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| America 250 |
As of the date that this Passion for the Past post is published - April 18, 2025 - we are now there - we are at the 250th anniversary of the actual official start of the American Revolutiomary War, officially known as the Semiquincentennial---America250. Yes, yes, I am aware of previous 'engagements' such as the 250th of the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party, but the midnight ride of Paul Revere (along with William Dawes and Samuel Prescott and dozens of other riders), tends to be the main kick off to the actual war itself. So, though I wrote a fairly extensive blog post about Revere back in 2014, what I decided to do in this commemorative posting is to include additional information on Revere, defend him from those who believe he is not worthy of such acclaim, and even include a few of my Paul Revere collectibles. Paul Revere is my revolutionary hero, and it doesn't really seem that long ago that we were celebrating the 200th - the Bicentennial (click HERE, HERE, and HERE), but, yet, here we are, believe it or not, fifty years later, and now I'm collecting the commemorations for the Semiquincentennial as well as the Bicentennial.
Next weekend (April 26) we have Michigan's own reenactment of that first encounter of April 19, 1775. Of course, I will be writing a blog post about that as well.
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So, let's revisit those historic days and dates leading up to and including April 18 and April 19, 1775:
In 1774 and 1775, the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Massachusetts Committee of Safety employed Paul Revere as an express rider to carry news, messages, and copies of important documents as far away as New York and Philadelphia, so he was used to traveling with "news".
In 1775, Revere's plan to use lanterns as a signal was set in motion several days before his famous ride. Revere contacted his friend, Robert Newman, the sexton of Christ Church in Boston’s North End and, should there be any unusual rumblings or stirrings coming from the redcoats, instructed him to hold two lit lanterns in the tower of Christ Church (now called the Old North Church) as a signal to fellow Sons of Liberty across the Charles River in case Revere was unable to leave town.
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| From The Old North Church |
When first notified on that fateful evening of April 18, Revere stopped by his own house to pick up his boots and overcoat, and proceeded the short distance to Boston’s North End waterfront. There, two friends rowed him across the river to Charlestown. Slipping past the British warship HMS Somerset in the darkness, Revere landed safely. After informing Colonel Conant and other local Sons of Liberty about recent events in Boston and verifying the signals in the North Church tower, Revere borrowed a horse from John Larkin, a Charlestown merchant and a patriot sympathizer. Before his journey, a member of the Committee of Safety named Richard Devens warned Revere that there were a number of British patrols in the area who might try to intercept him.
At about eleven o’clock Revere set off on horseback.
Yes, late that night Paul Revere, William Dawes, and a network of individuals rode out into the countryside, agreeing that the likely object of a British expedition seemed to be either the arrest of John Hancock and Samuel Adams in Lexington or the seizure of munitions in nearby Concord.
In Lexington, as he approached the house where Adams and Hancock were staying, Sergeant Monroe, acting as a guard outside the house, requested that he not make so much noise. “Noise!” cried Revere, “You’ll have noise enough before long. The regulars are coming out!” According to tradition, John Hancock, who was still awake, heard Revere’s voice and said, “Come in, Revere! We’re not afraid of you”. He entered the house and delivered his message.
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| Artwork by Cortney Skinner (information on this artist at the bottom of the posting) |
About half past twelve, William Dawes, who had traveled the longer land route out of Boston Neck, arrived in Lexington carrying the same message as Revere. After both men “refreshed themselves” (i.e. had something to eat and drink), they decided to continue on to Concord to verify that the military stores were properly dispersed and hidden away.
A short distance outside of Lexington, they were overtaken by Dr. Samuel Prescott, who they determined was a fellow “high Son of Liberty.” A short time later, a British patrol intercepted all three men. Prescott and Dawes escaped; Revere was held for some time, questioned, and let go. Before he was released, however, his horse was confiscated to replace the tired mount of a British sergeant. Left alone on the road, Revere returned to Lexington on foot in time to witness the latter part of the battle on Lexington Green.
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There are those who state, with some sort of self-given authority, that Mr. Revere "was a failure during his midnight ride," because, they say, he failed to complete his mission...he did not make it to Concord to warn the citizens that the Regulars were coming to steal their ammunition. And I got to admit, I love hearing that "no one even knew of Paul Revere until Longfellow wrote that poem almost a hundred years later!"
It's obvious they did little reseach, for if they did they would have realized that Paul Revere helped to develop and organize the entire plan, including the lantern signal system in the Old North Church steeple, designed to alert patriots about "British" troop movements before the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
He also made multiple important warning "rides" before his most famous.
