Boston’s Capitol undergoes a “facelift” (photos: Michelle Richmond)

 It’s a crisp, sunlit morning in Boston, one of those picture perfect days you hope for when exploring a new city – especially one with so much history. Boston is one of my favorite cities and although I’ve been many times, it never ceases to draw me into its spell. There’s a certain energy here that’s almost palpable, and while it was obviously so different 300 years ago, you can almost sense the patriots who once called it home. 

This is the “Cradle of Liberty,” the birthplace of American Independence and I’m anxious to explore the Freedom Trail, where so many important events took place.

Started in the 1950s by concerned Bostonians who wanted to preserve the story of the American Revolution, the 2.5 mile trail is marked by a bricked or painted red line winding past 16 historically significant sites. Beginning at Boston Common and ending in Charlestown at the USS Constitution, it is an integral part of Boston, attracting more than 3.2 million visitors annually.

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The stately mansion draws visitors from around the globe (photos: Michelle Richmond)

“To us, our house….had a heart, and a soul, and eyes to see us with: and approvals and solicitudes and deep sympathies; it was of us, and we were in its confidence and lived in its grace and in the peace of its benediction.”
– Mark Twain –

I’m standing with my two daughters and a small group of other fans, in the dimly lit hall. We’re enveloped by antique memorabilia, clearly from a kinder, gentler time, but we’ve been told to “expect the unexpected” on this ghostly tour of the Mark Twain House, the author’s family residence in Hartford, CT.

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