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nilUM BEATEN AT THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON
BY WM. DIAMOND, NOW IN THE I'OSSESSION
OF THE LEXINGTON HISTORICAL SOCI
ETY. THE LONO ROLL ON THIS
DRUM WAS THE FIltST OVERT
ACT OF THE HEVOJ.FTION.

HAYES MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN AND STATUE OF CAPTAIN JOHN PARKER,
LEXINGTON COMMON. DEDICATED 1900.
HENRY H. KITSON, SCULPTOR.

The foundation and drinking basin are of field stones. At the
ground level are small basins (one on either side) for animals unable
to drink from the principal or horse basin.

LEXINGTON

BIRTHPLACE OF AMERICAN LIBERTY

A HANDBOOK
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON — PAUL REVERb's
NARRATIVE OF HIS FAMOUS RIDE — A SKETCH OF THE TOWN
AND THE PLACES OF HISTORIC INTEREST — INSCRIP
TIONS ON ALL HISTORIC TABLETS — DIRECTORY
— MAP AND NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS

By FRED S. PIPER
PAST PRESIDENT AND PAST HISTORIAN OF THE
LEXINGTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Copyright 1902, 1910. 1915, 1918, 1920, by Lexington Historical Society

SIXTH EDITION

LEXINGTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
LEXINGTON 1920

THE OLD MONUMENT ON THE COMMON.

Sacred to Liberty & The Rights of mankind ! ! !
The Freedom & Independence of America
Sealed & defended with the blood of her sons.
This Monument is erected
By the inhabitants of Lexington,
Under the patronage & at the expence, of
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
To the memory of their Fellow Citizens,
Ensign Robert Mu7iroe, Mess"^^. Jonas Parker,
Samuel Hadley, Jonathan Harrington. Junr.,
Isaac Muzzy, Caleb Harrington Atrnjokn Brown
Of Lexington, & Asahel Porter oy Woburn,
Who fell on this field, the first ^'ICTIMS to the
Sword of British Tyranny & Oppression,
On the morning of the ever memorable
Nineteenth of April, An. Dom. 177.^.
The Die was cast ! ! !
The Blood of these Martyrs,
In the cause of God & their Country,
Was the Cement of the Union of these States, then
Colonies; & gave the spring to the spirit, Firmne,«s
And resolution of their Fellow Citizens.
They rose as one man, to revenge their brethren's
Blood, and at the point of the sword, to assert &
Defend their native Rights.
They nobly' dar'd to be free ! !
The contest was long, bloody & affecting.
Righteous Heaven approved the solemn appeal ;
Victory crowned their arms ; and
The Peace, Liberty', & Independence of the United
States of America, was their glorious Reward.
Built in the year lygg.
INSCRIPTION BY REV. JONAS CLARKE.

MUNROE TAVERN

T was in tlie gray dawn of that April
morning 1/(5 — A glorious morning
for America " — when the Royal troops
reached Lexington Common.
They had heard the drum beat of
the niinute-men and advanced on
double quick '' with loaded muskets.
About seventy minute-men, brave
defenders of their rights, had assem
bled to meet six hundred trained
soldiers. Too few to resist, too brave to fly," they did the
best they could, and after years of conflict here begun, Ameri
can Liberty was born. The colonists had long contended against
British oppression. James Otis resigned his office as the King's
advocate and defended the rights of Bostonians, — the first step
in the revolution. The stamp act had been passed and repealed.
Patrick Henry had spoken out boldly in Virginia.
The first Continental Congress met September 5, 1774.

7

The Provincial Congress assembled
one month later, assumed the gover-
ment of the colony, except in Boston
where the British troops were sta
tioned, took measures to organize
militia companies and to prepare for
resistance by force if necessary. Ex
ecutive power was placed in the hands
of the Committee of Safety, prominent
members of which were Dr. Joseph
SILHOUETTE OF WarrcH and John Hancock.
REV. JONAS CLARKE A close watch was kept over the
movements of the British soldiers. The King had entrusted the
government of Massachusetts to Gen. Gage, the commander of
the British army in America. He was a man of weak character,
and his petty and injudicious acts aggravated the inhabitants.
Large quantities of military supplies had been collected at
Salem and Concord. Gage's attempt to take the stores at Salem,
February 26, 1775, resulted in a ridiculous failure. In March
it was reported that he intended to capture or destroy the stores
at Concord, which, from this time on, were carefully guarded.
The Provincial Congress, which had been in session in
Concord, adjourned April 15.
The Committee of Safety adjourned at Concord, April 17,
and Samuel Adams and John Hancock, arch traitors in the
estimation of the Royal government, then became the guests of
Rev. Jonas Clarke, pastor at Lexington. Gen. Gage kept his
plans secret, and it is interesting to conjecture the part played
by his wife who was the daughter of a New Jersey patriot.
Gordon, who was chaplain of the Provincial Congress, says
in his ' ' History of the Independence of the United States : ' '
' ' A daugter of liberty sent word by a trusty hand to Mr.
Samuel Adams, residing in company with Mr. Hancock about
thirteen miles from Charlestown, that the troops were coming
out in a few days — . " Several historical writers seem to con
firm the belief that this " Daughter of Liberty " was the wife

of Gen. Gage, and that she gave Dr. Warren valuable informa
tion, which was sent by the trusty hand " of Paul Revere,
and by William Dawes as well, to Adams and Hancock at
Lexington. (General Thomas Gage, born 1721, died 1787; married,
December 8, 1758, Margaret Kembal, daughter of Peter Kem-
bal, President of the Council of New Jersey.)
Relative to what followed, what can be more interesting
or authentic than Paul Revere's own written narrative ?
The Saturday night preceding the 19th of April, about twelve
o'clock at night, the boats belonging to the transports were all launched,
and carried under the sterns of the men-of-war. (They had been pre
viously hauled up and repaired.) We likewise found that the grena
diers and light infantry were all taken off duty.
From these movements we expected something serious was to be
transacted. On Tuesday evening, the 18th, it was observed that a
number of soldiers were marching towards the bottom of the Common.
About ten o'clock, Dr. Warren sent in great haste for me, and begged
that I would immediately set off for Lexington, where Messrs. Hancock
and Adams were, and acquaint them of the movement, and that it was
thought they were the objects. When 1 got to Dr. Warren's house, I
found he had sent an express by land to Lexington. — a Mr. William
Dawes. The Sunday before, by
desire of Dr. Warren, I had been
to Lexington, to Messrs. Han
cock and Adams, who were at
the Rev. Mr. Clark's. I returned
at night through Charlestown ;
there 1 agreed with a Colonel
Conant and some other gentle
men, that if the British went out
by water we would show two
lanthorns in the North Church
steeple ; and if by land, one as a
signal ; for we were apprehensive
it would be difficult to cross the
Charles River, or get over Boston
Neck. I left Dr. Warren, called
upon a friend, and desired him to
make the signals. I then went
home, took my boots and surtout.

