Latest news with #Massachusetts250
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
Mass. 250th events will spotlight WMass contributions
When Massachusetts joins the nation in celebrating this country's 250th anniversary, the state's four western counties won't be left out. The commemoration will include details on how Western Massachusetts helped drive American history. The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism has launched Massachusetts 250, which runs through July 206. The commonwealth and country will mark the nation's semiquincentennial, marking 250 years since the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. While the focus has long been on historic events in Philadelphia and Boston, Massachusetts 250 is calling out watershed times in Western Massachusetts that helped shape America. 'The bicentennial [50 years ago] focused on Boston, Lexington and Concord. We're using the semiquincentennial to make sure this is a statewide campaign, that it engages with residents and visitors across Massachusetts,' MOTT executive director Kate Fox said in an interview with The Republican. 'The more people dig, the more everybody finds a historical link to the revolution,' she said. The Healey-Driscoll administration is granting $2.5 million to communities, museums and nonprofit organizations to tell stories of how their cities and towns contributed to American independence. Here are examples: — The Springfield Preservation Trust received $5,000 for a program called 'Voices from the Grave, Heroes of the American Revolution Cemetery Tour' Sunday, May 18, at Springfield Cemetery. Seven historical residents will be featured on the tour, including John Bryant III (1742-1816), first Armory Superintendent, who lost his arm in battle; Hannah Mason Bryant (1756-1829), who sewed flannel cartridges for the Continental army; Nathaniel Brewer (1711-1809), Deacon of First Church for 53 years, and a joiner by trade; and Susan Freedom (1784-1803), a Black indentured servant whose name poignantly symbolizes the struggle for freedom and identity among African Americans in the post-Revolutionary War era. Hosted by the Springfield Preservation Trust and developed by historian Derek Strahan and SPT Secretary Michael Stevens, the tour is an hour long and led by docents who take visitors on a tour to graves of interesting cemetery residents, where costumed interpreters speak about each person. Tours will depart every fifteen minutes starting at 1 p.m. at Springfield Cemetery, 171 Maple St. Tickets are $20 for Springfield Preservation Trust members, and $25 for nonmembers. — 1Berkshire in Pittsfield received $7,500 for the Berkshire 250 website. — The Porter Phelps Huntington Museum in Hadley received $17,500 for a presentation titled 'Hadley and the American Revolution — Stories of Independence and Servitude." MOTT is using to promote a wide variety of events to be held across the state. 'The revolution was eight years long. This is really the beginning of the revolution. There's an opportunity for people to continue the commemorations, but for Massachusetts 250, we're [celebrating in] 2025 and the first half of 2026,' said Fox. The MOTT director said Americans are mostly familiar with names like Adams, Washington, Hancock and Franklin. But those on the second tier of historic stardom helped write history. For instance, Fox called attention to ordinary people living across Western Massachusetts who aided General Henry Knox and his troops in January 1776 as they delivered armaments to the Continental Army battling to oust British troops from Boston. 'Henry Knox moved the artillery from Fort Ticonderoga over the Hudson River into Massachusetts and had stops in Otis, Westfield, Springfield, Wilbraham and Brookfield before continuing on to Boston. It was the middle of winter and nobody thought he was going to pull this off, but he did,' said Fox. Knox and his troops used people and resources in Western Massachusetts to fortify troops and relaunch their mission to Dorchester, where the fighting power they delivered proved to be decisive. 'That's what led to Evacuation Day and the departure of the British from the Port of Boston and essentially the end of the revolution in Massachusetts,' Fox said. While it happened in 1786 and had no impact on the Revolutionary War, Shays' Rebellion was sparked in and spread throughout Western Massachusetts. The armed uprising showed the need for a strong, national government. 'It was the armed uprising of indebted farmers in Western Massachusetts. They were protesting high state taxes and foreclosures, and the rebellion exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and fueled the movement for a stronger national government,' said Fox. The Articles of Confederation document was the first blueprint colonists used to set up their government. Adopted in 1777 and ratified in 1781, it established a loose confederation of autonomous states, focused largely on maintaining independence from and limiting the power of a central government. Massachusetts 250 is also showcasing untold stories, according to Fox. Some will seek to set the record straight. She said that while Paul Revere is credited in the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem with announcing 'the British are coming' during his midnight ride, there were two other riders that night. 