Views of the Revolution: 360 Monument Webcams

Stitched panoramic view of a sunrise atop Bunker Hill Monument on a December morning.

NPS Photo

 

Commanding Views over a Revolutionary Town

In 1775, Boston was the seat of a rapidly accelerating crisis. On April 19, 1775, the tension finally sparked into war. After the running battle along "Battle Road," stretching from Concord, Massachusetts back to Boston, an 11 month-long siege began.

This was the first campaign of the American Revolutionary War. Two monuments stand today to commemorate the major points of the Siege of Boston: Bunker Hill Monument, completed in 1842, and Dorchester Heights, completed in 1902. Bunker Hill Monument marks the high point of this Siege of Boston: A pitched battle for the high ground of Charlestown, a settlement just north of Boston. Dorchester Heights marks the dramatic conclusion: A site of fortifications under command of General Washington that so completely surrounded Boston that it prompted an evacuation of the British army and scores of loyalist refugees.

Today, visitors around the globe can now virtually take in these views from vantage points that were critical in 1775/1776, and still are breathtaking today.

*Temporary shutdown of 360 views*

Due to the restoration work at both Bunker Hill Monument as well as at Dorchester Heights Monument, both 360 live views are temporarily suspended. But we still have live single view webcams!

 

View from Bunker Hill, Charlestown, Massachusetts, on August 8, 2023

View of Boston, Boston Harbor, and surrounding neighborhoods, taken from cameras on Bunker Hill and auto-stitched with a key.

NPS Photos

jQuery(document).ready(function () { PSV_BH = new PhotoSphereViewer({ panorama: 'https://bh.bostonnpsevents.com/autostitch/pano.jpeg', container: 'photosphereBH', caption: '', //loading_img: '/common/commonspot/templates/js/libs/photo_sphere/photosphere-logo.gif', navbar: 'autorotate zoom caption fullscreen', time_anim: false, default_fov: 70, mousewheel: true, mousemove: true, keyboard: false, size: { height: 500 } }); PSV_BH.on('ready', function () { PSV_BH.startKeyboardControl(); var $navbar = jQuery('#photosphereBH').find('.psv-navbar'); $navbar.children('.psv-autorotate-button').attr('tabindex', 1).keypress(function (e) { if (e.which == 13) { PSV_BH.toggleAutorotate(); } }); $navbar.children('.psv-fullscreen-button').attr('tabindex', 1).keypress(function (e) { if (e.which == 13) { PSV_BH.toggleFullscreen(); } }); var $zoom_button = $navbar.children('.psv-zoom-button'); $zoom_button.children('.psv-zoom-button-minus').attr('tabindex', 1).keypress(function (e) { if (e.which == 13) { PSV_BH.zoomOut(); } }); $zoom_button.children('.psv-zoom-button-plus').attr('tabindex', 1).keypress(function (e) { if (e.which == 13) { PSV_BH.zoomIn(); } }); }); }); var BH_COUNTDOWN = 60; setInterval(function(){ BH_COUNTDOWN--; if(BH_COUNTDOWN == 0) { PSV_BH.setPanorama("https://bh.bostonnpsevents.com/autostitch/pano.jpeg?t=" + Date.now()); BH_COUNTDOWN = 60 } jQuery("#countdownBH").html("Update in: " + BH_COUNTDOWN); },1000)

 

View from Dorchester Heights, Thomas Park, South Boston, Massachusetts, October 2023

View of Boston, Boston Harbor, and surrounding neighborhoods, taken from cameras on Dorchester Heights and auto-stitched with a key.

NPS Photos

jQuery(document).ready(function () { PSV_DOHE = new PhotoSphereViewer({ panorama: 'https://bh.bostonnpsevents.com/autostitch/pano_dohe.jpeg', container: 'photosphereDOHE', caption: '', //loading_img: '/common/commonspot/templates/js/libs/photo_sphere/photosphere-logo.gif', navbar: 'autorotate zoom caption fullscreen', time_anim: false, default_fov: 70, mousewheel: true, mousemove: true, keyboard: false, size: { height: 500 } }); PSV_DOHE.on('ready', function () { PSV_DOHE.startKeyboardControl(); var $navbar = jQuery('#photosphereDOHE').find('.psv-navbar'); $navbar.children('.psv-autorotate-button').attr('tabindex', 1).keypress(function (e) { if (e.which == 13) { PSV_DOHE.toggleAutorotate(); } }); $navbar.children('.psv-fullscreen-button').attr('tabindex', 1).keypress(function (e) { if (e.which == 13) { PSV_DOHE.toggleFullscreen(); } }); var $zoom_button = $navbar.children('.psv-zoom-button'); $zoom_button.children('.psv-zoom-button-minus').attr('tabindex', 1).keypress(function (e) { if (e.which == 13) { PSV_DOHE.zoomOut(); } }); $zoom_button.children('.psv-zoom-button-plus').attr('tabindex', 1).keypress(function (e) { if (e.which == 13) { PSV_DOHE.zoomIn(); } }); }); }); var DOHE_COUNTDOWN = 60; setInterval(function(){ DOHE_COUNTDOWN--; if(DOHE_COUNTDOWN == 0) { PSV_DOHE.setPanorama("https://bh.bostonnpsevents.com/autostitch/pano_dohe.jpeg?t=" + Date.now()); DOHE_COUNTDOWN = 60 } jQuery("#countdownDOHE").html("Update in: " + DOHE_COUNTDOWN); },1000)

 

Compare: Today versus 1848 from atop Bunker Hill Monument

It took over seventeen years to complete the 221 foot granite obelisk that commemorates the Battle of Bunker Hill. Construction completed in 1842, and a massive dedication ceremony took place on June 17, 1843 to forever remember the pitched battle. Ever since, the views have been part of the attraction to this monument. When the earliest visitors to the monument paid admission, they were given a lantern so they could see while they struggled up 294 steps to the top. The monument remained the tallest feature in a growing city for decades. Not until skyscrapers in the 1960s and 70s were there taller objects in Boston's skyline. Much has changed over the course of the past two centuries. Nonetheless, the monument remains a fixed symbol and sight for generations.

 

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A Rare and Unparalleled View: Dorchester Heights Monument, South Boston

Completed in 1902, the monument atop Dorchester Heights commands over the neighborhood of South Boston. The monument is not open to the public, but with high definition webcams, anyone can take in the view of Greater Boston and its busy harbor.

 

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