The Bunker Hill Monument is a war memorial on Breed's Hill in the Charlestown section of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It commemorates the Battle of Bunker Hill, a major American Revolutionary War battle that took place there on June 17, 1775. The monument primarily consists of a granite obelisk at the center of Monument Square Park, within the Monument Square Historic District. The obelisk was designed by Solomon Willard and erected between 1825 and 1843. It is flanked by William Wetmore Story's statue of William Prescott to the south and an entrance building to the north. Designated as a National Historic Landmark, the Bunker Hill Monument is part of the Freedom Trail and Boston National Historical Park.
The first monument at the site was dedicated in 1794 and honored American soldier Joseph Warren, who was killed in the battle. After the site was placed for sale in 1822, the Bunker Hill Monument Association (BHMA) was formed to acquire and preserve the site. Willard took over the design from Loammi Baldwin Jr., who drew up the original specifications based on a design that Horatio Greenough submitted for a design competition. The cornerstone was laid in 1825, but due to insufficient funds, work was halted twice for extended periods between 1829 and 1840. The monument was dedicated on June 17, 1843.
When completed, the Bunker Hill Monument was the United States' largest obelisk. The monument has required ongoing maintenance through the years. A temporary wooden entrance building was built in 1857, and the Prescott sculpture was added in 1881. Following decades of fundraising, a granite entrance building was completed in 1902. The BHMA maintained the monument until 1919, when Massachusetts's Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) took over. The monument has been owned and managed by the National Park Service since 1976.
Site
The Bunker Hill Monument is located in the Monument Square area of Charlestown (since 1874, part of Boston) in Massachusetts, United States. It is built atop a Continental Army fortification on the summit of Breed's Hill, where the Battle of Bunker Hill took place in 1775, during the American Revolutionary War. park named Monument Square, surrounded by an avenue also named Monument Square. An iron fence runs along Monument Square Park's perimeter, and five granite markers, dating from 1876, denote the locations of key events in the Battle of Bunker Hill. At the top of each staircase, concrete walkways connect with the obelisk at the monument's center. sequentially, it is the last stop after the .
Breed's Hill
left|thumb|Aerial view of the monument site, looking north toward the obelisk. The William Prescott statue is to the south of the obelisk, in front of it, and the entrance lodge is to the north of the obelisk, behind it.
is a glacial drumlin in the southern portion of the Charlestown Peninsula, created 12,000 years ago by retreating glaciers. After the area was colonized by the English in 1625, The hill was originally connected to the mainland portion of Charlestown (now the separate city of Somerville) in colonial times by a short, narrow isthmus known as the Charlestown Neck. In the 19th and early 20th centuries the peninsula's shape and connections to other landforms were significantly altered, with the waters of the Charles River between Cambridge and Charlestown heavily filled in.
The portion of the hill within Monument Square Park slopes fairly steeply. The buildings along the avenue surrounding Monument Square are mostly three-to-four-story houses, designed in the Greek Revival, Italianate, and Second Empire styles starting in the 1840s. The Charlestown High School and the former Charlestown Library are also located on the avenue. The designs of these buildings are influenced by deed restrictions, including a mandatory setback from the street, intended to preserve the area's character. The Bunker Hill Museum, preserving artifacts from the battle, is located within the Charlestown Library. Bunker Hill is slightly higher than Breed's Hill, at , sources sometimes considered Breed's Hill part of Bunker Hill. Approximately to the southeast is the Charlestown Navy Yard. An iron fence surrounds the base of the obelisk itself, running between granite piers diagonally opposite each of the obelisk's corners. The fence has posts topped by caps and finials, and the cross-bars have Greek crosses at the bottom and inverted scallop designs at the top. made of of granite. It occupies the southeastern corner of the redoubt constructed during the Battle of Bunker Hill. The obelisk rises from its base;