Paul Revere's Ride

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous poem, "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" was first published in January 1860 issue of the Atlantic Magazine. Although the subject matter dealt with the America's War of Independence, Longfellow's intent in writing the poem was to send out a call to arms for all Americans regarding the coming Civil War.


So through the night rode Paul Revere;

And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,---
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

Christopher Columbus Sails the Ocean Blue

Sailing for the New World

On October 12, 1492 Christopher Columbus, having sailed across the Atlantic Ocean with three small ships from Spain, found himself off the coast of a "New World". Returning to Spain with news of his discovery, Columbus was able to convince his benefactors King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to pay for an even larger fleet of ships to further explore what he believed was China and the Far East. In all Columbus led four expeditions to the New World. Each trip was less successful than the last and at one point Columbus returned to Spain in chains.

The former "Admiral of the Oceans" died believing that he had found a route to Cathay, rather than his actual discovery of the islands of the Caribbean. Columbus, who was actually an excellent navigator, grossly underestimated the size and circumference of the globe. (It is a myth that geographers of the time thought that the world was flat and were unaware that the Earth is a sphere).

For many years Christopher Columbus was hailed as a great explorer and the "Discoverer of America". Columbus Day was declared a national holiday and Italian-Americans took pride in his common nationality. But in recent years his reputation has suffered greatly. He has been blamed for all of the ills that fell upon the people native to the America's with the coming of Europeans to the New World. He has also been blamed for introducing the slave trade to the Western Hemisphere, with all of the pain and death that caused.

To blame Christopher Columbus for the sins committed after his death by others is unfair I believe. It was only a matter of time until the New World was re-discovered and came to the attention of the European powers. Instead of the intrepid navigator from Genoa, Italy sailing with a Spanish fleet , it might have been an Englishman or a Frenchman who found himself off the coast of "Newfoundland" or "Florida" and who then claimed the land for his sovereign. From there what course history might have taken no one knows. (At least one of the great "sins" that the Europeans are blamed for - the introduction of foreign diseases - would have taken place at some point in time no matter what else happened).

Just as we acknowledge and give credit to the other European adventurers for the trips of exploration that they made, we can at least give Christopher Columbus credit for one of the most historic events of the last 500+ years - the re-discovery of the New World by an explorer from the Old World.

Col. Joshua Herndon Tavern

Col. Joshua Harnden Tavern
430 Salem St.
Wilmington, Ma.

This Tavern was built by Col. Joshua Harnden (1732-1807) ca. 1770 and operated as a Public Tavern from 1794-1807. Col. Harnden was a Revolutionary War veteran who had answered the alarm of April 19, 1775 and fought at Lexington. In 1818 Silas Brown bought the property and operated it as a farm. The farm at one time had several large outbuildings and much more land than the present day property. The Browns kept the family farm for some 125 years. During the 19th century it is believed that the farm served as way-station on the Underground Railroad for escaped slaves heading north to Canada.

In 1973 the main building was in disrepair and slated for demolition. Recognising its historical importance the Town of Wilmington took the property by eminent domain. The Joshua Harnden Tavern is registered on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Wilmington Historical Society now runs the Tavern as a museum and has tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. There is also agricultural machinery and reproductions of Colonial Militia flags on display in the carriage house adjacent to the Tavern.

The Slave Wall - Medford, Mass.

The Slave Wall
Grove St.
Medford, Mass.

This brick wall on Grove St., Medford was purportedly built by a slave named Pomp in 1765. At that time Pomp was owned by Thomas Brooks and the wall that he built was part of the outer entrance to the home and estate of the Brooks family. The original home no longer exists. The public park behind the wall was land donated in 1924 by the Brooks family.

The Brooks were a prominent family in Medford from its early days and at one time owned 400+ acres in the town. A portion of the Brooks estate and a late 19th century Queen Anne style summer home can be found a short distance away at 275 Grove St. The estate is managed by the Medford-Brooks Estate land trust and is open to the public.

The Brooks family wasn't the only wealthy family in the town to own slaves. The Royall family, transplanted from Antigua, owned 27 slaves and had an estate of almost 600 acres. Their colonial mansion with its separate slave quarters still survives.

Many others in Medford were involved in the actual slave trade itself. Medford was a part of the "Triangle Trade" which consisted of bringing Rum to Africa to trade for slaves, who were then brought to the West Indies to be sold. A portion of the proceeds was then used to buy sugar and molasses, which when brought back to Medford was used to produce Rum. (Medford became known throughout the world for its high quality Rum. Rum continued to be produced in Medford until 1905 when the last factory shut its doors).

Slavery was finally abolished in Massachusetts in 1783 making Massachusetts the first state to abolish slavery.

Prince Estabrook Memorial

Prince Estabrook Memorial
Buckman Tavern
One Bedford St.
Lexington, Mass.

On Patriot's Day, April 21, 2008, at 12 noon, members of the modern day Lexington Minute Men Company gathered in front of Buckman Tavern to dedicate a new memorial to one of their own -Prince Estabrook. Estabrook, a slave from Lexington, was with the Lexington Training Band on Lexington Green as they stood in defiance of the British Regulars on the morning of April 19, 1775. He was wounded in the resulting skirmish. Prince Estabrook is considered to be the first black soldier to fight for independence in the American Revolution. He was later given his own freedom in recognition for his service.