EARL PERCY'

PORTRAIT BY STUART

went to the north part of
the town, where I kept a
boat ; two friends rowed me
across Charles River a little
to the eastward where the
Somerset man-of-war lay.
It was then young flood, the
ship was winding, and the
moon was rising.
They landed me on the
Charlestown side. When 1
got into town, I met Colonel
Conant and several others ;
they said they had seen our
signals. I told them what
was acting, and went to get
me a horse ; 1 got a horse of
Deacon Larkin . While the
horse was preparing, Rich
ard Devens, Esq., who was
one of the Committee of Safety, came to me, and told me that he came
down the road from Lexington after sundown that evening ; that he
met ten British officers, well mounted and armed, going up the road.
I set off upon a very good horse ; it was then about eleven o'clock.
and very pleasant. After 1 had passed Charlestown Neck, and got
nearly opposite where Mark was hung in chains, I saw two men on
horseback under a tree. When 1 got near them I discovered they were
British officers. One tried to get ahead of me, and the other to take
me. I turned my horse very quick and galloped towards Charlestown
Neck, and then pushed for the Medford road. The one who chased me,
endeavoring to cut me off, got into a clay pond, near where the new
tavern is now built. I got clear of him, and went through Medford,
over the bridge, and up to Menotomy. In Medford, 1 awakened the
Captain of the Minute Men ; and after that, I alarmed almost every
house till I got to Lexington.
I found Messrs. Hancock and Adams at the Rev. Mr. Clark's; I
told them my errand, and enquired for Mr. Dawes; they said he had
not been there; I related the story of the two officers, and supposed that
he must have been stopped, as he ought to have been there before me.
After I had been there about half an hour, Mr. Dawes came; we re
freshed ourselves, and set off for Concord to secure the stores, etc.,
there. We were overtaken by a young Dr. Prescott, whom we found
to be a high Son of Liberty. I told them of the ten officers that Mr.

10

11

Devens met, and that it was probable we might be stopped before we got
to Concord; for I supposed that after night they divided themselves;
and that two of them had fixed themselves in such pa.ssages as were
most likely to stop any intelligence going to Concord. I likewise men
tioned that we had better alarm all the inhabitants till we got to Con
cord; the young Doctor much approved of it, and said he would stop
with either of us, for the people between that and Concord knew him
and would give the more credit to what \ve said. We had got nearly
half way ; Mr. Dawes and the Doctor stopped to alarm the people of a
house; 1 was about one hundred rods ahead, when I saw two men, in
nearly the same .situations as those officers were, near Charlestown. 1
called for the Doctor and Mr. Dawes to come up; in an instant I was
surrounded by four; — they had placed themselves in a straight road,
that inclined each way; they had taken down a pair of bars on the north
side of the road, and two of them were under a tree in the pasture.
The Doctor being foremost, he came up, and we tried to get past them;
but they being armed with pistols and swords, they forced us into the
pasture; the Doctor jumped his horse over a low stone wall, and got to
Concord. 1 observed a wood at a small distance, and made for that.
When I got there, out started six officers on horseback, and ordered
me to dismount; — one of them, who appeared to have the command,
examined me, where 1 came from, and what my name was ? 1 told
him. He asked me if 1 was an express ? I answered in the affirmative.
He demanded what time I left
Boston? I told him; and added
that their troops had catched
aground in passing the river, and
that there would be five hundred
Americans there in a short time
for I had alarmed the country all
the way up. He immediately
rode towards those who stopped
us, when all five of them came
down upon a full gallop; one of
them, who I afterwards found to
be a Major Mitchell of the 5th
Regiment, clapped his pistol to
my head, called me by name.
and said he was going to ask me
some questions, and if 1 did not
give him true answers he would
blow my brains out. He then portrait of
asked me similar questions to ma.ioh williabi dawes

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12

MAJOR PITCAIRN

those above. He then ordered me
to mount my horse after searching
me for arms. He then ordered them
to advance and to lead me in front.
When we got to the road, they
turned down toward Lexington, and
when we had got about one mile,
the Major rode up to the officer that
was leading me and told him to give
me to the Sergeant. As soon as he
told me, the Major ordered him, if 1
attempted to run, or anybody in
sulted them, to blow my brains out.
We rode till we got near Lexington
meeting-house, when the militia
fired a volley of guns, which ap
peared to alarm them very much.
The major inquired of me how far it was to Cambridge, and if there
were any other road. After some consultation, the Major rode up to-
the Sergeant, and asked if his horse was tired. He answered him he
was — he was a Sergeant of Grenadiers, and had a small horse — then
take that man's horse. I dismounted and the Sergeant mounted my
horse, when they all rode toward Lexington meeting house. I went
across the burying-ground and some pastures, and came to the Rev.
Mr. Clark's house, where I found Messrs. Hancock and Adams. I
told them of my treatment, and they concluded to go from that house
towards Woburn. 1 went with them, and a Mr. Lowell, who was a
clerk to Mr. Hancock. When we got to the house where they intended
to stop, Mr. Lowell and myself returned to Mr. Clark's to find what
was going on. When we got there an elderly man came in; he said he
had just come from the tavern, that a man had come from Boston, who
said there were no British troops coming. Mr. Lowell and myself went
towards the tavern, when we met a man on a full gallop, who told us
the troops were coming up the rocks. We afterwards met another, who
said they were close by, Mr. Lowell asked me to go to the tavern with
him, to get a trunk of papers belonging to Mr. Hancock. We went up
chamber, and while we were getting the trunk, we saw the British very
near, upon a full march. We hurried towards Mr. Clark's house. In
our way, we passed through the militia. There were about fifty.
When we had got about one hundred yards from the meeting-house,
the British troops appeared on both sides of the meeting-house. In
their front was an officer on horseback. They made a halt; when 1 saw
and heard a gun fired, which appeared to be a pistol. Then I could
distinguish two guns, and then a continual roar of musketry: when we
made off with the trunk. 13

Captain Parker commanded his company not to fire unless
fired upon. The British approached on both sides of the meet
ing house following the lead of Maj. Pitcairn, who ordered the
minute-men to disperse. As they did not disperse he repeated
the order with added emphasis, and fired his pistol at them.
Each side claimed that the other fired first; but it seems con
clusive that the first shot came from the British, who fired two
volleys, the second with fatal effect.* The minute-men returned
a few shots from the position they had taken, and dispersed,
continuing the fire as best they could from their places of
retreat. Relative to one of the minute-men, Edward Everett
wrote in 1835 .
Roman history does not furnish an example of bravery that out
shines that of Jonas Parker. A truer heart did not bleed at Ther
mopylae. Parker was often heard to say. that be the consequences
what thejr might, and let others do what they pleased, he would never
run from the enemy. He was as good as his word ^better. Having
loaded his musket, he placed his hat, containing the ammunition, on the
ground between his feet in readiness for a second charge. At the second
fire he was wounded and sank upon his knees; and in this condition,
discharged his gun. While loading it again, upon his knees, and striv
ing in the agonies of death to redeem his pledge, he was transfixed by
a bayonet : — and thus died on the spot where he first stood and fell.

