I’m sure you’ve heard of Paul Revere’s midnight ride, “One if by land, two if by sea,” and the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World”. But how many of us have really gotten into the nitty-gritty of what happened on that 19th of April, 1775? That day was pivotal in the American Revolution: blood was shed on both sides. After that, nothing was the same and war was imminent.
Now, there are plenty of sites you can visit that each focus on differing parts of the event. You could go to the Old North Church or Paul Revere’s house in the heart of Boston, or you could head over to Minuteman National Park to view the North Bridge, among a host of other sites. However, I decided to drop in on the Lexington Historical Society and explore two of their c.18th century buildings.
After picking up a fellow history lover, my plan was to head to the Buckman Tavern first, which is right off the Lexington Green, then go to see the Hancock-Clarke House second. When we arrived at the tavern, we were asked if we wanted to take a tour of the building.
The price for touring just the tavern is $8.00. However, you can also purchase a $12.00 ticket that admits you to the Buckman Tavern, the Hancock-Clarke House, and the Munroe Tavern. At the moment though, the Munroe Tavern is closed until April 2019, but you can bring back the ticket next year to receive admission then. You don’t have to go to all the buildings on one day anyways.
I decided to buy the combo ticket. It seemed like the best deal, and we had the time for it. The woman at the front recommended walking over to the Hancock-Clarke House first, because its tours start every hour, and the tour gives a good background for learning about the tavern. Walking took less than ten minutes, as the house is just down the street.
Easy to spot with its bright yellow paint, the colonial building’s museum entrance is through a small wooden structure at the back. A historic herb garden surrounds the roadside sign, with different markers next to the carefully selected plants.
When I stepped inside, the path to the information desk seemed a bit awkward with a display narrowing the walkway. We arrived just in time for the 11:00 tour. First, we were instructed to take a seat in the main room where we were shown a 15 minute video giving a condensed history of the events leading up to the skirmish is Concord, focusing on Lexington’s part.
Once it ended, we were asked not to use flash photography, or to touch/lean upon any of the artifacts. Our guide was a man likely in his late 60s, who was wearing colonial garb. He was extremely knowledgeable and earned my stamp of approval by answering all my questions and presenting his information in an engaging -and sometimes funny- way.
So it turns out, the Hancock part of the house’s name originates from theJohn Hancock’s (the signer of the Declaration of Independence) family. His grandfather lived there for fifty odd years while he was the minister at the Lexington meetinghouse. This John Hancock (the first), raised his family there, including three sons.
The first son (John Hancock the second), and the third son both went to Harvard to become ministers. The middle son was trained as a bookbinder, and later transitioned to a bookseller among other things. This son, Thomas Hancock, made a fortune with his books, and became a wealthy landowner in Boston.
John Hancock II died when he was only 42, and left behind his wife and three children. Thomas Hancock and his wife, who hadn’t been able to have children themselves, adopted the eldest, John, as their own. After rich Uncle Thomas’ death, his wealth was left to his nephew, John Hancock III, who became the money source for the colonists during the Revolution.
But back to the house. In the 1730’s, Thomas most likely paid for an addition to be made on his parents house. Now, there is no hard evidence pertaining to exactly how all the parts of the present Hancock-Clarke House ended up together, but our tour guide gave us his own theory. Put simply, his idea is that part of this building was moved to its current location from another part of the town, which would explain some of the house’s oddities and the dates that have been gathered from wood samples.
After all these Hancocks, you might be wondering where the Clarkein the house’s name comes from. Clarke came into the picture when John Hancock I died and a new minister was required for Lexington’s meeting house. The Reverend Jonas Clarke was hired, and it was he and his family who were living in the house when the events of April 19th occurred.
So on April 18th and then 19th, Paul Revere, William Dawes, and later Samuel Prescott were riding through the country to warn the townspeople of the impending arrival of the Redcoats. Some of the people they particularly wanted to warn were Samuel Adams and John Hancock (III), who were staying at–guess where–the Hancock-Clarke House. Several warnings throughout the night were required to finally convince the two men to leave. Just in time, because the British Regulars arrived a few hours later.
Back in the 1700’s, this house would have had a clear view to the Lexington Green where the brief battle took place. One account by a survivor mentions hurtling down the road towards the house on a runaway horse during the skirmish. I could easily envision the galloping horse as our tour guide directed us to take a peek at the view from the upper story windows.
Once our tour was completed, we walked back to the Buckman Tavern. The women at the front desk were very friendly, and got us all set with our audio guides for the tour. There is also a nice gift shop in the tavern, with a lot of interesting colonial souvenirs. When we were ready, a guide led us to a room at the back of the building.
Inside this room, there was a display of items that would actually have been found at the Battle of Lexington (or most likely, for a few of them). A large stone marker rested against one wall, and old drawings were hung on another. She gave us an introduction to the tavern and an explanation of how to use the audio guides, which is very straightforward. We might’ve spent longer than usual because another group came in while we were listening to the audio guide. Hearing the audio was made a little more difficult while she gave them an introduction, but it didn’t last long.
Slowly, we walked through the other rooms, pausing in each one to listen to the corresponding number on the guide. The Buckman Tavern is the location where Lexington’s militia gathered after an initial call to arms during the night. When the Regulars didn’t show up, they thought it might’ve been a false alarm. So some went home while others stayed in the tavern right off the green. The militia who remained in the tavern were the ones who made a stand when the Redcoats arrived. A testament to its role in the skirmish, a bullet hole is still visible in the old front door.
Once we finished the main floor, we turned around and headed upstairs. The tavern has a new exhibit there on social media and its 18th century counterparts. There are several interactive displays and you can even send a postcard to a friend to commemorate your visit.
Overall, I found this museum very interesting, though I did prefer the Hancock-Clarke House, mainly because there was a tour guide instead of audio. I would definitely make a stop at the Lexington Historical Society next time you get a chance!
