Friday, July 17, 2009

Skywatch Friday

For this week's Skywatch Friday we also have a view behind the Massachusetts State House of the eagle column. This column reminds us that in the 17th century, a wooden pole and beacon, intended to warn the citizenry in case of attack, stood on Trimountain -- Beacon Hill and its two sister peaks, before the area was leveled to provide landfill for Back Bay and profit for the landowners. Charles Bulfinch, Boston's most eminent architect, designed a 60-foot column, topped with an eagle perched on a globe, on the former site of the beacon -- to commemorate Boston's glorious past and prospects. The Bulfinch monument came down in 1811 to make way for real estate development. The replacement we now see -- erected after the Civil War -- still symbolizes the original hill and beacon that William Blackstone, Boston's first settler, saw 350 years ago.

20 comments:

B SQUARED said...

Thanks for the info. I never knew any of that.

Regina said...

Beautiful and awesome.

Enjoy your weekend.
Regina

Jim said...

Very beautiful.
Sydney - City and Suburbs

Laura said...

Lovely colors!

joo said...

Beautiful sky and lovely hydrangea:)

magiceye said...

beautiful image and interesting history!

Leora said...

Beautiful view of the city. Love the hydrangea in the front. Hard to imagine what it was like before Back Bay.

Mark Kreider said...

Very beautiful photography throughout. Love your Theme Day "Empty" shot. Brilliant!

SandyCarlson said...

I love Massachusetts and its history and all the great stories. Beautiful photo.

brattcat said...

History, hydrangea, and happy skies...who could ask for anything more?

Hilda said...

Very interesting history for a magnificent eagle. Sad in some respects too. And another gorgeous photo!

Lois said...

That picture is so pretty and those white hydrangea really add a lovely touch! Thanks for providing all the historical information too. That was an interesting read.

amatamari© said...

Thanks for image and information!


p.s.
I like very much those white hydrangeas like balls of snow ...
:-)

Harriet said...

I like the eagle but I love those white hydrangeas.

Thanks for all the info.

SquirrelQueen said...

The eagle is perfect against that beautiful sky. Have a great day.
SQ

Pollyanna said...

Fantastic! I love how the white flowers at the bottom "mirror" the clouds above.

Quiet Paths said...

A very stately scene and a lovely capture with the flowers in the foreground.

FO - 2 said...

Very nice.
Beautiful! :)

Lowell said...

Interesting historical commentary - thanks!

This is another of those photos where everything works - the composition, the flowers, the color of the flowers and the sky and the buildings...it's sharp and just plain fun to look at!

AB said...

A great idea for a statue. It just looks like the eagle landed there.