Also, his warning the people of Concord wasn't necessarily his main goal.
On the night of April 18, 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren, who was a personal friend of Paul Revere’s, informed him that he had just received intelligence from his own spy network that the King's Regular Army, while on the road to Concord to capture or destroy military stores that had been gathered there, planned to stop in Lexington and arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, the patriot leaders who were staying in a house there owned by one of Hancock’s relatives. So Dr. Warren had Revere go to Lexington and warn Adams and Hancock to get out of the way of the British troops. Along the way, Revere also warned people.
However, as we found out afterward, this intelligence from Joseph Warren was only partially accurate; yes, the troops would soon be on the march to Concord, but no, they had no intention on arresting Hancock and Adams.
As historian David Hackett Fischer wrote:
"Paul Revere's primary mission was not to alarm the countryside. His specific purpose was to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock, who were thought to be the object of the expedition. And he did exactly that. Concord and its military stores were also mentioned to Revere, but only in a secondary way."
So there you have it.
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| Artwork by Cortney Skinner |
As far as Revere not making it to Concord, he was stopped and captured by a British scouting regiment.
In Revere's own words: "In an instant I saw four of them, who rode up to me with their pistols in their bands, said ''G---d d---n you, stop. If you go an inch further, you are a dead man.'' We attempted to get through them, but they kept before us, and swore if we did not turn in to that pasture, they would blow our brains out."
Yep - I woulda stopped, too.
I'm sure you would have as well.
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| Artwork by Cortney Skinner |
So he was no failure - he did exactly as he set out to do.
And this, by the way, is why we, as historians, must continue to research on our own and not listen to people who seemingly received their historical education from Facebook University (and use memes as their textbooks!).
But it sounds good - - - - .....
Quite often I'll hear or read that Paul Revere was virtually unknown until Longfellow's 1860 poem, that no one was even aware of his famous ride. Well, I have a history book from 1850 - ten years before the poem by Longfellow - called The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution (Volume 1) by Benson J. Lossing, and there, on page 523, it is written: Paul Revere and William Dawes had just rowed across the river to Charlestown with a message from (Joseph) Warren to Hancock and Adams at Lexington...
(They) reached Lexington thirteen miles northward of Boston a little after midnight. A guard of eight minute men was placed around Mr. Clark's house to protect Adams and Hancock. The messengers made themselves known to these, but were refused admission to the house, as orders had been given not to allow the inmates to be disturbed by noise.
"Noise!" said Revere; "You'll have noise enough before long; the regulars are coming!"
Lossing did get a few things wrong (such as Dawes rowing across the river and traveling with Revere), but that's beside the point. For someone supposedly unknown, Revere had a name in a history book 32 years after his death and 75 years after the actual event! And, so it would seem, so did William Dawes! And did you note that Lossing included Revere's comment of "the regulars are coming" and not the more popular "the British are coming!"?
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| John Singleton Copley painted this portrait of Paul Revere in 1768, when Revere was thirty-three years old. |
Looks like some of our modern so-called historians are too quick to condemn rather than do a proper deeper research. I suppose they can sell more books in that manner, eh?
Thanks for allowing me to aur a few frustrations here...
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Over the years I have amassed a decently large assortment of Paul Revere collectibles. Oh, nothing worth a whole lot of money---mostly items, some a bit unusual, from the Bicentennial celebrations of the mid-1970s, but also a few items of more recent vintage. But all mean something to me. And I'm certain there are folks out there who have plenty more than what I have - I only collect items that have a certain appeal personally...I don't collect everything that's out there, but I like what I have, some of which you have seen in earlier posts:
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| This came as a set which I have framed~ I believe this is a "First Day Issue" envelope with postmark.
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"Paul Revere Piece Of Wood From His House Encapsulated" CoA: (Certificate of Analysis, which is a document that verifies the quality, purity, and identity of a product or material such as what we have here). This item was authenticated by Todd Mueller Autographs and came with their Certificate of Authenticity. Todd Mueller Autographs has been BBB accredited, and that accredation signifies a business's commitment to meeting the Better Business Bureau's standards for honesty, transparency, and ethical business practices, and it's a way for businesses to demonstrate trustworthiness to consumers.
Yeah...I feel I did good.
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| Another framed collectible.... |
Now, you may comment on this being only a chip of wood, no matter where it came from. Ain't no big deal, right?
Well, inside the Wright Cycle Shop building, which has been relocated from Dayton, Ohio to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, Wilbur and Orville Wright designed and created the first successful powered airplane, the 1903 Wright Flyer.
Know what also has been placed inside?
