The red brick line in front of Faneuil Hall was the brainchild of local journalist William Schofield who, in 1951, wanted to preserve the city’s tremendous historical value and promoted the idea of creating a walking tour linking important local landmarks. By 1953, 40,000 people followed a red (mostly brick) path known as the Freedom Trail, providing correlation to16 significant historic sites along a 2.5-mile walk from Boston Common to Bunker Hill Monument across the river in Charlestown.