the former sites of Jordan Marsh and Philins, which also
played such big roles in Boston's Christmas traditions and holiday traditions,
what with their enchanted village and their famous blueberry muffins.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
The muffins. I missed the muffins so much.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Me too.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Oh, they were so good.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I think you can still get them somewhere. I'm not
sure if it's Jordan's furniture somewhere where they have the
enchanted village and the muffins.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, I think so, But it's quite the same for
those of us of a certain page, so I get it.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Yeah, Well, that sounds like an incredible time and this
is not something though that you can do you all
week long, just a couple of days per week.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Correct, that's right on Fridays and Saturdays at three thirty.
And those will be running through December twenty eighth, So
it's just for a limited time, okay.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
And you've got the regular tours still going on though
on top of these. Correct.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Oh yeah, those go rain or shine every day, you know,
matter of the weather. We're like the postal service that
those run throughout the day, each and every day from
the Boston Common Visitor Center.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
And then these are free or do you have to
pay to get this tour? What's the deal with that?
Speaker 2 (06:29):
These are paid? And you know they can be purchased.
Tickets are twenty dollars for adults and ten for kids.
Or reservations can be made online at Thefreedomtrail dot org
or you can purchase your tickets in person at the
Boston Common Visitor Center as well.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
And if people want to find out more information about
not just the holiday tour, but also your other tours
and all the other and everything else the Freedom Trail
Foundation has to offer, where can they do that?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Well, very easily. The Freedom Trail dot Org is sort
of a great place for info on our regular historic
tours and our special holidays strolls as well.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Okay, last question for you, what is your favorite place
to spend time at in Boston during Christmas?
Speaker 2 (07:10):
I think probably Quinsey Market. I just think it has
such a festival vibe too, and it's very sort of
cheerful and festive, and I just love it. I remember
a few years ago they had this spectacular light show
where the trees, the lights on the trees were synchronized
to music and it was just absolutely magical. And I
also really love going to Symphony Hall and seeing the
(07:31):
holiday pops as well. It's always wonderful too.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
It never gets old when Santa comes out and everybody
just starts to cheer, and it's such a beautiful place. Well,
jeremijoy Is, I really appreciate your time here. Happy holidays
and enjoy your tours. It's going to be a great time.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Thank you very much. I have a great day, have a.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Safe and healthy weekend, Stay warm, and join me again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!