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A wood chip, seen on the left, taken from a wing of the plane flown at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. Included in this display is also a piece of fabric as well from that first airplane, and it now has a place of reverence and honor inside the Nationally known and respected Greenfield Village open-air museum. Very cool, huh? I feel the same about the Revere wood chip. But also, on the right in the above picture, I have, in my own personal collection, a wood chip taken from an original beam from Independence Hall from the time when our founders, including Ben Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and John Hancock debated and signed the Declaration of Independence! One is a museum piece---the other two (including the wood chip from Paul Revere's House) I would say are worthy of being museum pieces, yet they are in my own collection.
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Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was renovated in 1897-1898. During the renovation, 16 of the original beams holding up the floor on which the giants of the era debated the future of the 13 Colonies were replaced.
Rather than discarding the old beams, which felt the footsteps of the titans of the Revolutionary War era, project manager and superintendent of the Independence Hall, Samuel S. Reeves, retained possession of the original timbers. Over the years, most of the beams were sold and subsequently cut up into slivers, producing thousands of history cards and memorabilia that were sold during the Bicentennial in 1976 all over the country and in many major department stores.
This very cool memento was produced in 1976 to honor the 200th Anniversary of the founding of the USA. To me, it is a very historical item to possess, and it comes in the original storage box.
As for the Revere wood chip:
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| To make sure all is on the level, I did my research and learned that Tom Mueller is a well-respected autograph dealer and antique anthenticator. I then contacted him for his assurance as well. |
And, kind of along the same vein (back to Paul Revere):
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Relic cards contain a piece of memorabilia, such as a swatch of fabric from a player's jersey, a piece of a game-used bat, or a piece of a baseball (if they are sports cards), and pieces of news prints (if they are historic cards, such as this Paul Revere card) embedded within the card itself. |
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So, as with the piece of wood From his house, I did some digging... to answer the question: are they real? Yes, I learned the memorabilia is legitimate. |
It really is very cool knowing I have actual history!
Here we have a photograph of the original “Liberty Bowl” which was engraved with the names of 15 members of the Sons of Liberty who commissioned it:
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| Paul Revere's "Liberty Bowl" - the original from 1768~ |
It celebrated the “Glorious Ninety-Two”, a vote of 92 to 17 in the Massachusetts Assembly to disobey the King’s order and “not rescind” a letter produced and circulated among the colonies by that assembly. The letter was a protest against the British Ministry and suggested a united front against their policy of “taxation without representation.”
This original “Liberty Bowl” can be seen at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
In the two photos below we have a wonderful reproduction by Oneida Silversmiths, which is patterned after the original hand-crafted done by Paul Revere in 1768.
Please note: the reproduction below does not include engraved names of the 15 Sons of Liberty.
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| The reproduction "Liberty Bowl" |
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| The engraved information on the bottom of the bowl. |
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A good chunk of my Paul Revere Bicentennial collectibles: Quite a collection, even though it could be much larger. But I only purchase things I personally like, not just because it has Revere's name or likeness on it. |
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For this Early Times decanter for Connecticut we have Paul Revere's Ride. Written on a label on the back: "Depicted on the front is Paul Revere's famous ride. On the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere and William Dawes both on horseback, alerted Sam Adams, John Hancock, and others at Lexington that 700 British soldiers were on the way to Concord to destroy arms." |
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Speaking of whiskey decanters, here is a Paul Revere decanter/bottle made by McCormick Distillery. This is actually just one of a set of many:
All of these decanters are so cool - why is it that the liquor industry had the coolest historical collectibles? |
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| And here we have a Bicentennial First Day Cover of a Paul Revere coin/medal |
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| And to help celebrate the 250th, here is a gem from Creative Cockades! |
"This steel can makes no secret of its American pride."
With red and blue stars flanking a bold sketch of the Liberty Bell, Philadelphia’s Henry F. Ortlieb’s Brewing Company appealed to the patriotic fervor of 1976. The company developed the “Collector’s Series,” releasing one can a month starting in September 1975.
Back in those days, cans were made of steel, not the ultra thin aluminum of today.
