April 19th 250th

On the evening of April 18th, 1775 the British sent a party of hundreds of soldiers, called Regulars, out from Boston toward Concord in an attempt to capture stores of ammunition that
they had heard were stored there. Ahead of them rode Paul Revere on Brown Beauty, a horse supplied to him by a friend. Revere’s task was to set into motion a system of riders whose sole purpose it was to alarm all the towns of the countryside, and get them ready for the advance of the British Regulars.

Revere arrived in Lexington about midnight and alarmed the militia leaders there, as well as John Hancock and Samuel Adams. While Revere was still in Lexington, William Dawes rode in, also arriving from Boston, and also an alarm rider who took the longer overland route out of Boston. His ride was equally impressive, but he never got the fame that Revere did. Together, the two riders rode out of Lexington, toward Concord, where they needed to get the alarm spread so that
Concord could hide all the weapons and stores from the advancing Brits.

In Lincoln, Revere and Dawes came upon Dr. Samuel Prescott of Concord, who was on his way home from courting a young lady in Lexington. He agreed to ride with Revere and Dawes to help spread the alarm, and together the three of them galloped on into Lincoln. There in Lincoln, they rode straight into a British patrol. Revere was captured, Dawes turned and rode back toward Lexington, but it was Prescott who managed to head into the marshes and escape, continuing the
alarm ride to Concord, where he woke up all the town’s officials and militia leaders, thus enabling Concord to prepare for the ensuing arrival of the British.

Now at this point, the historical documentation gets a little cloudy, and it is not known with certainty where Prescott headed after this, but circumstantial evidence seems to point to him riding on into Acton and beyond.

Prescott, it is thought, arrived in Acton, where he alarmed Captain Joseph Robbins, one of Acton’s militia leaders, at about 3 in the morning of the 19th. Upon hearing the news, Captain
Robbins had his 13 year old son saddle up their horse, whereupon the young boy took off with (or probably without) Prescott across town to alarm Captain Isaac Davis of the Acton
Minutemen, and Francis Faulkner and Deacon Hunt, of Acton’s other militia unit.

We commemorate this heroic deed today as Robbins’ Ride, and for the purposes of safety and practicality, we combine the riders into one or two adult rider(s), but the rider still makes the rounds to all 4 stops that were alarmed on that fateful early morning in April of 1775, calling out “The Regulars are out of Boston – gather your units and head to Concord!”

We hold ceremonies and fire musket vollies at each of the four stops, and at the Faulkner Homestead in South Acton, Faulkner himself stumbles out in his nightclothes and manages (hopefully) to fire his musket 3 times to spread the alarm to his troops, whereupon the volley is echoed by another musket some distance away, followed by yet another even further off, demonstrating how the alarm was spread across town.

Please come join us for this annual event that is always held on the Sunday of Patriot’s Day weekend: Sunday April 16, 5pm at Robbins homestead on Concord Rd in Acton

Here is the schedule of the stops the rider makes:

• 5pm at the Robbins’ Homesite – soccer fields at bottom of Concord Rd.
• 5:20 at the Isaac Davis Homestead – 39 Hayward Road
• 5:40 at the Faulkner Homestead – 5 High St. in So. Acton (corner of Rte. 27)
• 5:55 at the Liberty Tree Farm – 24 Liberty St., also in So. Acton

Map of the Robbins Route: HERE

Revolution’s Edge: Costumed Reading of the Hit Play

Fri Apr 18th 6:30pm – 8:00pm

April 18, 2025 will mark the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s famous “two if by sea” lantern signal in Old North Church’s steeple. To kick off Boston’s Patriots’ Day weekend celebrations in partnership with the City of Boston, Old North Illuminated will stage a free reading of the hit play Revolution’s Edge behind Old North Church on Paul Revere Mall. Mayor Michelle Wu and other local officials will attend the play and give remarks to commemorate this historic anniversary.

Written by Patrick Gabridge and produced by Plays in Place, Revolution’s Edge is a gripping 45-minute historical drama that ran at Old North Church in the summers of 2023 and 2024. The play garnered critical acclaim and press coverage from the Associated Press, WBUR’s Radio Boston, and WGBH’s Boston Public Radio.

Revolution’s Edge takes us to the afternoon of April 18, 1775, hours before the signal lanterns would shine from Old North’s steeple. With war on the horizon, Old North’s Loyalist rector, the Rev. Dr. Mather Byles Jr., is pushed to “resign” his post. As Byles and Cato (an African man enslaved by Byles) prepare to leave the church for the final time, they encounter Capt. John Pulling Jr., a prominent member of the congregation, ardent Patriot, and friend of Paul Revere. As these three real-life characters have an imagined conversation, long-simmering tensions reflecting the complexities of life in colonial Boston come to a boil. Revolution’s Edge invites audiences to consider the spectrum of political beliefs that existed during the Revolutionary War era and the ways that race, class, and personal experiences influence our beliefs and values today.

The event will be held outdoors on Paul Revere Mall, a public and accessible space. In the event of rain, the reading will move across Hanover Street to St. Stephen’s Church. Guests will be greeted with live music before brief speaking remarks welcome the crowd and introduce the 45-minute costumed read of Revolution’s Edge. An ASL interpreter will translate during the performance. Most audience members will stand, but space will be held for wheelchair and companion seating. Old North’s lanterns will light up soon after the play’s conclusion, at the beginning of the reenactment of Revere’s row across the Charles River.

No tickets are required, but be sure to add the event to your calendar!

Credits for Revolution’s Edge
Written by Patrick Gabridge
Directed and Produced by Jess Meyer of Plays in Place
Starring Joshua Lee Robinson, Eric McGowan, and Dustin Teuber

Revolutionary Sponsor: Freedom Trail® Foundation
Patriot Sponsors: Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts, National Society Sons of the American Revolution

Paul Revere’s Ride to Revolution: A Commemoration of Revere’s Legendary Departure from Boston on April 18, 1775
5:30 – 10:00 PM
Various locations, all elements FREE

Honor the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride with a variety of events happening at City Hall Plaza, the Paul Revere House, Old North Church, the Charlestown Navy Yard, the USS Constitution Museum, and the Charlestown community throughout the evening.

Paul Revere Bids Farewell 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Paul and Rachel Revere prepare for his departure at home while museum staff give talks about the Midnight Ride elsewhere in the museum.

Revolution’s Edge: A Free Theatrical Reading of the Hit Play 7:00 – 7:45 PM
Old North Illuminated event at the Paul Revere Mall

Accompany Paul Revere to his Row 8:00 – 8:15 PM
Walk with Paul Revere to the US Coast Guard Station where he will begin his trip across the Charles River.

Await Paul Revere’s Arrival in Charlestown 8:00 – 8:30 PM
Speaking program at USS Constitution Museum by J.L. Bell on the “Context of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride”

Gather Along the Waterfront with Lanterns 8:00 – 8:30
Boston Harbor Now

Lantern Signal from Old North Church 8:15

Welcome Paul Revere to Charlestown 8:30 PM
Various gatherings in the community

Accompany Paul Revere to retrieve a Horse 8:45 – 9:30 PM
Walk with Paul Revere to the site of John Larkin’s home where he will borrow a horse and set off upon his now immortal ride.