After about half an
hour's delay the Brit
ish proceeded to Con
cord, where they were
so warmly received
that they soon began
their retreat over the
same route. They
were attacked by the
*See letter from Lt. Col.
Smith to Gen. Gage written
April 22, 1775. Proceedings
of Masa. Hist. Soc. , IVIay, 1876.
Also, see DeBernicre's Narra
tive.

tombstone of CAPT. PARKER
14

15

gathering army of patriots
from all sides. The British
officers tried to restore order
among their soldiers and
check the retreat but in vain,
till they met Earl Percy with
reinforcements half a mile
beyond Lexington Common
toward Boston. Here, under
the protection of two field
pieces and the reinforce
ments, the British had their
first rest after sixteen hours
steady marching. They re
mained in this vicinity about
two hours, pillaging and
burning several buildings,
killing cattle, etc. After caring for their wounded at Munroe
Tavern, eating and drinking all that they could get, they
killed the servingman, set fire to the house and resumed their
retreat. Fortunately the fire was discovered and extinguished
before much damage had been done.
Seven Lexington men (and one Woburn man) were killed,
and nine wounded on or near the Common in the morning, and
3 were killed and 1 wounded in the afternoon. Thus Lexington
lost more men during the day than any other town, Danvers
being second with a loss of 7 killed, 3 wounded, and 1 missing.
The total losses for the day were. Provincials, 49 killed, 36
wounded and 5 missing; British, 73 killed, 17-t wounded and
26 missing. Such, in brief, were the events which in Lexing
ton ushered in the Dawn of Liberty.

COL. WILLIAM MUNROE,
ORDERLY SERGT. OF
CAi'T. Parker's company

Dr. Samuel Prescott mentioned in Revere's narrative was a son of Abel and
Abigail (Brigham) Prescott and was born in Concord, August 19, 1751. He had been
calling on a ISliss Mulliken of Lexington before he joined Revere and Dawes. He
was later taken prisoner and carried to Halifax, N. S., where he died in prison.

16

TT was twenty years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth
and five years after Peter Bulkley settled at Concord when
Roger Herlarkenden built the first house in Cambridge Farms,
(l640). Cambridge, about this time, comprised a large tract
of land extending from the Charles River on the South, along
the Shawshine to the Merrimac River on the North.
The first settlement was near Vine Brook. Most of the
meadows and some of the uplands were found free from wood
and brush, probably having been burned by the Indians. Before
these lands were permanently settled, Cambridge people used
them as an additional source of hay. Prominent among- the
early inhabitants who settled here are the names Munroe, Tidd,
Bowman, Bridge, Reid, Wellington and Merriam. Cambridge
Farms remained the north precinct of Cambridge till 1691 when
it was incorporated as a separate parish.
Benjamin Estabrook was the first minister of the town at
a salary of £40 a year, with quarterly contributions. After
three years the contributions were to cease and the salary be
then fixed at £56. A meeting house was built on the south
east corner of the Common where the granite pulpit now stands.
Mr.Estabrookson of Rev. Ben- _
jamin Estabrook was born at
Concord, February 24, 1671 —
graduated from Harvard 1690
— called to the church in Lex
ington 1692 and died at Lex
ington, July 22, 1697. On the
7th of November, 1697, John
Hancock of Cambridge was
chosen to preach till the follow
ing May. He was publicly or
dained November 2, 1698, and
continued his ministry here for
fifty-five years. He was set-
led on the same terms as had
been agreed upon with Mr.
Estabrook, with £80 for settle-

REV. JOHN HANCOCK
(Painted by Smibert)

17

EI.IZARETII Ci.ARK HANCOCK
WIFE OI-- REV. JOHN HANCOCK
(Painted by Smibert)

ment. One hundred and forty-
eight acres of ministerial
land ' " was purchased of Cam
bridge for eighteen shillings.
The town was incorpo
rated as Lexington, March 31,
1713, taking its name prob
ably from Lord Lexington, a
British statesman of promi
nence at that time. Town
officers were immediately
chosen and the following
month the selectmen voted
to erect a payer of stocks "
as required by law. Just
where the stocks were built
is uncertain, but probably,
according to common custom, near the meeting house.
This same year a new meeting house was built near the
site of the old one. It was 50 ft. by 40 ft. and 28 ft. high.
The first school house was erected in 1715 on the Common
where the granite monument now stands.
The town early became noted for its military spirit and
took an active part in the French and Indian wars. The staunch
character and determination of the men composing the militia
were finally displayed in the battle on the Common, April 19,
1775, when Capt. John Parker and 76 men faced 600 trained
soldiers of Britain. Lexington men participated in 17 different
campaigns during the revolution.
The population of the town in 1775 was not more than 800.
In the Civil war the town furnished more than her full quota.
In 1875 the town celebrated the centennial anniversary of
the battle in an elaborate way. Business in Boston and through
out this part of the State was generally suspended, and from an
early hour people poured into Lexington by every possible con
veyance. The streets were soon so crowded that carriages could

Ki''£

STATl^E OF
SAMUEL ADAMS
IN TOWN HALL

not approach within a
mile of the center.
Careful estimates
placed the number of
visitors at 100,000.
The day was ushered
in by a salute of 100
guns at sunrise. The
weather was fair but
very cold for the season,
and the experiences at
dinner in the big tent
on the Common and at
the ball in the evening
have been an unending
source of anecdote.
Among the guests