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Here's the front of the Ortlieb's can, as described above. However, every month, an image on the back of each Ortlieb's commemorative can highlighted a different Revolutionary War scene or facet of eighteenth-century life to celebrate America’s Bicentennial. Eight of the twelve sketches had direct ties to the Philadelphia area, capitalizing on the city’s rich colonial history while simultaneously paying homage to the company’s roots. |
Here is the reverse side of another Ortleib's beer can:
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...we see Paul Revere on horseback with Boston’s Old North Church in the background, presumably with two lanterns glowing in the window. The scene is titled, “Paul Revere’s Ride: Calling the Countryside to Arms.” |
Following national trends, Henry A. Ortlieb (1948-2004) developed the Bicentennial can series to prompt sales outside the region. From September 1975 to August 1976, patriotic consumers and can collectors from Philadelphia, the Midwest, and New England awaited the next installment of the “Collector’s Series.” Seeing the success of Ortlieb’s campaign, executives at Schmidt’s beer, another Northern Liberties brewery, decided to release their own series of collectible cans."
Here is "official" lantern information from the Concord Museum:
Date Made : 1765-1770
Material : iron, glass
Place Made : America, MASSACHUSETTS, Boston
Description: Tinned iron, glass. Rectangular shaped lantern, with four glass panels and a ring on the top. Metal has incised line design. Also known as "Paul Revere's Lantern."
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| Here is the original lantern from April 18, 1775---it is now in the Concord Museum. |
(This) Lantern has been identified as one of the lanterns hung as a signal in the belfry of Christ Church (Old North Church) in Boston on the night of April 18, 1775. Paul Revere stopped on his way to Charlestown to arrange that the order be given to the sexton of the church, Robert Newman, to hang the two lanterns. This was a pre-arranged signal to inform the patriots in Charlestown that the British were on the move. Revere's ride that night was the prelude to the battle of Lexington and Concord.
Tolman Catalog, Tolman Number 155: "Lantern, bought in 1782 by Capt. Daniel Brown, of Concord, from the sexton of Christ Church in Boston, and affirmed by the said sexton at that time to have been one of the two lanterns flashed from the belfry of that church by order of Paul Revere, on the evening of the 18th of April, 1775. From Captain Brown's grandson it came into the possession of Mr. C. E. Davis in 1853, with the legend as here given."
From the Concord Museum
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Here is the original 1975 / 76 advertisement from the Saturday Evening post. It was also in Life, Time, and Newsweek. I wanted the lantern so bad!! |
The Limited Edition Collector's Society, with the approval and blessings of the Concord Antiquarian Society, arranged for the meticulous production of a limited number of certified, authentic copies of the Paul Revere/Old North Church Lantern. According to the Limited Edition Collector's Society, there are only two aspects of the lantern in which the reproductions are not absolutely faithful to the original:
First, they were not individually hand-made by a craftsman, for this would have raised the price much higher than what was charged in 1975.
Second, metals such as sterling silver and pewter were used instead of the impure sheet iron in which the originals were made. Again, this was due to cost as well as the fact that the old metals would rust over time, as has the original.
These Bicentennial lanterns were meant to be high-quality heirlooms keepsakes, and when I saw this advertisement, I yearned to own one, not only because of its significance in our nation's history and founding, but because of its association with my hero (then and now), Paul Revere. But the cheapest lantern back when made in 1975 was $95. For a 15 year old in 1975/76 it might as well been a thousand dollars - 'twas far out of my price range. Over time I had forgotten about this awesome collectible.
A few decades and a new century later, in 2014, I then, totally out of the blue, had a memory jog...so I began my search for this replicated Old North Church lantern, using something that was not around all those years before: the internet, and it was while combing the 'net, that I would find the lanterns here and there, though not very often, and they would usually be priced way out of my reach, oftentimes in the thousand dollar range. As cool as they were - and how badly I still wanted one - I simply could not justify spending such a price.
So I kept searching...searching...searching...until I happened across one on Craig's List (I never go on Craig's List! Why did I go on it on this particular day? Maybe it was meant to be...). I contacted the person selling it and he told me that he was now in his 80's and since his children were uninterested he thought he'd sell it off and make a little money.
The $200 price was pretty darn cheap in comparison to others I'd seen ($600 and up), and I became excited. Maybe, finally, I might own one of these awesome replicated lanterns I've wanted for all these years! The seller also mentioned that a couple clips that held the glass were broken off and two panes of glass were missing as well. Because of this he gave me an even better deal.
I asked him why he was willing to part with the lantern after 40 years, and he wrote back with, "My last birthday brought me to 83 and the realization that it's time to find new homes for some of my life's impulsive acquisitions. My children's interests lie elsewhere, negating them as the willful beneficiaries."
Lucky for me, I suppose, but also kind of sad in a way. I certainly wish I had more of my own father's "impulsive acquisitions."
But, it was his children's loss, and now it is my unbelievable gain, and for that I'm thankful. Very much so, for I remembered the advertisements and thinking back then how great it would be to have something like this.
