Mather Day! Walking Tour of the North End August 17, 2008

Reverend Richard Mather took Boston by storm when he arrived in Boston on August 17, 1635 (o.s.). We hope you can make it out on this themed walking tour of the North End highlighting the Mathers in Boston.

Having rejected the pomp and ceremony of the Anglican church and suspended for non-conformity, Richard Mather joined a group of Puritans, set sail for New England, and arrived during the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635. Richard became pastor of the North Church in Dorchester and the patriarch of the Mather dynasty.

Richard's son, Increase Mather, was minister of the Second Congregation at the Old North Meeting House (not that one!) and also served as president of Harvard in 1685. A rebel before his time, Increase stirred opposition when King James II revoked the Charter of Massachusetts in 1686. Increase is also well-known for his involvement in the Salem witch trials in 1692-93.

Increase's son, Cotton Mather, was also pastor at the Old North Meeting House and an influence on the Salem witch trials. Learn what happened to Cotton when a slave came to him with information about smallpox inoculations.

We hope you can join us for this special North End walking tour featuring the Mathers in Boston where you will learn of the original Old North, the mystery of the disappearing Charter, and what to do when someone throws a grenade into your house while walking through the oldest neighborhood in the country shaped by waves of immigrant communities and a war for independence.

$12 per person (free for Boston By Foot members). Tickets may be purchased directly from your guide.

Official Website: http://www.bostonbyfoot.org/tours/North_End