The excellent spring water on the Shawmut
Peninsula drew the Puritans to settle here. The
site of the spring is marked on Spring Lane.
Nearby the colonists built their compact town.
The first church, first market, first prison, first
burying ground, and the house of the first
governor all stood close together. Today two
major landmarks, the Old State House and
King's Chapel, stand on the edges of the site of
the early town center Commercial District
Boston 200
