The Traveling Wheelchair

Monument Square
Charlestown, MA 02129
Phone:  617-242-5641
http://www.cityofboston.gov/FreedomTrail/bunkerhill.asp

Many years ago I visited the Bunker Hill Monument and found it partially wheelchair accessible. Recently my friends and I decided to revisit Bunker Hill after reading the article; ‘Bunker Hill dead may lie under gardens’ By Brian MacQuarrie / The Boston Globe / March 8, 2009. It is belived there is  a mass grave of British soldiers killed on the Bunker Hill battlefield buried in this area in Charlestown. Stories like this intrigue me. Upon returning to Bunker Hill I was happy to find the wheelchair accessibility has improved due to some renovations.

There are plenty of handicap parking spaces located right in front of the monument. During the past few years there has been reconstruction of Bunker Hill making the Monument more accessible. Bunker Hill Monument is National Historical Park. Admission is FREE to all visitors.  Even if there was an admission cost I would be able to access for free because I have a Golden Access Card. I always carry this card in my wallet. It’s a lifetime passport to National Parks and other federally managed recreation areas which charge entrance fees.

There is a newly built cement sloped walkway that is wide and has safety rails on both sides for safety. I was in my manual chair and my friends had no problem pushing my chair up this walkway.

While wheeling up this walkway I looked around and saw the grassy area where some visitors were enjoying a picnic. Later I went to the area but was not able to access the grass due to a cement curb along the walkway.

Once I reached the top of the walkway I admired a statue of William Prescott. He is faced in the direction of the city; symbolizing the direction that the British were coming. Later I found out that William Prescott was the Colonel during the Battle of Bunker Hill and he was the person who stated the famous phrase, “Don’t fire until you see the white of their eyes”. This means, fire when they are close enough. I was not able to get close to it due to a stone lip that is around the statue. There are paths around the Monument that are all wide enough for me to wheel along.

Bunker Hill has a little museum that you must go into before entering the actual monument. This museum is wheelchair accessible with a  ramp leading to the front entrance.

There are no automatic doors; and the door is very heavy to open. Matt my friend opened the door while Tony pushed my manual chair inside. An independent wheeler would have much difficulty opening this heavy door.

Once inside there is plenty of space to maneuver my chair around and the very few exhibits are all accessible and easy for me to view. The customer service window is of a wheelchair accessible height.

Now it was time to see the monument itself; so, we exited this tiny museum through another door that was not automatic. Wheeling just a few feet was the entrance to the monument; these entry doors were wedged open. Unfortunately, as soon as I entered the door there were steps. The monument was not at all wheelchair accessible.

My friends Josh and Matt decided to climb all the way to the top as Tony and I remained outside soaking up the warm rays of the sun. Tony and I laughed as we read the sign just outside the monument that states there are 294 steps my friends had to climb to reach the top.

As Tony and I waited for our friends, the Park Ranger kindly approached me and told me of the history of the Battle of Bunker Hill and the construction of Boston. Many things he said were very interesting to know. This kind Park Ranger was also a history teacher. He told me how Tremont Street got its name. Boston is made mostly of land fill. Most of the earth came from Tremont Street and was transported truck by truck. It took years to build the city hence the name Tremont. Tre- meaning three and Mont-meaning mountains.

Finally, after almost half-hour; my friends Josh and Matt reappeared. They were really exhausted and out of breath after climbing up and back down all those steps. I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on their faces for they were the ones who insisted on climbing up all those steps :>) I did appreciate the time they took to do this for they took some great pictures for me to see the view from the window at the top of the Bunker Hill Monument.

I give the Boston National Historic Park Bunker Hill TRHEE STARS for wheelchair accessibility. In order to earn the other Two Stars they would need to remove a section of the stone lip that is at the edge of the park that prevented me from accessing the grass picnic area; install automatic entry doors at all the entrances. As for the access of the monument itself I understand a cost of an elevator to the top would be too costly to install. I bet many visitors who are not able to climb all the steps would really appreciate some kind of access to the top:>)  I fully enjoyed just being able to touch this historical monument.