The role of the signals conveyed by the lanterns is sometimes misunderstood. Here's the explanation from the Paul Revere Museum:
"Revere contacted an unidentified friend (probably Robert Newman, the sexton of Christ Church in Boston’s North End) and instructed him to hold two lit lanterns in the tower of Christ Church (now called the Old North Church) as a signal to fellow Sons of Liberty across the Charles River in case Revere was unable to leave town.
"The two lanterns were a predetermined signal stating that the British troops planned to row 'by sea' across the Charles River to Cambridge, rather than march 'by land' out Boston Neck."
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| My replicated Old North Church Lantern from 1975...with a lit candle. |
This lantern was authorized by the Concord Antiquarian Society, the owners of the only one of the original two known to exist, and created for the Bicentennial in 1976. These were made in limited editions and registered editions. This one is made out of sterling silver; the plate on the Mahogany base carries the registration number.
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The plaque that is placed upon the plinth: Considering it is now 50 years old, the lantern is nearly an antique itself! |
This is the closest reproduction—in size, shape, and design, though here made of beautiful Sterling Silver, not tin—I've seen of the lantern used to signal from Old North Church the night of Paul Revere's ride. (Others rode, too.) Joseph Warren sent Revere to Lexington, believing that the troops planned to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, two leaders of the Sons of Liberty, who were staying at a house in Lexington.
(Italicized print denotes what was written on "The History List" page)
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| "Two if by sea..." The lantern on the left is the replica of one of the two that "shewn" in the Old North Church steeple on the night of April 18, 1775. Now, the lantern on the right is not an Old North Church replication, but is, instead, a replication of the type of tin lanterns used at that time. It is the best I can do for now--- still, they look good together all lit up in the darkness. |
Around ten o'clock on the evening of April 18 here in 2025, for the 250th anniversary, my plans are to light these two lanterns and put them in a window in honor of the two that "shewn" in the Old North Church tower 250 years earlier.
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| The fact is, Old North Church - along with Lexington & Concord - are hoping others all across the nation will do the same. |
I love how I get to take part in events and celebration for the 250th that I could not do during the Bicentennial 50 years ago.
Next up we have Paul Revere's print of the Boston Massacre.
The presence of British troops in the city of Boston was increasingly unwelcome. On the evening of March 5, 1770, the unpopular Redcoats and a few townspeople were involved in a dispute that spiraled out of control. Church bells rang and a larger crowd of around 50 (many thinking there was a fire) assembled. These citizens began to taunt, spit upon, and then throw chunks of ice and other debris at the soldiers. A British officer, Captain Thomas Preston, called in additional soldiers, and these, too, were attacked. A club (or some other piece of debris) knocked one of the soldiers off his feet. It’s said that as the soldier recovered himself, his gun may have accidentally went off, enraging the crowd even further.
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| This is an original from 1770 of Paul Revere's print inside the Henry Ford Museum. |
Within a minute or two, the soldiers opened fire, killing three Americans instantly (a black sailor named Crispus Attucks, ropemaker Samuel Gray, and a mariner named James Caldwell), and wounding 8 others, two of whom died later (Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr).
The Boston Massacre was a signaling event leading to the Revolutionary War. It led directly to the Royal Governor evacuating the occupying army from the town of Boston. It would soon bring the revolution to armed rebellion throughout the colonies.
Not long after the incident, Henry Pelham, an established artist and engraver in Boston, showed his drawing to Paul Revere. But before it could be printed, Revere liberally borrowed (shall we say) from Pelham's work to create, print, and distribute his own remarkably similar version of the scene. As fate would dictate, it was Revere's print, entitled "The Bloody Massacre" and bearing the mark "Engrav'd Printed & Sold by PAUL REVERE Boston," that would gain widespread circulation.
The Revere print is today recognized as having been one of the most important pieces of political propaganda in America's early history, helping foment the anti-British feeling in the Colonies that a few years later would lead to all-out revolt.
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| Here is my replicated Revere print paying hommage. |
There are those who would like nothing more than to disparage all of the deeds of our American heroes. Betsy Ross is one example. Did she sew the first American Flag for the United States or didn't she?
Well, there's no documented proof either way.
However, Ross has something going for her that many conveniently overlook:
There is an affidavit of Rachel Fletcher, a daughter of Betsy Ross (Elizabeth Claypoole):
The affidavit begins with "I remember having heard my mother Elizabeth Claypoole say frequently that she, with her own hands, (while she was the widow of John Ross,) made the first Star-spangled Banner that ever was made." They say it was Betsy Ross's grandson, William J. Canby, who first shared the story of his grandmother making the first American flag. Canby presented a paper on the subject to the Pennsylvania Historical Society in 1870. They overlooked Ross's own daughter's sworn statement as well as her grandson's rememberances of his grandmother's stories, yet this is not acceptable why? I mean, family stories have been passed down for generations and centuries beforehand (even by Native Americans), which are accepted, mostly without question, but for some reason Betsy's own daughter's affadavit is conveniently overlook and grandson's paper called a lie.
