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Boston Globe
6 days ago
- General
- Boston Globe
Secretary Galvin, Park Service announce Battle of Bunker Hill 250th anniversary events
Advertisement Although the Regulars took the hill that day and burned most of Charlestown down, the Patriots inflicted over 1,000 casualties on the British, including more than 200 killed. The British suffered more than twice the American losses, proving to both King and colonies that the fight for independence would be long and bloody, but winnable for the Americans. 'It unified the colonies in the belief that they had to take a stand to be independent, culminating just a year later on July 4, 1776, with the Declaration of Independence,' Galvin said. 'So in a very real way, the blood that was spilled here set the scene for the founding of the United States.' The new additions to the 'Upon Such Ground' exhibit, which opened in March at the Commonwealth Museum, 220 Morrissey Blvd., in Dorchester, will include original documents relating to the Battle of Bunker Hill, such as pay records for veterans, an 1823 petition to erect the monument that now towers above the site, and a list of survivors who returned for the battle's 50th anniversary in 1825. Advertisement The exhibit's title comes from a June 18, 1775, In addition to the extended exhibit, Galvin announced the return of the Commonwealth Museum's Fourth of July display of Massachusetts' original copy of the Declaration of Independence, signed by John Hancock. That same day, the crypt at the United First Parish Church in Quincy — final resting place of Presidents John and John Quincy Adams and their wives — will also be open to the public. Offered in partnership with the National Park Service and funded by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, the special opening marks the 199th anniversary of John Adams's death, exactly 50 years after he signed the Declaration of Independence. Simeon Monteleone, superintendent of the National Parks of Boston, said the Park Service is prepared for increased visitation to the Bunker Hill Monument leading up to and during 'This monument continues to serve as a vital commemorative space, rallying point, and inspiration to veterans, community members, and visitors alike,' Monteleone said. Advertisement While the Park Service has Asked why no full battle reenactment would take place in Charlestown itself, officials cited logistical and environmental constraints. 'This is an urban environment,' Galvin said. 'The hills have been filled with houses now. I don't think it could be a faithful reenactment.' He added that reenactments planned elsewhere — including in Gloucester — could better replicate the topography and scale of the original battle. The 250th anniversary As Massachusetts marks the Revolution it helped ignite, Galvin suggested the anniversary carries added weight in light of recent federal actions that have rattled institutions and residents across the state. 'I don't think it's political to say that democracy is under threat,' he said. 'If these commemorations provide some additional inspiration now and in the future, it's the importance of recognizing that it's our turn — as it was theirs back then — to protect and preserve democracy.' Nathan Metcalf can be reached at
Boston Globe
20-05-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
The night in Eastie that changed the course of the Revolutionary War
Right around us in East Boston and Chelsea, at least two and as many as 30 British sailors and marines were killed. A few Americans were wounded, but none died, a startling fact that gave the Americans a feeling of righteous invincibility that did not always benefit them. 'Blessed be God for the interposition of his Provedence on our Side,' one American private wrote. 'Surely God fote the Battle and not we.' Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up It started over cattle and sheep. After the battles at Lexington and Concord, rebel militias surrounding Boston cut the British off from the provisions of the surrounding towns — Roxbury, Dorchester, Cambridge, Brookline, Charlestown, Medford. The harbor islands, including Noddle's and Hog islands, had the nearest remaining stores of livestock and hay, which General Thomas Gage, commander of the British forces, sent foraging parties to buy or seize. Advertisement Owners of hay and livestock could not win. Sell to the British and the patriots would take retribution. Refuse to sell and the British would seize their livestock. Advertisement Hearing that owners were selling Noddle's Island livestock to the British, the patriots planned to clear the island of sheep, cattle, horses, and hogs, 'for no reason,' British General Thomas Gage wrote to Admiral Samuel Graves, 'but because the owners having sold them for the King's use.' Graves ordered 50 marines ashore, but the tide was not right for them to land. Related : The next night, May 26, the patriots acted. Colonel John Nixon of Framingham led 300 men to Medford, where