STATCK OF
JOHN HANCOCK
IN TOWN HALL

of honor were President U. S. Grant and his cabinet. One of
the most interesting ceremonies of the day was the unveiling of
the statues of Adams and Hancock, in Carrara marble. That
of Adams was made in Rome by Martin Milmore, of Boston,
of Hancock in Florence by Thomas R. Gould, also of Boston.
The contracts stipulated that the statues should be delivered in
Lexington on or before January 1, 1875, but it was not until
Saturday, April 17, that their arrival was witnessed, with in
tense relief, by the light of a bright moon.
Another important presentation to the town at this time
was Pitcairn's pistols, by Mrs. John P. Putnam of Cambridge,
N. Y. On the retreat of the British on the afternoon of April
19, 1775, a skirmish took place near Fiske's Hill in which Maj.
Pitcairn was wounded and fell from his horse. These pistols
with the horse and accoutrements were captured by the Pro
vincials, and later sold at auction in Concord. The holsters
and pistols were purchased by Nathan Barrett, who presented
them to General Putnam from whom they descended to his
grandson, the husband (deceased) of the donor.
At one time considerable manufacturing was done in^Lex-

20

BOULDER MARKING LINE OF BATTLE

ington, particularly in the East village, but to-day the town is
chiefly a residential suburb. There are many good farms devoted
to gardening and the production of milk. In 1875 Worcester
was the only place in the State that produced more milk than
Lexington. The land is rugged and much diversified. For the
most part it is productive and contains several rich peat meadows.
The town is noted for its healthfulness and high elevation, be
ing about ] 0 miles from the coast and 230 feet above sea level.
A steam railroad was built from Lexington to Boston in
1846, and in 1900-1901 electric street railroads were built to
Arlington, Bedford, Waverly, Concord, Waltham and Woburn.
The population of the town and valuation by 50 year periods
has been as follows : — 1650, population 30, valuation unknown ;
1700, population 350, valuation unknown; 1750, population
761, valuation unknown; 1800, population 1006, valuation
$251,052.00; 1850, population 1888, valuation $1,869,453.00;
1900, population 3831, valuation $5,182,060.00; 1920, popu
lation 7776, valuation about $9,945,296.00.
In 1913 the town commemorated the two hundredth anni-

21

versary of its incorporation, proceedings and addresses of which
w^ere published.
BOULDER.
The words of Capt. Parker are found in a letter by his
grandson, Theodore Parker, to George Bancroft as a tradition
in the Parker family. It was confirmed by Col. Wm. Munroe,
orderly sergeant of Capt. Parker's compan}'.
The estimated weight of this boulder is fifteen tons.
LEXINGTON COMMON.
A committee was chosen at a public meeting in 1707 to
treat with " Nibour Muzzy " about the purchase of a piece of
land lying north of the meeting house. Four years later nego
tiations were completed and in consideration of £16 Nibour
Muzzy " deeded to the inhabitants of Cambridge Farms a cer
tain parcel of land, estimated to contain one and one-half acres.
In 1722 the town enlarged the Common by the purchase of an
additional acre at a cost of £25. This was the origin of Lex
ington Common, the birthplace of American liberty.
BUCKMAN TAVERN.
There are at least ten houses standing in Lexington to-day
that antedate the Revolution.

BUCKMAN TAVERN

LEXINGTON COMMON, LOOKING NOUTII
FIRST CHliiCH IN THE DISTANCE AT THE LEFT JIINUTE .MAN IN FOREGROUND AT THE RIGHT
"To the end of time, the boil whereon ye fell is lioly; and shall be trod with reverence
while America has a name among the nations." — Edwaud Everett.

Of the twelve taverns once doing active business in Lex
ington, the oldest was built in 1690 by Benjamin Muzzey, and
is now known as Buckman Tavern. It stands on Bedford
Street beside the old battle ground and is now iri the charge of
Lexington Historical Society. It has been carefully restored
to its original character and will be preserved to posterity as a
witness of the opening scenes of the American Revolution.
It contained the first store in town and in it the first post-
office was opened in 1812. The business of this house was said
to be more with carriage folks" than with teamsters. It
contained nine fireplaces and is architecturally the finest of the
old houses in town.
John Buckman, a member of Capt. Parker's Company,
was the landlord in 1775, and here the minute-men assembled
on the morning of the battle.
Two wounded British soldiers were brought here on the
afternoon of the conflict, one of whom died and was buried in
the old cemetery. The
building proudly retains
the scars made by British
bullets during the only offi
cial visit ever paid to Lex
ington by His Majesty's
soldiers. The grounds sur
rounding the tavern were
purchased by the town in
1913 and made a part of
the town park-system.
MONUMENT.
On the west side of
the old Common, on the
site of Lexington's first
school-house, stands the
granite monument,
erected in 1799, in mem
ory of the men killed in the

revolutionary soldiers monument

24

THE OLD belfry

Battle of Lexington and
the cause for which they
fought and died. It is
probably the first monu
ment of the Revolution.
The bodies of the
slain were originally bur
ied in a common grave in
the old cemetery, but in
1835 the remains were
taken up, placed in a lead
covered casket, this en
cased in a mahogany sar
cophagus and deposited in
a tomb that had been con
structed in front of the
foundation of this monu
ment. Edward Everett
was the orator of the occa
sion. The inscription on this monument was written by Rev.
Jonas Clarke, the minister of the town from 1755 to 1805.
(See page 6.)
Here, beside this old monument, Lafayette was welcomed
to Lexington, September 2, 1 824, and here Kossuth was received
by the town, May 11, 1852.
In recent years it has become a custom on Memorial Day
to decorate this monument with wreaths and flowers.
BELFRY.
At a Town Meeting held June 15, 1761, " Mr. Isaac Stone
of Said Town Came into Said Meeting & Gave y' town a Bell
to be for the Towns Use forever, which Bell was there &
weighted four hundred and Sixty three pounds, for which y^
Moderator in y*^ name of y° Town Returned him thanks :
"Then voted to hang y*^ Bell on y*^ top of y° Hill upon y'=
North side of Lie' Jonas Munroes house."
The committee for building this Bell free ' ' rendered

25

HOME OF MARRETT AND NATHAN MUNROE

their account the following year, which shows the cost to have
been £2l-l2^-10}4d.
In 1768, it was removed to the south side of the Common,
the site now marked by boulder and tablet. Here it remained
for thirty years summoning the people to worship, warning them
at nine at night to rake up the fires and go to bed and tolling
for them when, one after another, they passed away." From
this belfry the alarm was rung on the morning of April 19, 1775,
calling the minute-men to the Common. It was purchased by
a son of Capt. Parker in 1797, and removed to the Parker place
in the South part of the town where it was used for a wheel
wright's shop. There it remained till 1891, when it was pre
sented to the Lexington Historical Society by Mr. James S. Mun
roe, and removed to Belfry Hill near the spot where it was built.
Much weakened by decay, it was destroyed by a gale on June
20, 1909. The Belfry, now on the first site of the original, is
an exact reproduction, erected by the Lexington Historical
Society, 1910. The bell long ago disappeared, but the tongue

