January was dark in the days before electricity! Learn about lighting in the 18th century and roll your own candle. Drop in any time between 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM and 1:30 - 3:30 PM to learn! This activity is suitable for ages 6 and up, including adults! Included with museum admission. https://freedomsway.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/REV-STORIES_logo-mark_square.png This event […]
January was dark in the days before electricity! Learn about lighting in the 18th century and roll your own candle. Drop in any time between 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM and 1:30 - 3:30 PM to learn! This activity is suitable for ages 6 and up, including adults! Included with museum admission. https://freedomsway.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/REV-STORIES_logo-mark_square.png This event […]
Drop in to meet Historical Society guide and musician Darlene Wigton as she demonstrates 18th century guitar music. You can even learn a song and join in! Included with museum admission. https://freedomsway.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/REV-STORIES_logo-mark_square.png This event explores our region's revolutionary past! Learn about Freedom's Way 250 and discover the many ways the Heritage Area and its partners […]
Parades, pageants and pandemonium have defined the many commemorations of the 1775 Battle of Lexington and the first shots of the War for Independence. Over the centuries, thousands of people have descended upon the Battle Green to welcome Revolutionary War heroes like the Marquis de Lafayette on his tour of America in 1824. The anniversaries […]
Lexington was preparing for battle long before British soldiers arrived on April 19th, 1775. Paul Revere and William Dawes, fellow Sons of Liberty, rode hard from Boston, arriving in town just before midnight. Their destination: The home of Reverend Clarke. Their mission: To warn Patriot leaders John Hancock and Samuel Adams of the impending British […]
Our museums are open on a special schedule for April 19th! We will be open early to accommodate visitors in town for the big reenactment, and will be closing early to coincide with the afternoon parade. Please see exact hours below. Buckman Tavern: Walk-through tours 6:00 - 8:00 AM Regular audio tours with special exhibition […]
Where is the Parker boulder? Is there a weathervane on the Belfry? What happened at the Harrington House? No matter how long you've lived in Lexington, there is still plenty for your kids to discover! Have them test their clue-solving and observation skills with a Revolutionary-themed scavenger hunt that takes them to sites around the […]
The Hancock-Clarke House holds a unique role as the only site of enslavement open to the public in Lexington. Inside the museum, learn about Jack and Dinah, two individuals enslaved by the Hancock family. Outside, in partnership with the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington, meet local researchers who are working to put Lexington’s 18th […]
The British Regular Army was one of the most powerful military forces in the world in the 18th century. But in the course of one fateful day, their luck changed. On April 19th, 1775, 750 soldiers set out on a grueling 40-mile march, and walked straight into a revolution. In Lexington and Concord, they fought […]
Calling all aspiring young Patriots and Redcoats! Lexington History Museums, in partnership with the Lexington Minute Men and His Majesty’s 10th Regiment of Foot, welcome all willing participants for an interactive reenactment of the Battle of Lexington! Participants will be trained by members of the Lexington Minute Men or His Majesty’s 10th Regiment of Foot […]
When most people—especially in Lexington—hear the name Henry Wadsworth Longfellow today, they probably think of his 1860 poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride.” But what about the man behind the famous verses? In his personal life, Longfellow was surrounded by people we would today consider members of the LGBTQ+ community, including friends, siblings, children, and grandchildren. For […]
This dramatic presentation, created by Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area, aims to find out how our local towns read and reacted to the Declaration of Independence. Across the colonies, and particularly in Massachusetts, towns debated what freedom meant to them, and grappled with the grievances aired in the official Declaration. What did the words in […]