Marble tower on Telegraph Hill in Dorchester Heights (photo by Ed Lyons)

The Dorchester Heights unit of Boston National Historical Park is comprised of the small Thomas Park and the Dorchester Heights Monument, a marble tower erected in 1902 to commemorate the evacuation of the British from Boston on March 17, 1776. These are located at the top of Telegraph Hill in the Dorchester Heights neighborhood of South Boston. On March 4, 1776, colonial militiamen occupied and fortified the hill. It was of major strategic importance due to its view of downtown Boston and Boston Harbor. Thirteen days later, the British evacuated Boston and fled to Nova Scotia.

The park is a locals park and has limited appeal for tourists. Nearly all parking spaces along the road that encircles the park are set aside for residents and require a permit. About a dozen spaces are for visitors, but these are always taken (probably by residents). I attempted to visit the park on three separate occasions, including 7 AM on a Sunday morning, and I never saw an empty parking space. You have almost a zero percent chance of getting one, so driving to the park is an effort in futility. Public transportation services the area, but as I said, the park is of no interest to most tourists except for those who are obsessed with visiting every unit of Boston National Historical Park, and I doubt there are many. My job is visiting every unit, and even I gave up after three tries.

Back to the Top