The Old North Memorial Garden, a tribute to fallen post-9/11 service members, featuring rows of actual military dog tags hung on wires between fence posts, awhispering, tinkling memorial next to the famous equestrian statue and Old North Church. It's a place for quiet reflection, where visitors can respectfully observe the names and tags of those lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. Stop here for a minute and consider the sheer number of 'dog tags' here. Each one represents the life of a soldier lost to war. They sacrificed for us.

Really pretty spot! Be sure to check out the veteran’s memorial. They have added a lot to it and it is simply stunning. I look forward to returning!

The memorial area in the Paul Revere Mall has an area reserved to commemorate the fallen soldiers of the Iraq- Afghanistan War. It is a most unusual memorial as dogtags are used to represent each American soldier who has died in that war. These dogtags hang from chains around 15 rows of wire strung between 6 wood posts. A bronze plaque indicated that the memorial was state approved and historical even though it reminded me of those makeshift burials in war zones. This memorial just seemed out of place in the PR Mall which seemed more to be about celebrating Paul Revere, his fellow revolutionaries, and the Old North Church. It is the statue of Paul Revere at one end of the PR Mall and the Old North Church at the other end that will capture most visitors' attention. The pathway and boundary wall of the PR Mall area are constructed with red brick - not a quiet color - which is a strong contrast to the green of the overhead shade trees. There is no cemetery surrounding the Old North Church for its members.

Around the North Church and adjacent to the Paul Revere Mall (look for the equestrian statue), there are red brick courtyard pathways surrounding the red brick historic buildings (Clough House and St. Francis Chapel). In one part of the Garden is a tribute to American soldiers who died in the Iraq-Afghanistan wars. An attractive iron archway announces itself as The Washington Memorial Gate. Many of the building walls and garden walls have commemorative plaques giving historical color to our tourist-oriented experience. The grounds are so well maintained and, even as September drew to a close, the flowers still graced the grounds. The war memorial consists of 6,970 blank dog tags, one for each of the soldiers who died in those wars. When the wind blows, they sound a little like wind chimes. The monument is all the more memorable for its simplicity. People stopped to reflect upon our nation's loss. Walking in the Old North Memorial Garden is an integral part of visiting Old North Church and visiting the historic buildings inside these grounds.