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Along the
Freedom Trail, opposite the
Old South Meeting House
on Milk Street, is the
birthplace of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790). He was an
author, diplomat, inventor, printer, and scientist. A
statue of Franklin stands in front of Old
City Hall, one block
away on School Street.
Embedded in the wall of the building at 1 Milk
Street, on the 2nd floor, is a bust of Franklin, with the label "Birthplace
of Franklin."
In 1706, Benjamin Franklin was
born in a humble little house on Milk Street. The old house
stood a hundred and twenty years, and was greatly respected as a notable
landmark. The building was destroyed by fire in 1811, which was keenly
regretted by Boston's inhabitants, especially by its older citizens. A few
historians over the years have contended that Franklin was born on Hanover Street, and not Milk
Street.
Franklin's father, Josiah, was a soap and candle maker, and owned a shop on
Hanover Street. According to Around The Hub by Samuel Adams Drake
(1881), the store was located at Hanover & Union streets, and the
building was torn down in 1858. A sign in front of his shop was simply a
large blue ball with the date "1698" painted on it. It is believed
that 1698
represented the year Franklin's father had opened the shop. The sign is part of
the Bostonian Society's collection today.
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