There is an affidavit of Rachel Fletcher, a daughter of Betsy Ross (Elizabeth Claypoole):
The affidavit begins with "I remember having heard my mother Elizabeth Claypoole say frequently that she, with her own hands, (while she was the widow of John Ross,) made the first Star-spangled Banner that ever was made." They say it was Betsy Ross's grandson, William J. Canby, who first shared the story of his grandmother making the first American flag. Canby presented a paper on the subject to the Pennsylvania Historical Society in 1870. They overlooked Ross's own daughter's sworn statement as well as her grandson's rememberances of his grandmother's stories, yet this is not acceptable why? I mean, family stories have been passed down for generations and centuries beforehand (even by Native Americans), which are accepted, mostly without question, but for some reason Betsy's own daughter's affadavit is conveniently overlook and grandson's paper called a lie.
Now many of these same people are claiming that Paul Revere doesn't deserve the accolades he receives for his part in the ride of April 18, 1775. They always point to the 1860 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and how so much of it is not accurate. However, from the beginning, this poem was meant to be a dramatic poem and not a historical account of the infamous ride. Yet, even with the actual facts we have, there are those who have expressed downright disdain for Revere and will go out of their way to criticize him and his accomplishments.
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Revolutionary War stamps: I'm not 100% sure if this collection came out in this way during the Bicentennial period - judging by the year of the stamps, they grabbed two stamps from a decade previous: 1965 Paul Revere 25 cents, and the 1961 Patrick Henry 4 cents. The third stamp here is from 1975 and is a 24 cent stamp of the Old North Church. All have not been used or touched so are considered mint. It most likely is from the Bicentennial due to the fact that all the stamps are pre-1976. |
Here is a neat item that was made especially for the semiquincentennial:
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A sticker and shirt commemorating the 250th anniversary of the midnight riders of April 18, 1775. Yes, I do have the shirt. This History List original design refers the three riders — Samuel Prescott, Paul Revere, and William Dawes — who famously rode through the night to warn colonists about the British troops marching on Lexington and on to Concord. |
As a teenager in Boston, Paul Revere signed a contract to serve as a bell ringer at Christ Church (the Old North Church), even though he attended a different church:
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| Here is the original bell-ringing contract. The seven boys who signed it had learned penmanship at the North Writing School, and several of the accented their signatures with flourishes, none larger than Revere's---a flashy, looping sweep beneath his name, a marking that, as he aged, he shed. (from the collection called Paul Revere In Primary Sources) |
(Italicized text came directly from the book The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America by Kostya Kennedy)
Bells would play a role in Revere's life later in his life.
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| The bell that hangs in the Martha-Mary Chapel. |
Also from the book The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America:
It was still later in his life , in 1792, when Paul Revere was no longer in the thick of things, when he was fifty-seven years old and still as industrious as any man, that he embarked on a business casting church bells, the very first church bells cast in America. Revere's earliest bells gave a crude, umpolished sound, but over time the bells he cast would become known for their excellence of shape and for the clear , high quality of their peal. Revere and his son Joseph Warren Revere oversaw the casting of hundreds of bells during the later years of Paul's life. Scores of them still ring from church belfries in New England towns and villages today.
In fact, we here in the Metro-Detroit area of Michigan have a Paul Revere-bell connection:
Whenever you are lucky enough to hear the bell toll from the church steeple in the Martha-Mary Chapel while inside historic Greenfield Village, just remember that the bell you are hearing ringing loud and clear was cast during the 1820s, and is attributed to Joseph Warren Revere & Associates of Boston, Massachusetts—a foundry inherited by Joseph from his more famous father, Paul Revere, after he passed away in 1818.
A few of the pictures here have information from a booklet about the bells made by the Revere Foundry, including the one that hangs inside the Martha-Mary Chapel.
I only wish I could take a better picture of the bell while hanging in the steeple…
When I saw this pamphlet while perusing the Paul Revere House web site, I ordered a copy for myself.
