The 237th anniversary of this country’s birth seems like the perfect day to share some of the historical sites we photographed in Boston last month.

One of the remarkable things about the Boston cityscape is the juxtaposition of old and new architecture. The Old State House wasn’t old–or surrounded by glass-walled skyscrapers–in 1776, but it was already the center of Massachusetts colonial politics, and of revolutionary ideas.  In one of the first acts of colonial rebellion, five men were killed by British soldiers outside the State House in 1770 in what became known as the Boston Massacre. After the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia on July 4, it was first proclaimed publicly from the balcony of this building, and a new country was born.

Boston’s North End is the oldest part of the city today, and as the Freedom Trail makes its way from Boston Common, it passes by the Old North Church, where two lanterns hung in the steeple on April 18, 1775 told Paul Revere to ride out and give the word that the British soldiers were advancing on the city by boat. Formally known as Christ Church, it originally opened in 1723 and is still an active Episcopal church. And Paul Revere still rides–when we saw him in June, he was supporting the city’s commitment to “Boston Strong“…and the hometown Bruins as they contended for the Stanley Cup.

Faneuil Hall has combined commerce and politics for much of its 270-year history (although the big business happens in the Marketplace just behind it, site of Quincy Market). The first floor of the building has been occupied by shops and vendor stalls since it opened, while many of the debates that led to colonial independence took place in the second-floor meeting hall. A statue of statesman Samuel Adams, a key figure in those activities, stands in front of Faneuil Hall. (Adams is better known to some today as the patron saint of microbrews.)