Paul Revere Park and Charles River Dam Locks
Why is it significant?
Begin your exploration of Boston's revolutionary bastions and naval heritage at Paul Revere Park, a scenic five-acre waterfront park positioned at the mouth of the Charles River where it merges into Boston Harbor.
Key Facts
| Place | Paul Revere Park and Charles River Dam Locks |
|---|---|
| Address | Water St & North Washington St, Boston, MA 02129, United States |
| Geo Coordinates | 42.36880, -71.06450 |
| Part of Walk | Charlestown Navy Yard, USS Constitution and Bunker Hill: Boston's Revolutionary Bastions |
| Generated | Generated |
Begin your exploration of Boston's revolutionary bastions and naval heritage at Paul Revere Park, a scenic five-acre waterfront park positioned at the mouth of the Charles River where it merges into Boston Harbor. Dedicated in 2007 as a vital public mitigation project of the Big Dig, this expansive green parkland features rolling grassy hills, an amphitheater, and a wide Harborwalk promenade connecting the North End to Charlestown.
This shoreline marks the historic landing point where Paul Revere was secretly rowed across the dark waters of the Charles River from the North End on the fateful night of April 18, 1775. After slipping past the British warship Somerset, Revere stepped onto the Charlestown shore right near this point, mounted a borrowed horse from John Larkin, and began his legendary midnight ride across Middlesex County.
Directly adjacent to the park rise the massive steel gates of the Charles River Dam and navigation locks, constructed in 1978 to regulate tidal flow, prevent catastrophic coastal storm surges from flooding Back Bay, and maintain a constant freshwater basin for collegiate rowing regattas. Overhead looms the dramatic cable-stayed silhouette of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, its soaring inverted-Y steel towers designed by Swiss engineer Christian Menn to echo the Bunker Hill Monument. As you walk along the river edge, the ocean breeze carries the scent of salt spray and tidal mud, while harbor seals and cormorants dive for fish in the swirling currents.
Gazing across the river toward the brick rooftops of the North End, you feel the historic tension of that April night in 1775. Here, where the Charles River meets the Atlantic, the courage of solitary couriers sparked the birth of American independence. The cool harbor breeze and the expansive views across the river basin make this waterfront park an inspiring departure point for discovering Boston's revolutionary heritage.
Walk north along Water Street into the historic colonial square of City Square Park.