Park Street Church - Brimstone Corner

A stop on Boston Freedom Trail, a free self-guided tour.

Look up at the white steeple rising over the corner of Park and Tremont Streets. Park Street Church was built in 1809, and for years its spire was the first landmark travelers saw as they approached Boston.

This corner earned the nickname Brimstone Corner. Some say it came from fiery sermons, but the church also stored gunpowder in its basement during the War of 1812, which gave the name a literal edge.

The pulpit here welcomed big ideas. On July 4, 1829, a young William Lloyd Garrison gave his first major public speech against slavery inside these walls, two years before he founded his newspaper The Liberator. A few years later, on July 4, 1831, the patriotic hymn America, sung to the tune of God Save the King, was performed in public here for the first time, by a children's choir. Listen for the church bells as you walk on.

Getting here: Follow the red line back down Park Street to the corner of Tremont Street; the church is on your left at the bottom of the hill.

Did you know?: The church's 217-foot steeple once made it the tallest landmark a traveler saw when approaching the city.

Photo op: Cross to the Common side of Tremont Street and shoot up at an angle to fit the whole steeple against the sky.

More on Wikipedia: Park Street Church · William Lloyd Garrison · The Liberator

Park Street Church - Brimstone Corner

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