Roxbury in Boston in Suffolk County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
A Revolutionary View of Boston, 1776
Roxbury Heritage State Park
Photographed by Marc Posner, July 13, 2024
1. A Revolutionary View of Boston, 1776 Marker
The British occupation of Boston ended in March of 1776 after Continental Army soldiers and cannons traveled along Dorchester Road, shown below, and occupied Dorchester Heights, shown just to the right. The artist who drew this scene, Joseph-Frederic Wallet DesBarres, was commissioned by the British Board of Trade and Admiralty to document ports in New England and Canada; that is why the royal governor's mansion, now the Shirley-Eustis House, is so prominent.
By the time this drawing was published in England in 1776, Boston was no longer under British rule. COntinental Army General John Thomas planned the Dorchester Heights operation while using the parsonage of the First Church in Roxbury as his headquarters. Today this parsonage is known as the Dillaway-Thomas House.
[Caption:]
Roxbury and Boston in 1775, during the siege
This map made by a British soldier during the siege shows the location of the First Church in Roxbury mmetinghouse in relation to the defenses around Boston.
Erected by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
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Location. 42° 19.833′ N, 71° 5.417′ W. Marker is in Boston, Massachusetts, in Suffolk County. It is in Roxbury. It is on Roxbury Street east of John Eliot Square, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Roxbury MA 02119, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Massachusetts’ Historic Boston. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The First People of Roxbury (a few steps from this marker); Roxbury Begins Here! (a few steps from this marker); Roxbury "Puddingstone" (a few steps from this marker); Orchards and Gardens: Agricultural Innovation (within shouting distance of this marker); Meetinghouse at First Church in Roxbury (within
Photographed by Marc Posner, July 13, 2024
2. A Revolutionary View of Boston, 1776 Marker
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 19, 2024, by Marc Posner of Somerville, Massachusetts. This page has been viewed 434 times since then and 62 times this year. Last updated on December 21, 2025, by G.W.Bartlett of Hingham, Massachusetts. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 19, 2024, by Marc Posner of Somerville, Massachusetts. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