BILL OF DR. FISKE FOR CARE OF WOUNDED BRITISH SOLDIERS

27

is treasured by the town as a valuable relic of the past and may
be seen in the safe at the Hancock-Clarke House.
MARRETT MUNROE HOUSE.
On the opposite side of the avenue from the Soldiers
Monument, stands the house of Marrett and Nathan Munroe,
built 1729, thoroughly repaired and restored to its original
character in 1915.
HANCOCK-CLARKE HOUSE.
Next after the battleground, this old parsonage is the most
interesting and important place, historically, in Lexington.
It stands on Hancock street, about five minutes walk from
the Common. The one-story gambrel roofed ell was the original
house built by Rev. John Hancock, in 1698. It contained a
good sized living room and the parson's study down stairs, and
two small, low chambers. Rev. John Hancock, son of Nathaniel
was born at Cambridge, 1671, graduated from Harvard, 1689,
and settled in Lexington, 1697. He married Elizabeth Clark
of Chelmsford, and to them three sons and two daughters were
born and reared to maturity in this small dwelling. The frame
is oak, hewed by
hand, and shows
little sign of decay.
In 1734 Thomas
Hancock, the second
son of Rev. John
Hancock, at this
time a prosperous
Boston merchant,
built the main por
tion of the house for
his parents. The
wainscotting in this
pai-t of the house
is particularly hand-

MEETING-HOUSE TARI.LT. LEXINGTON COMMON

28

Iff"

' i

^^^H 1

r

fcHt^

HHft-. '

— iLj^

1

sS

^H.i.: .

fwi^'iijO

HBv'^

ii

^S

ENTRY — MUNROE TAVERN

some. In all, there are eight
rooms with a fireplace in each,
except one chamber. The
outer walls of both portions
of the house contain a layer
of bricks extending from the
sills to the eaves. Here Rev.
John Hancock lived from
1698 till his death in 1725,
and because of his wide ac
quaintance and great influ
ence he was often called
Bishop Hancock.
In 1755 Rev. Jonas
Clarke, who married a grand
daughter of Mr. Hancock,
became the third pastor of Showiiig Chair used by Gforge w^hington
P oi,vy vx atthedinnerin Munroe Tavern, Nov. 5, 1/89
Lexington and occupied this
house. He was born at Newton, 1730, was graduated from
Harvard, 1752, and died in Lexington, 1805. As a man of ster
ling character, preacher and patriot, he exerted a powerful in
fluence on both private and public affairs.
John Hancock, the governor and signer of the Declaration,
spent much time in his boyhood at this old home of his grand
parents, and here he was visiting in company with Samuel
Adams when Paul Revere made his famous ride.
Here, also, at this time was the beautiful Dorothy Quincy,
John Hancock's fiancee, to whom he was married the follow
ing August. Solomon Brown of Lexington had been to market at Boston,
April 18, and on his return late in the afternoon informed Sergt.
Munroe that he had seen nine British officers passing up the
road. Munroe, suspecting that their intention was to capture
Hancock and Adams, placed a guard of well-armed men about
this old house. Some time after Paul Revere delivered his
message of warning,- Hancock and Adams, for their greater

29

HOUSE OF JONATHAN HARRINGTON

safety, were conducted to the old parsonage in Burlington and
later to Mr. Amos Wyman's house In Billerica. Hancock sent
a letter back to Dorothy Quincy, requesting her to follow him
and bring the fine salmon that had been sent to them for their
dinner, w^hich she accordingly did. At the time of the battle
it was all open country between Mr. Clarke's house and the
battle ground, and the firing was plainly seen from the chambers.
The house originally stood on the opposite side of the street
from its present location. With the aid of patriotic men and
women in various parts of the country, Lexington Historical
Society purchased the house, removed it to its present position
in 1896, and restored it as far as possible to its original condi
tion. It contains the valuable and interesting collection of the
Historical Society. It is kept open to the public from March 1
to December 31, and is visited annually by over twenty thousand
people, representing every state in the Union, as well as many
foreign countries. Admission is free. On Sundays it is open
only in the afternoon.

30

MUNROE TAVERN.
About a mile east of the Common, on Massachusetts Ave
nue, stands Munroe Tavern, built in 1695 by William Munroe
and occupied in 1775 by his grandson Sergeant William Munroe.
When Earl Percy reached Lexington with reinforcements on the
afternoon of April 19, 1775, he made this old hostelry his head
quarters, here his wounded soldiers were cared for and others
refreshed at the tavern's expense. Mrs. Munroe and her chil
dren hid in the woods behind the house. John Raymond, an
inmate, was wantonly shot.* Washington was entertained at
this tavern in 1789, and the chair, table, dishes and hat-rack
used by him are shown. Some time after 1770 an ell, now
removed, was built on the north-west side of the house. It
contained a hall about 60 x 20 feet, in which balls and parties
were held, and here Hiram Lodge of Free Masons was instituted
December 12, 1797. By the bequest of the late James S. Munroe,
Munroe Tavern is now the property of the Lexington Historical
Society and is open to visitors. It contains many valuable
relics.
THE HARRINGTON HOUSE.
On one corner of Elm
Avenue and Bedford Street,
about ten rods back of the
line of the minute-men in the
battle, is to be seen the home
of Jonathan Harrington, who,
wounded by a British bullet,
dragged himself to the door
and there died at his wife's
feet. The house originally
was one of the most elegant
of that period in town and
was renovated in the most
perfect manner in 1910.
•See Hudson's History of Lexing
ton— Bi-Centenary Edition, 1913— Vol
I, p. 174. 31

1

,

d^
9^
J
«ii '
.
1
%^
^^M
^^^
m'
THEODORE PARKER
OLD BURYING GROUND, HANCOCK-CLARKE TOMB IN CENTRE
MASONIC TEMPLE, formerly the first Normal School-
On the opposite corner from the Harrington house stands
the Masonic Temple, occupied by Simon W. Robinson Lodge,
A. F. and A. M. The main part of this building was erected
in 1822 for the Lexington Academy, which was discontinued
about ten years later. On .July 3, 1839, the first Normal School
in America was opened here under the direction of the Rev.
Cyrus Pierce wilh three pupils enrolled.
THEODORE PARKER.
Theodore Parker was born on the old homestead in the
south part of Lexington, then known as Kite End."
Here his grandfather, Capt. John Parker, had lived, and
from this place he was summoned by the alarm bell to command
his company, April 19, 1775.
Theodore Parker was the most notable man Lexington has
ever produced. He was born August 24, 1810, in the old house