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| The cover of the book/pamphlet. |
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| Inside pages~. |
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| Look at #18 - The original from Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan~ |
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| The back cover of the booklet - this is NOT the bell in the Martha-Mary Chapel, but one that is on display of the Revere House courtyard. |
There are times when the Village will ring this original Revere bell, especially during their Salute to America/Independence Day event. I love listening to it:
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| The Revere Bell in the Martha-Mary Chapel is rung during the Salute to America Independence Day celebrations! |
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| You can barely make out the bell's outline inside the steeple. |
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| My wife and I went to a wedding at the chapel there at the Village and the bride & groom rang the historic nearly 200 year old bell. It was awesome! |
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| My daytime ride as Paul Revere! |
During the Bicentennial in 1975 & 1976, being 14 & 15 years old, I was too young to drive. So I was not able to participate in nearly any of the cool historical activities.
Here I am, fifty years later, and, well, I’m driving! AND I CAN participate in the Semiquincentennial so I plan to do as much as I am able.
I love that I can participate now, no matter how big or small that participation may be.
I only wish more museums would participate as well.
For shame for those that don't.
You know the rest. In the books you have read,
How the British Regulars fired and fled,--
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard-wall,
Chasing the red-coats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.
(from the Longfellow poem)
Until next time, see you in time.
The following is a list of Passion for the Past posts I wrote (or put together) that involved Paul Revere:
~ Please click the links below for more of my blog posts about the beginnings of the Revolutionary War:
Sarah and Rachel: The Wives of Paul Revere
Paul Revere was married twice and, between his two wives, he fathered 16 children.
What I attempted to do in this post was to find virtually everything available about these two Mrs. Revere's. I think I succeeded - -
With Liberty and Justice For All: The Fight for Independence at the Henry Ford Museum
An amazing collection of original Revolutionary War artifacts on display for all the world to see, telling the story of America's fight for Independence. An original Stamp Act notification. A letter written by Benedict Arnold. George Washington's camp bed, a coffee pot made by Paul Revere, a writing desk that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson...yeah...this is some great stuff here!
Unsung Patriots: The Printing of the Declaration of Independence
There is so much more to this most important American document, from the idea to composing to printing - who is going to print this? - to delivery...oh yeah, there is a lot more history to our Declaration than I ever realized!
Declaring Independence: The Spirits of '76
Something very special happened almost 250 years ago, but is that story being promoted?
Come on a time-travel visit to colonial America during that hot summer of 1776 and learn, first hand, of the accounts on how we were making a new and independent nation.
Travel and Taverns
The long air-conditioned (or heated) car ride. Motels without a pool! Can we stop at McDonalds? I'm hungry!
Ahhhh....modern travelers never had it so good.
I've always had a fascination of travel back in the day, and I decided to find out as much as I could about them.
I wasn't disappointed - - - I dug through my books, went to a historic research library, 'surfed the net' (does anyone say that anymore?), and asked docents who work at historic taverns questions, looking for the tiniest bits of information to help me to understand what it was like to travel and stay at a tavern in the colonial times.
This post is the culmination of all of that research.
Our country's founding relied greatly on the tavern.
Cooking on the Hearth
No stoves or fast food restaurants. Everything made from scratch.
What was it like for our colonial ancestors to prepare, cook, and eat their meals, and what kinds of food were available to them? How did they keep their foodstuffs from spoiling and rotting?
If you have questions such as this, I believe you will enjoy this post.
In the Good Old Colony Days
A concise pictorial to everyday life in America's colonies. And I do mean "pictorial," for there are over 80 photos included, covering nearly every aspect of colonial life.
I try to touch on most major topics of the period with links to read more detailed accounts.
This just may be my very favorite of all my postings. If it isn't, it's in the top 2!
Living By Candle Light: The Light at its Brightest
Could you survive living in the era before electric lights or even before the 19th century style oil lamps?
Do you know how many candles you would need for a year?
Do you know what it was like to make candles right from scratch, or what it was like to visit your local chandler?
That's what this posting is about!
Modern historians like to relegate Paul Revere as more fable than fact, no thanks to Longfellow's poem. But this man deserves his place in our history, and rightfully so, for his ride was as important as nearly any other occurrence of his time.
I have searched multiple sources to find the true story of Paul Revere's Midnight Ride, and put it all here.
I think you just might be surprised at what Revere actually did.
William Dawes' Story
Supposedly, this man was relegated to the footnotes of history due to his name being Dawes. But he, too, has a story to tell of his ride as a partner messenger with Paul Revere.
William Dawes' Story
Supposedly, this man was relegated to the footnotes of history due to his name being Dawes. But he, too, has a story to tell of his ride as a partner messenger with Paul Revere.
There were dozens of other riders - nit just Paul Revere - on that night od April 18, 1775. Here's a bit on some of those other riders.
