Yes it is the last of Boston’s three original hills, was named for the
sentry light raised on its peak. The State House, with its hallmark gold
leaf dome, was built near the original colonial beacon and today
shines over Boston Common. The original (and for a long time, only)
settler of Beacon Hill was the Rev. William Blackstone, who built a
thatched hut here in 1625 and tended his flock of sheep in what
would become Boston Common. Until the end of the 18th century,
the south slope of Beacon Hill was a pasture owned by painter John
Singleton Copley. He sold it to the Mount Vernon Proprietors, one of
the country’s first development partnerships, who with Thomas
Bulfinch built the nation’s first mansion district. Today, this National
Historic District remains an exceptionally well-preserved 19th century
enclave with its cobblestone streets, brick sidewalks, decorative ironwork
and gaslamps.

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