Secret Weapons
A military museum you never knew was there
F
aneuil Hall is the busiest travel destination in New England, yet it hides one of the best secrets we know: There’s a museum in the attic. It’s the military museum of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, the oldest chartered military organization in the Western Hemisphere (and third oldest in the world), and it has weaponry from swords to cannon, muskets to machine guns, medals, cannonballs, bullets, and bricks from old forts, prisons, and historic buildings dating back to 1638. Among the weapons on display: a 1917 German Erfurt water-cooled machine gun, a Browning automatic rifle from World War I, and an early experimental Gatlin gun with its revolving barrel. Known for arriving on the battlefield after the fighting is over, the Ancient and Honorable has accumulated a huge collection of mementos: arrowheads and Indian tools, antique saddles, military caps, shells fired in the Spanish-American War, a cannonball from the Battle of Bunker Hill, federal and confederate bullets, a Civil War surgeon's kit, elegant swords and scabbards worn for show, epaulets, and the hoof of a horse named Charger, apparently a hero of the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854. Marcus
Shhhh! The second-best secret?
An elevator was installed in place of an old
chimney during renovations in 1990. To
find it, enter on the building's south side
An elevator was installed in place of an old
chimney during renovations in 1990. To
find it, enter on the building's south side
Shhhh! Mustered for the first time on Boston
Common on June 4, 1638. The company marches
on Patriot's Day and Independence Day.
James Monroe, Calvin Coolidge and John F.
Kennedy were members; the company marched
at JFK's inauguration and his funeral.
Common on June 4, 1638. The company marches
on Patriot's Day and Independence Day.
James Monroe, Calvin Coolidge and John F.
Kennedy were members; the company marched
at JFK's inauguration and his funeral.
Shhhh! Pundits have given it the motto:
“Invincible in peace, invisible in war.”
“Invincible in peace, invisible in war.”
Shhhh! There is also an unrivaled library
of military books, including Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs and a 1916 appraisal of the war
in Europe by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
of military books, including Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs and a 1916 appraisal of the war
in Europe by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Shhh who knew
The attic of Faneuil Hall is faithful to its original construction in 1742. The company's “captain's quarters” sits beneath the cupola that crowns the building, up 13 steps from the main room—one for each of the original states. Thomas Edison installed the lights personally in 1890.
Museum of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company
1 Faneuil Hall Square
Boston,
MA,
02109
617.227.1638
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11 Bus, 111 Bus, 4 Bus, 43 Bus, 55 Bus, 92 Bus, 93 Bus, Aquarium/Blue Line, F2 water ferry to Long Wharf, F4 water ferry to Long Wharf, Government Center/Blue Line, Government Center/Green Line, Haymarket/Green Line, Haymarket/Orange Line, State Street/Blue Line, State Street/Orange Line
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Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
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