32

whose former location is now marked by the granite monument
placed there by his devoted parishioners. The house in which
he was born was destroyed some time previous to 1850. He
was a rare scholar, a liberal thinker, a remarkable preacher,
proliflc writer, a great lover of nature and his fellow creatures.
He died in Florence, May 10, I860, and was buried in the
Protestant cemetery there.
THE OLD BURYING GROUND.
A short distance from Massachusetts Avenue near the junc
tion of Elm Avenue and in the rear of the Unitarian Church is
the old burying ground. It is a pleasant plot with outlook
across broad meadows to rising hills in the distance.
So far as known, it contains the oldest graves in town ;
there are two or three stones bearing the date of 1690, and
probably older unmarked graves. Here the bodies of the Lex
ington men, killed in the battle, were originally buried in one
grave. Here a British soldier who was wounded on April 19
and died in Buckman Tavern April 21, 1775, was buried. It
contains the graves of the first three ministers of the town —
Estabrook, Hancock and Clarke. In 1884 the town erected
a substantial granite monument over the grave of Capt. John
Parker. A marble obelisk marks the grave of Gov. Wm.
Eustice, a surgeon in the Revolution and governor of Massa
chusetts 1823-1825. John Augustus was buried in tomb No. 4,
near the entrance. He was born in Burlington, Mass., 1784,
moved to Lexington 1805 or 1806 and bought the Dr. Fiske
property at the corner of Bedford Street and Elm Avenue,
where he manufactured shoes. He left Lexington about 1827
and became famous in Boston as a reformer of criminals, in
connection with the courts of justice, where he personally cared
for over seven hundred persons.
The Hancock tomb contains the remains of Rev. and Mrs.
John Hancock, Rev. Ebenezer Hancock, Rev. and Mrs. Jonas
Clarke, Mrs. Mary Clarke Ware, — wife of Rev. Henry Ware,
D.D., — and three other children of Mr. Clarke. The tomb
33

THE OLDEST GRAVESTONE IN THE OLD Gtt.AA'EYAKD
was sealed in 1844, when the last daughter of Mr. Clarke was
buried there.
John Greenleaf Whittier wrote the following poem to ac
company the bust (if Hon. Samuel E. Sew:ill in Cary Memorial
Libra ly : —
Like that ancestral judge who bore his name,
Faithful to Freedom and to Truth, he gave.
When all the air was hot with wrath and blame,
His youth and manhood to the fettered slave.
And never Woman in her suffering saw
A helper tender, wise and brave as he.
Lifting her burden of unrighteous law.
He shamed the boast of ancient chivalry.
Noiseless as light that melts the darkness is,
He wrought as duty led and honor bid.
No trumpet heralds victories like his,
The unselfish worker in his work is hid.

34

CAUY MEMORIAL LIBRARY

RELICS.

LEXINGTON POSSESSES MANY INTERESTING AND VALUABLE RELICS
OF PAST CENTURIES, JIANY OF WHICH ARE REFERRED
TO ELSEWHERE IN THIS BOOK

In the Town Hall is a fine oil painting 8x12 feet of the
Battle of Lexington by Henry Sandham, owned by the Lexing
ton Historical Society. On the frame are these inscriptions —
"Too FEW TO RESIST, TOO BRAVE TO FLY."
"THE DAWN OF LIBERTY."
APRIL 19  LEXINGTON  1775.
(This picture is reproduced on the cover of this book.)
Statue of John Hancock by Thomas R. Gould.
Statue of Samuel Adams by Martin Milmore.
In Hancock Church, stained glass window in memory of
Rev. Edward Griffin Porter.
Copy of Murillo's "The Immaculate Conception."
In parlor of First Parish Church, Portraits of the Pastors
of this Church.
In the Hancock School, a painting by James M. Hart.

35

CARY MEMORIAL LIBRARY.
was established in 1868, by a gift from Mrs. William H. Cary,
and the present memorial building, a gift to the town from Miss
Alice B. Cary, was dedicated in 1906. Willard D. Brown of
Lexington, architect. It is open every week day from 10 a.m.
to 8 P.M. It contains about 29,000 volumes with a capacity for
55,000 volumes ; reading, study and art rooms ; a marble bust of
Theodore Parker, made hy Sidney H. Morse, 1876; a bust of
Samuel E. Sewall, by Miss Anne Whitney of Boston (see page
34) ; a bust of Brig. Gen'l William Francis Bartlett ; a fine large
oil painting of Columbus at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella
of Castille," by V. Brozik, of Paris : a portrait of Earl Percy, a
copy by Pope, 1879, from the original, by Pompeo Bartoni;
portrait of Paul Revere, by Jane E. Bartlett, 1883, after Gilbert
Stuart, 1813; a portrait of William Dawes (copy), painter of
the original unknown ; portrait of Col. William Munroe, Orderly
Sergeant of Capt. Parker's company, by Greenwood (painted
on wood) ; portrait of Samuel Bowman ; portrait of William H.
Cary, by Edgar Parker (from photograph); portrait of Mrs.
William H. Cary, by Edgar Parker, 1874; oil painting. The
Axenstrasse, by Jos. Jansen; oil painting, Swiss Scene, by L.
Scliell; oil painting, The Old Mill at Hiram, Maine, by F. H.
Shapleigh ; etc.
HANCOCK-CLARKE HOUSE
is the chief repository of the town and contains the larger part
of the collection of the Historical Society, numbering over 2,200
articles. Connected with this house is a commodious fireproof
safe for the preservation of the more valuable property. Promi
nent in this collection are portraits of Rev. and Mrs. John
Hancock, painted by Smibert, silhouette — life size — of Rev.
Jonas Clarke, set of Doolittle's engravings of the battle of Lex
ington and Concord, sword of Robert Newman who hung the
lanterns in the North Church steeple for Paul Revere, pocket-
book of Joshua Bentley who rowed Revere "across the Charles
River on the night of April 18, 1775, cannon balls fired by
Earl Percy's troops April 19, 1775, muskets and swords, used
36

by minute-men, silk vest and gold ring once worn by Gov.
John Hancock, ink well and sermon case and letter seal of
Theodore Parker, lantern formerly used by Paul Revere, the
drum that beat the alarm for the minute-men to assemble,
Maj. Pitcairn's pistols, miniature on ivory of Maj. Pitcairn,
copied from original, stamp issued under the British Stamp Act
of 1765, tongue of the bell which alarmed the town on April
19, 1775, bill of Dr. Joseph Fiske of Lexington for caring for
the wounded British Soldiers, banner which welcomed Lafayette
1824, furniture and implements of colonial days, valuable
manuscripts and publications.
MUNROE TAVERN.
Portraits of the Munroe family of the Revolutionary period
and of those of the great-great-grandchildren of Col. Munroe
who served in the Great War; the bread-trough in which Mrs.
Munroe mixed bread the night before the battle of Lexington ;
a cabinet containing many articles belonging to various mem
bers of the Munroe family such as the wedding ring, bonnet,
and slippers of Mrs. Col. Munroe; the Masonic Punch bowl,
apron, and seal which belonged to Col. Munroe, first Master of
Hiram Lodge, instituted in the tavern in 1797 ; the muster-role
of Earl Percy's regiment, an autograph letter and two por
traits of the same ; a desk and other articles of furniture in the
tavern at the time of Col. Munroe ; a collection of articles con
nected with William Dawes ; old flip tables and tavern chairs ;
the table, chair, hat-rack, and dishes used by Washington when
he was entertained at the tavern in 1789 ; and an autograph sur
vey and map made by Washington (loaned by Mr. Harry F. Fay).