Diaries, journals, letters, newspapers/broadsides, remembrances...this is what I used to garner these very personal stories from those who were there - actual witnesses, men & women, of the Battle of Lexington & Concord.
Their tales will draw you into their world.
The Extraordinary Story of Sybil Ludington
Some say her story is not true, though history tends to side with our young female patriot. Check out what I wrote in this posting and then decide for yourself if her own daring ride is true or just a fable.
The Extraordinary Story of Sybil Ludington
Some say her story is not true, though history tends to side with our young female patriot. Check out what I wrote in this posting and then decide for yourself if her own daring ride is true or just a fable.
Sarah and Rachel: The Wives of Paul Revere
Paul Revere was married twice and, between his two wives, he fathered 16 children.
What I attempted to do in this post was to find virtually everything available about these two Mrs. Revere's. I think I succeeded - -
You are aware of that most famous of Paul Revere paintings, right?
This post goes deeper into the image...
This post goes deeper into the image...
How I came about obtaining an amazing historical replica...at a good price!
With Liberty and Justice For All: The Fight for Independence at the Henry Ford Museum
An amazing collection of original Revolutionary War artifacts on display for all the world to see, telling the story of America's fight for Independence. An original Stamp Act notification. A letter written by Benedict Arnold. George Washington's camp bed, a coffee pot made by Paul Revere, a writing desk that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson...yeah...this is some great stuff here!
Unsung Patriots: The Printing of the Declaration of Independence
There is so much more to this most important American document, from the idea to composing to printing - who is going to print this? - to delivery...oh yeah, there is a lot more history to our Declaration than I ever realized!
Declaring Independence: The Spirits of '76
Something very special happened almost 250 years ago, but is that story being promoted?
Come on a time-travel visit to colonial America during that hot summer of 1776 and learn, first hand, of the accounts on how we were making a new and independent nation.
Travel and Taverns
The long air-conditioned (or heated) car ride. Motels without a pool! Can we stop at McDonalds? I'm hungry!
Ahhhh....modern travelers never had it so good.
I've always had a fascination of travel back in the day, and I decided to find out as much as I could about them.
I wasn't disappointed - - - I dug through my books, went to a historic research library, 'surfed the net' (does anyone say that anymore?), and asked docents who work at historic taverns questions, looking for the tiniest bits of information to help me to understand what it was like to travel and stay at a tavern in the colonial times.
This post is the culmination of all of that research.
Our country's founding relied greatly on the tavern.
Cooking on the Hearth
No stoves or fast food restaurants. Everything made from scratch.
What was it like for our colonial ancestors to prepare, cook, and eat their meals, and what kinds of food were available to them? How did they keep their foodstuffs from spoiling and rotting?
If you have questions such as this, I believe you will enjoy this post.
In the Good Old Colony Days
A concise pictorial to everyday life in America's colonies. And I do mean "pictorial," for there are over 80 photos included, covering nearly every aspect of colonial life.
I try to touch on most major topics of the period with links to read more detailed accounts.
This just may be my very favorite of all my postings. If it isn't, it's in the top 2!
Living By Candle Light: The Light at its Brightest
Could you survive living in the era before electric lights or even before the 19th century style oil lamps?
Do you know how many candles you would need for a year?
Do you know what it was like to make candles right from scratch, or what it was like to visit your local chandler?
That's what this posting is about!
I have nearly a dozen books on Paul Revere - books with roughly the same story but each having their own other biographical life details; gap-filling particulars. So with each, a more complete picture is drawn of the man.
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Cortney Skinner’s artwork appears in books, magazines, comics, and in films. He has illustrated a wide range of subjects including science fiction, classics, horror, fantasy, history, aviation, and children’s books. His landscapes, still lifes, and portraits are found in private collections.
Skinner studied illustration at the Art Institute of Boston under Norman Baer, a second-generation student of Howard Pyle, (1853-1911) the famous Golden Age illustrator known for his historic illustrations of the colonial period. Beginning his career in the traditional art techniques of pencil, pen, and paint, Skinner entered the digital art world at the turn of the last century.
Cortney’s fascination with the colonial period began when, in the third grade, his class was given a tour of the Revolutionary War period historic sites of his hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts. During the bicentennial, he started the first living history Continental Line Regiment, the 1st Massachusetts Regiment, Continental Line, requiring a great deal of research in order to construct the clothing and uniform of a soldier of the Revolution.
I sent an e-mail and heard nothing in return. However, if Cortney Skinner or the company would like me to remove the artwork, I will.
I must say, my blogs are not monetized.
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