'The poem was not actually correct, even though that's what everybody thinks was true. It's shedding a light on the stories and the anniversaries in a way that we can retell them and correct anything that's been inaccurate over time,' she said. Fox said writing and correcting history is a work in progress, made more accurate over time through deeper research and advancing technology. 'As we learn and have more technology at our fingertips, new light is shined on history every day,' she said. While President Trump has been freezing federal funds already allocated to nonprofits, Fox said those actions are not affecting MOTT. She did say fallout from Trump's cuts and tariffs are causing people around the world to rethink visits to America. 'We're certainly seeing impacts on travel plans and international flights coming in, especially from Canada,' she said. 'I expect where we see a dip in international travel, we will see an increase in domestic. We're a nimble industry. We're able to react and support our partners and adjust our messaging so we can continue to promote Massachusetts as a great destination.' Fox said one of MOTT's missions is to increase revenue from tourism, bringing people to the commonwealth to spend money on hotels, restaurants, tourist destinations and shopping. The agency will file a report on the costs and benefits of Massachusetts 250 when the celebration is over. 'There's increased interest in traveling to the original colonies and learning that history,' she said. 'We're hoping to take advantage of that.' Read the original article on MassLive. Read the original article on MassLive.
Boston Globe
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘This is our moment.' Mass. planning questioned for Revolution's 250th anniversary
Related : 'We've prepared poorly. It's never really been seen as a Massachusetts priority,' said state Senator Michael Barrett, a Democrat whose district includes Concord and parts of Lexington. 'Random grants are being handed out now, but there doesn't seem to be a plan other than making people happy with small amounts of money.' By contrast, legislators in Virginia have appropriated $27 million to date, primarily for hundreds of local grants. New Jersey has allocated nearly $30 million for the 250th, including $25 million for improvements at battlefield sites. And South Carolina lawmakers have set aside about $12 million, mostly for site preservation. Advertisement Pennsylvania has raised $9.4 million, a sum that officials there expect to double, including funding for a major celebration of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. Governor Josh Shapiro has proposed an additional $10 million to market the state and attract tourists next year. Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, a leader of the Massachusetts commemoration effort, defended the state's 'I feel we're right in line with the other states,' Driscoll said. 'The reality is we have the history. It happened here.' Sam Doran, member of the Lexington Historical Society, waited outside the Belfry for others to arrive in the pre-dawn reenactment on Patriots Day in 2021. Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff So far, Massachusetts 250, a state initiative under the Office of Travel and Tourism, has awarded $1.5 million in grants to 37 communities and organizations across the state, including a total of $128,000 for programming and events in Lexington and Concord, where hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected April 19 to mark the 'shot heard 'round the world.' Advertisement Massachusetts 250 hopes to double its funding by accruing another $10 million through state funds, event tickets, sponsorships, and private philanthropic sources, according to state officials. Plans also are being made for a $2 million 'signature event,' whose specifics have yet to be announced. The allure of Revolutionary history here, Driscoll said, can be leveraged to attract visitors to other big events next year, as well, such as the Boston Marathon, Head of the Charles Regatta, Fourth of July Pops concert, and World Cup soccer matches. Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll gestured during a kick-off for Massachusetts 250, a tourism initiative, outside of the State House on Sept. 17, 2024. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff But where state officials see a marketing bonanza, others see a missed, once-in-a-generation opportunity. 'Massachusetts is behind Philadelphia, South Carolina, New Jersey in telling the story,' said Suffolk University history professor Robert Allison, who is chair of Revolution 250, a nonprofit group working with dozens of communities across the state to tell their tale of independence. 'This is a story that we should be sharing not only with tourists who will be coming from all over the world to see this, but with the people who are already here. This is our moment.' Advertisement Jonathan Lane, executive director of Revolution 250, said the state has misplaced its priorities. 