37

MODERN LEXINGTON, THE OLD BELFRY CLUB

GUIDE TO PLACES OF INTEREST.
Visitors will find it to their advantage to see the various places in the
following order, starting at the " Minute-man" and going north on
the west side of the Common.
I. Fountain and Minute-man.
2. Lexington Common.
3. Meeting House Tablet on the Common.
4. House op Marrett and Nathan Munroe.
Massachusetts Ave., beside the Common. See page 26.
5. Monument on the Common.
6. ' Ye Old Burying Ground."
Massachusetts Ave. , entrance marked by Boulder near junc
tion of Elm Ave. See p. 33.
7. First Parish Church, Erected 1847, Isaac Melvin,
Architect. Elm Ave.
8. Harrington House.
Corner of Elm Ave. and Bedford St. See p. SO.
9. Masonic Hall.
Dedicated, 1918. Elm Ave., between Bedford and Hancock
Sts. The main part of this building was erected 1822 for the
Lexington Academy and in this building the first Normal
School in America was opened July 3, 1839,

38

10. Hancock-Clarke House.
Hancock Street. In this old house Hancock and Adams
were sleeping when aroused by Paul Revere. It contains the
valuable collection belonging to Lexington Historical Society.
Open to the public.
1 1 . Fiske House.
The home of Surgeon Fiske who cared for the provincial and
British soldiers who were wounded, April 19, 17T5.
^^^^ Returning along East Side qf Common.
12. Boulder Marking the Position of the Minute-men on
the Common. See p. 21.
13. Buckman Tavern, Containing British Bullet Holes.
Bedford St., beside the Common. See p. 22.
14. Old Belfry.
Belfry HiU off Clarke St., to the right. See p. 25.
15. Gary Memorial Library.
Massachusetts Ave., open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
16. Town Hall.
Containing the Sandham painting of the Battle.
17. Stone Cannon.
Massachusetts Ave., on High School Grounds.
18. Stone Tablet.
Massachusetts Ave. , near Bloomfield Street.
19. Munroe Tavern. See pp. 7, 29 and 37.
Massachusetts Ave., about three quarters of a mile from the
Common.
20. Sanderson House.
Near Munroe Tavern. A wounded British soldier was left here.
21. House of Jonathan Harrington, the Last Survivor
OF the Battle of Lexington.
Massachusetts Ave., East Lexington.
22. Tablets. Corner of Pleasant Street and FoUen Road, East Lexington.
23. Birthplace of Theodore Parker.
About two miles south of the Common.
24. Tablets on Concord Road. 39

INSCRIPTIONS ON ALL THE HISTORIC TABLETS IN THE
TOWN OF LEXINGTON.

ON THE STONE PULPIT ON THE COMMON.

Site of the First Three Meeting
Houses in Lexington
I. Built 1692 when the town was a par
ish OF Cambridge.
II. Built 1713 on the incorporation of
Lexington.
III. Built 1794. Burned 1846. This spot
is thus identified with the Town's
History for 150 years.

PASTORATES

Benjamin Estabrook -

1692-1697

John Hancock -

1698-1752

Jonas Clarke

1755-1805

Avery Williams

1807-1815

Charles Bhiggs

1819-1835

William C. Swett

1836-1839

Jason Whitman

1845-1846

TABLETS ABOUT THE COMMON.

HOUSE built 1690
KNOWN AS THE
BUCKMAN TAVERN
a rendezvous of the
Minute Men
a mark for british bullets
APRIL 19, 1775

HOUSE OF
Jonathan Harrington
who wounded on the common
APRIL 19, 1775
dragged himself to the
door and died at his
wife's feet

HOUSE OF
Marrett and Nathan
Munroe
BUILT 1T29
A WITNESS OF THE BATTLE

LINE OF THE MINUTE MEN
APRIL 19, 1775
STAND YOUR GROUND DOn't FIRE UNLESS FIRED
UPON BUT IF THEY MEAN TO HAVE A WAR LET
IT BEGIN HERE. — Captain Parker.

STONE TABLET, COR. PLEASANT ST,

NEAR THIS SPOT AT EARLY DAWN ON THE 19tH
OF April, 1775, Benjamin Wellington,
A MINUTE MAN WAS SI'RPRISED BY BRITISH
SCOUTS AND DISARMED. WITH UNDAUNTED
COURAGE HE BORROWED ANOTHER GUN AND
HASTENED TO JOIN HIS COMRADES ON LEX
INGTON Green he also served his country
AT WHITE PLAINS AND SARATOGA. THE FIRST
ARMED MAN TAKEN IN THE REVOLUTION

birthplace of
Deliverence Munroe
daughter of
Marrett and Deliverence Munroe
and wife of
Ensign John Winship
this tablet placed by deliverence jiunroe
chapter daughters of revolution
MARCH 1900

TABLET ON THE OLD BELFRY.

THIS BELFRY WAS ERECTED ON THIS HILL IN 1761
AND REMOVED TO THE COMMON IN 1768. 1n
IT WAS HUNG THE BELL WHICH RI'NG OUT
THE ALARM ON THE 19tH OF APRIL 1775
IN 1797 IT WAS REMOVED TO THE PARKER HOME
STEAD IN THE SOUTH PART OF THE TOWN
IN 1891 IT WAS BROUGHT BACK TO THIS SPOT BY
THE Lexington Historical Society
REBUILT 1910

40

TABLETS ON HANCOCK STREET.

built 1698 enlarged 1734
residence of
Rev. John Hancock 55 years
and of his successor
Rev. Jonas Clarke 50 years
HERE Samuel Adams and John Hancock
were sleeping when aroused by
Paul Revere April 19, 1775

Built 1732
HOUSE OF
Dr. Joseph Fiske
who attended the wounded april 19 1775
and served in the continental ab.my
as surgeon throughout the war

STONE TABLETS ON THE CONCORD ROAD.

at this well april 19, 1775
James Hayward of Acton
MET A BRITISH SOLDIER WHO RAISING HIS GUN
SAID YOU ARE A DEAD 3IAN
AND SO ARE YOU REPLIED HaYWARD
BOTH FIRED THE SOLDIER WAS INSTANTLY
KILLED AND HaY'WARD MORTALLY
WOUNDED

This Bluff was used as a Rallying
Point by the British
April 19 1775
afl'er a sharp fight they retreated to
Fiske Hill from which they were
driven in great confusion

THE SITE OF THE OLD BELFRY.

