Hynes History of Boston
Following the red brick road
In the slide show above, Richard Hynes, a MET lecturer in liberal studies, explains why the Freedom Trail is an integral, intriguing foray through Boston history. Photos by Anna Webster
As a child, Richard Hynes learned Boston history at the family dinner table, under the tutelage of his father, the city’s mayor from 1950 to 1960. Now 73 and a lecturer in liberal studies in Metropolitan College, Hynes teaches a history of Boston class with one nonnegotiable requirement: his students must follow the red line of the Freedom Trail, which Mayor John Hynes helped create, winding its way through and around Boston’s historic buildings, squares, and burial grounds.
For three hours every Wednesday, Hynes sits at the front of his class, tie loosened, clutching a Pepsi, referring to a few scribbled notes on events from the Salem witch trials to the American Revolution. His class is popular, occupied by young undergrads and older returnees, some native Bostonians and others transplants, and international students interested in learning more about the city.
The Freedom Trail assignment is simple, and a given: everyone must walk the trail and write a short paper.
“It’s a great way to introduce the city to my students,” says Hynes. “Secretly, I feel impressed by myself as a professor.”
His father would be impressed, too.
Anna Webster can be reached at annaweb@bu.edu.
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