'This has less to do with the support of the 250th,' he said of the spending plan, 'and more to do with the redevelopment and resurgence of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism as a governmental office.' Related : For Driscoll, marketing is and should be a key component of the state's 250th spending. 'We think it's an incredible opportunity to showcase our rich history, promote tourism, and promote Massachusetts as a destination,' the lieutenant governor said. 'We have a rich story to tell, and marketing is the way to do that.' When Governor Maura Healey announced the first grants in September, she spoke outside the State House at a media event steeped in patriotic pomp, including an arrival by a Paul Revere stand-in on a horse. 'Massachusetts is where the Revolution began, and where the Revolution continues,' Healey said. 'We are first in freedom, first in education, first in health care, and first in innovation. And with Massachusetts 250, we're leading commemorations of the Revolutionary War for the next two years.' Paul Revere played by Brigadier General of the National Lancers, Richard Reale Jr., arrived at the State House to a kick-off for Massachusetts 250, a tourism initiative, on Sept. 17, 2024. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff On April 19, the opening battles of the Revolution will be commemorated in Lexington and Concord with a brimming mix of parades, reenactments, and other tributes that are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. Local officials had been clamoring for more help from the state to transport spectators to the events, and the MBTA has responded by planning increases in train and bus service. For Barrett, the state senator, the 250 effort has lacked focus since former governor Charlie Baker's administration. 'When Virginia and Pennsylvania were gearing up, where were our people?' Barrett asked. Advertisement In Virginia, which launched its 250th commission in 2020, hundreds of events already have occurred, and many hundreds more are planned, said Cheryl Wilson, executive director of Virginia 250. Each of its 134 counties and county-equivalents has formed its own 250th commission or works with the state commission. A 'world-class' mobile museum about the Revolution has been built to visit every middle school in the state, she said. 'Virginia deliberately stepped out in a leadership role,' Wilson said. 'Virginia led in the forming of our nation, and Virginia leads in the 250th.' Related : In Pennsylvania, a yearlong run-up will precede the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, culminating in a gala concert in Philadelphia, said Cassandra Coleman, executive director of 'Ultimately, this is an opportunity to reimagine the future. This is an opportunity to engage with our youth and talk to them about being invested in their communities,' Coleman said. And in New Jersey, a traveling exhibition is being planned for schools, community centers, libraries, senior centers, and other public venues, said Sara Cureton, executive director of the New Jersey Historical Commission. For its battlefield restoration project, the state is using $25 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan, the economic stimulus program approved during the COVID pandemic. 'We're really passionate about sharing our state's history, especially about the Revolutionary War,' Cureton said. 'New Jersey was central to the Revolution, and sometimes New Jerseyans don't realize that.' Tremendous crowds turned out at City Hall Plaza as Arthur Fiedler conducted a collection of bands from around Massachusetts in celebration of the nation's Bicentennial on April 19, 1975. Fiedler was supposed to conduct from atop a telephone company cherry picker, but as high winds continued throughout the day, Fiedler took one look at the cherry picker and said, "No way." He conducted from a podium on the ground. Tom Landers, Globe Staff In Massachusetts, the nonprofit Advertisement Revolution 250, for example, has been helping organize local 250 committees across the state, notably in history-rich Essex County. The group also is working with communities from Western Massachusetts to Boston, planning for next year's anniversary of Colonel Henry Knox's improbable feat of transporting 62 tons of artillery 300 miles from Fort Ticonderoga, N.Y., to Dorchester Heights, where they forced the British to evacuate. 'The vision of Revolution 250 has always been very much boots-on-the-ground, and what can we do to help organizations tell their Revolutionary story,' Lane said. 'For Massachusetts 250, their focus is tourism to this day. There is some hope that this will change, but I'm not counting my chickens.' For Allison and others, the anniversary is about more than tourists. 'For me, the 250th goes beyond Lexington and Concord, and even beyond the Declaration of Independence, which is not the end of the story,' said Allison, the Suffolk University professor. 'It took an eight-year war in which Massachusetts had more men in the field than any other colony except for one year.' 'I have the privilege to do this all the time,' he said. 'But this should be for people who don't. Time is short.' A Lexington Minute Man waited as the statue depicting the famous morning looms on the background on April 14, 2024. Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff Brian MacQuarrie can be reached at