The Site of the Old Belfry
from which the alarm was rung
April 19 1775
this tablet was erected by the lexington
chapter daughters of the american
revolution 1910

STONE CANNON, HIGH SCHOOL GROUNDS.

NEAR THIS SPOT
EARL PERCY
with reenforcements planted a
fieldpieci to cover the retreat of the
British Troops
APRIL 19 1775

MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE.

MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE.

Earl Percy's
Headquarters and Hospital
April 19, 1775
THE MUNROE TAVERN
BUILT 1695

On the Hill to the South was Planted
One of the British Fieldpieces
APRIL 19 1775
TO COMMAND THE VILLAGE
AND ITS APPROACHES AND NEAR THIS PLACE
SEVERAL BUILDINGS WERE BURNED

EAST LEXINGTON.

HOME OF
Jonathan Harrington
THE LAST
Survivor of the Battle of Lexington
bobn july 8 1758 died march 27 1854

41

BRONZE TABLET — EAST LEXINGTON.

CHARLES FOLLEN
born in hesse-darmstadt
September 4, 1796
a fearless advocate of liberty and justice exiled for conscience sake he sought
in america the freedom denied him in the old world distinguished for rich and
varied learning for uncompromising devotion to the cause of the oppressed and
enslaved and for the simplicity and integrity of his character he organized in
this town the free christian church and became its first pastor designed the
octagon meeting house here erected and on his way to its dedication was lost in
the burning of the steamboat " lexington "
on long island sound january 13 1840
this tablet erected 1915

TABLET ON THE ROAD TO CONCORD.
(IN THE TOWN OF LINCOLN.)
AT THIS POINT,
ON THE OLD CONCORD ROAD AS IT THEN WAS,
ENDED THE MIDNIGHT RIDE OF
PAUL REVERE.
HE HAD, AT ABOUT TWO o'cUOCK OF THE MORNING OF APRIL 19 1775, THE NIGHT BEING
CLEAR AND THE MOON IN ITS THIRD QUARTER, GOT THUS FAR ON HIS WAY' FROM LeXINGTON
TO Concord, alarming the inhabitants as he went, when he and his companions,
William Dawes, of Boston, and Dr. Samuel Prescott, of Concord, were
suddenly halted by a british patrol, who had stationed themselves at this bend
OF THE ROAD. DaWES TURNING BACK, MADE HIS ESCAPE. PrESCOTT, CLEARING THE STONE
WALL, AND FOLLOWING A PATH KNOWN TO HIM THROUGH THE LOW GROUND. REGAINED THE
HIGHWAY AT A POINT FURTHER ON, AND GAVE THE ALARM AT CONCORD. ReVERE TRIED TO
REACH THE NEIGHBORING WOOD, BUT WAS INTERCEPTED BY A PARTY OF OFFICERS
ACCOMPANYING THE PATROL, DETAINED AND KEPT IN ARREST. PRESENTLY HE WAS CARRIED
BY THE PATROL BACK TO LeXINGTON, THERE RELEASED, AND THAT MORNING JOINED
Hancock and Adams. Three men of Lexington, Sanderson, Brown and Loring,
stopped at an earlier hour of the night by the same patrol,
WERE ALSO TAKEM BACK WITH ReVERE

42

MEMORANDA.
Cambridge Farms, a part of Cambridge, now Lexington,
was settled about 1640. The First Parish was organized in
1691. Benjamin Estabrook, born in Concord, 1671 , was called
to be first pastor, ordained 1696, died 1697. John Hancock,
born in Cambridge, 1671, became second pastor in 1697 and
remained till his death, 1752. He married Elizabeth Clark of
Chelmsford and to them five children were born and reared to
manhood and womanhood in four small original rooms. Of
these children, John, the oldest, became the minister in Brain-
tree, where his son John, the Governor and signer of the Dec
laration, was born January 23, 1737. Thomas, the second
child, became the wealthy Boston merchant of his day and
built the famous Hancock Mansion on Beacon Street, Boston.
In 1734 he built the main part of the Hancock-Clarke house.
Thomas had no children and left nearly all his wealth, about
70,000 pounds, to his nephew John, the Governor. The third
child, Elizabeth, and the fifth child, Lucy, both married well-
known clergymen. The fourth child, Ebenezer, graduated
from Harvard and was settled as his father's colleague in 1734;
he died in 1740. Jonas Clarke, born in 1730, was third
pastor, from 1755 to 1805. He married Lucy Bowes, daughter
of Rev. Nicholas Bowes of Bedford, and grandaughter of
Rev. John Hancock of Lexington, and cousin to Mrs. Clarke,
wife of Rev. Jonas Clarke, who lived in this house from 1755
to 1805.

43

LEXINGTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Was organized in 1886 and now has about three hundred
members.
PUBLICATIONS. Four volumes of Proceedings. Volumes I, III, and IV,
8 vo. , about 250 pages each, are for sale at $1.00 per volume.
Epitaphs in the Old Burying-Grounds, Lexington. By
Francis H. Brown, M. D. 8 vo., about 200 pages. Price, $1.00.
Revised edition of Hudson's History of Lexington, in
two volumes. 1913. Volume I, History, 583 pages; Volume
II, Genealogies, 897 pages. Price, $10.00 per set.
Lexington, the Birthplace of American Liberty. A
Handbook. By Fred S. Piper. First edition, 1902; revised
several times. The present, sixth edition, 1920. Price, 25 cents.
Guide-Book to the Hancock-Clarke House. Fifth edition,
1918. Price, 15 cents, 
The Society has a complete card catalogue of all of its pos
sessions, which can be consulted on application to the Curator
of the Society. 
Hancock-Clarke House open: April 1 to November 1,
9.30-5.00; Sundays, 2.00-5.00. November, December and
March, 11.00-4.00; Sundays, 2.00-4.00. Not open in January
and February. Munroe Tavern open : April 15 to November 15, 9.30-5.00.
Sundays, 2.00-5.00.

PITCAIRN S PISTOLS,
IN HANCOCK-CLARKE HOUSE
44

VALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

3 9002 08837 4286

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