they joined Colonel John Stark and his 590 New Hampshire militiamen. Early the next morning they marched to the Rumney Marsh Meeting House (still standing in Revere). After breakfast with the Chelsea militia they marched to Belle Isle Marsh to cross to Hog and Noddle's islands. Nixon's and Stark's men secured hundreds of sheep, cows, and horses. Thirty men sent to Noddle's Island set fires to haystacks, which alerted Graves, who sent 170 marines ashore. He also dispatched his nephew, Lieutenant Thomas Graves, on the sloop Diana to intercept the rebels up Chelsea Creek. The 30 men setting fires on Noddle's Island did not know that the Royal Navy and marines were after them. Just as they crossed Crooked Creek, a tidal stream separating Noddle's and Hog Islands (now the area of Boardman Street), the British aboard the Diana saw them and opened fire. When the British marines arrived, the last of the Americans crossed the creek, took positions in a ditch, and fired at the marines so their compatriots could herd the livestock to safety. 'We had a hot fiar,' Private Amos Farnsworth wrote, 'until the Regulars retreated.' Though 'the bullets flew very thick' and the 'balls sung like bees around our heads,' no American was hit. 'Suerly,' he wrote, 'God has A faver towards us.' Advertisement The Diana continued upstream as Nixon's and Stark's men herded livestock across Belle Isle Marsh to Chelsea. Back on Noddle's Island, near today's Meridian Street Bridge, British marines brought cannons ashore to bombard the Chelsea Militia who were firing on British ships and marines across the creek. The cannon noise reached Israel Putnam, commander of the American operation, who remained at headquarters in far-off Cambridge. At about the same time, a messenger arrived from Nixon and Stark asking for reinforcements. Putnam set off immediately with two cannons, reaching the battle four hours later. He found Graves and the Diana in a cul de sac far up Chelsea Creek, a spot today commemorated by a marker near the Cronin Skating Rink. After setting up his cannon, Putnam, according to tradition, waded into the water, offering surrender terms to Graves. The Diana responded with an artillery blast. Time and tide were not with Graves. The unusually high spring tide had turned, and Graves needed his longboats to pull the Diana down Chelsea Creek, where they took fire from the shore. Two rowing sailors were killed. The longboats detached from the Diana , which struck a mud bank and heeled over. Graves ordered his men to abandon ship. He hoped to continue the fight — the tide would turn and the British had more ships — but the Americans stripped the Diana of cannons, swivel guns, ammunition, sails, rigging, clothing, and money before lighting fires, which reached the powder magazine. At 3 a.m. on May 28, the Diana exploded. Advertisement The Americans hauled the ship's 76-foot mainmast to Prospect Hill to use as a flagpole. From this pole on Jan. 1, 1776, they raised a new flag, representing the union of 13 provinces fighting together against the British. On Saturday, Cattle and sheep no longer graze on Eagle Hill, though its streets are named for Revolutionary battles and patriots. Hog Island is now Orient Heights. All who live here now, though, are in debt to those who fought here. The shores may be different, but they are still washed by the tides as Chelsea Creek follows its course.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Watch: The Battle of Lexington reenactment, 250 years later
Thousands of people gathered at dawn Saturday to commemorate the 250th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Lexington. Massachusetts 250th celebration: Local events, road closures. Here's everything you need to know Exactly 250 years after the opening shots of the American Revolution were fired, the Lexington Battle Green once again became a stage for the story that changed a nation. With muskets slung over their shoulders, dozens of Lexington Minutemen reenactors dressed as colonial militia emerged from the shadows just after 5 a.m. and assembled silently on the dew-covered grass. Just as they did on the fateful morning April 19, 1775, they stood waiting for the arrival of British Regulars and the moment that would echo across history. As the Redcoats advanced from the east, the crowd, many wrapped in blankets with hot cups of coffee in hand, fell silent. The British Regulars, outnumbering the colonial militia, formed a two-deep line across the Battle Green. The Regulars were ordered to disarm the militia, but not fire. With the militia defiant, refusing to lay down their arms, the Regulars affixed their bayonets and began to march forward. A single shot, known as the 'shot heard round the world,' rang out, setting off the American Revolution. To this day, it's a mystery where it came from. A brief, chaotic, and unforgettable skirmish ensued. Eight militia men fell, 10 were wounded, and the militia retreated. Their names were read during the reenactment. , Lex250 Commission Chair Suzie Barry said the reenactment, faithful and somber, reminded all present that the freedoms celebrated today were born in gunpowder and grief. 'Today, as we mark the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, we honor the courage of those who stood here in 1775 and ignited the fight for American independence,' Barry said. 'This reenactment is more than a tribute — it's a reminder of why we're here: to preserve our shared history, to reflect on the values that shaped this nation and to ensure that the spirit of Lexington continues to inspire future generations. Thank you to our wonderful Lexington Minute Men for all the work they did to make this the most comprehensive and historical reenactment to date.' Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘One if by land, Two if by sea': 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's ride remembered
Everyone should know, 'On the 18th of April in '75, hardly a man is now alive who remembers that day and year,' as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote. It was that day, 250 years ago that Paul Revere and his cohort of riders waited for the signal, lamps set in the belfry of the Old North Church in Boston's North End. 'One if by land, and two if by sea,' Longfellow wrote. It was two — the British, called the Regulars by the colonists, were coming across the Charles River by boat. Revere rode through the countryside warning colonials that British troops were moving their way. It looked a little different in the lobby of the Wood Museum of Springfield History Friday afternoon as Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, D-Springfield, hung replica lamps to commemorate that day, 250 years ago, when the first battles of the American Revolution were fought in Lexington and Concord. Gonzalez, the chairman of the Western Massachusetts delegation in the state House of Representatives, arranged for the ceremony with Springfield, joining communities across the state, 'As a uniting call to action no matter who you are, to commemorate and remind ourselves that our history is about working together for a better tomorrow,' he said. The two lanterns were part of a set of 108 built as replicas of the lanterns supposedly used by the colonists that day in 1775, except the very subtle Red Sox logo on the diffuser of one lamp threw its historic authenticity out the window. 'These lamps are symbolic of a key moment in our history and the start in Massachusetts of the 250th anniversary of the Ride of Paul Revere across the commonwealth,' Gonzalez said. 'It is important to know that in these challenging times of divisiveness, we need to come together in more ways than one, and recognize what unites us, not what divides us. The American Revolution was not won by individuals acting alone, but by communities who organized, registered and worked together.' Gonzales said lamps were hung in the old North Church in Boston, Fall River, Danvers, Worcester and Springfield. Sarno said Springfield was a key community at the time of the revolution. 'Massachusetts is the birthplace of American democracy and Springfield played a key role in that,' he said, noting that Gen. George Washington choose Springfield as the country's first and most important armory.
CBS News
18-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
Man discovers connection to Boston's Old North Church, donates piece of American history
The historic North End of Boston holds centuries of stories throughout American history. For Harry Bulkeley, one visit 20 years ago, revealed a deeply personal connection. "The only way I can describe the sensation is that it was like I was walking up to a hot radiator," he said. While walking through Paul Revere Mall during a visit to his daughter at Harvard, Bulkeley felt an inexplicable pull toward a house behind the Old North Church. There, he spotted a plaque bearing the name "Ebenezer Clough," his six-times great-grandfather, who had been the master mason of the Old North Church. "I had no idea he lived there," Bulkeley said. The name matched the first entry from 1719 in his family's 300-year-old Bible, a record that predates formal birth and death certificates. "You know, back then in the 18th century, since there weren't a lot of birth records and there wasn't a city hall to keep track of who was living and who was dying, you used the family bible," he said. The records were written on pages between the Old and New Testament. "One of my favorite entries was June 17, 1775," Bulkeley said, "and it said, 'This is the day that the Regulars burned Charlestown.' That's actually the Battle of Bunker Hill." Last year, Bulkeley and his family decided to donate the Bible to the Old North Church, ensuring that this piece of American Revolutionary history was accessible to the public. "Some records are personal... but then there are other things that rightfully belong to everybody," he said. Now, his family's legacy lives on where it began more than three centuries ago, on the same grounds of the Old North Church.
