Lincoln250 Celebration
The 250th anniversaries of the Battle of Lexington and Concord (April 19, 1775) and the Signing of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) are significant historical milestones in Massachusetts and the United States respectively. The Lincoln250 Celebration aims to explore Lincoln’s involvement in these historic events with support of the Lincoln250 Planning Committee and other local organizations.
Exhibits
Current Exhibit:
June – August 2025: Lincoln & The Continental Congress
In response to the ongoing siege of Boston, which began April 19, 1775 and would last until March 17, 1776, the Second Continental Congress began its votes to take control of the Revolutionary War that had begun in and around Lexington and Concord. On June 14, 1775 they voted to create an official Continental Army, and while they also sent a peace petition to King George III debates began on how best to declare independence and build a new government for what would become the United States of America.
Lincoln’s experience during this time likely mirrors that of many colonial towns. According to Lincoln historian Donald Hafner, Lincoln had resisted the Provincial Congress’ call in October of 1774 for all towns to form special militia units. However, as 1775 dawned, it became clearer and clearer that Lincoln’s original plan to contribute to the colonies’ economic boycott of British merchants and goods would be difficult to enforce among the community as well as simply insufficient. As the Second Continental Congress continued to take action to build up the Continental Army and move to drum up support for the resolution of independence, the Town of Lincoln seemed to come around to the idea that preparing for war was the only possible step forward.
In the spring and early summer of 1776, Lee’s Resolution was being debated by the Continental Congress. Advocates for independence had been working diligently to consolidate support in their home states, and the growing support can be seen in Lincoln’s Town Records. As noted in the minutes of a Town Meeting from June 24, 1776:
“On the second article noted that should the Honorable Congress [Second Continental Congress] for the safety of the United American Colonies declare them independent of Great Brittan, we the inhabitants of said town will solemnly engage with our lives and fortunes support them in the measure.”
Lincoln was ready to go to war.
Lincoln250 Series:
The Siege of Boston, 1775-1776, with Jarrad Fuoss
During the Siege of Boston, militiamen effectively contained British troops within Boston leading to the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. In this talk entitled, “No business but that of war,” Minute Man National Park Ranger Jarrad Fuoss will discuss the Siege of Boston from April, 1775 – March, 1776 after which the war expanded to other colonies including South Carolina, New Jersey, and New York.
Recommended Reading:
Hafner, Donald. “In January 1775, Lincoln was ready for economic sacrifice but not yet war“. March 3, 2025.
McCullough, David. 1776.
Philbrick, Nathaniel. Bunker Hill: a City, a Siege, a Revolution.
April & May 2025: The Lincoln Minute Men
Starting in the fall of 1774, the Massachusetts legislature met in defiance of the Royal Governor at the time and assumed control of militia forces. On October 26, 1774 the legislature recommended that towns recruit volunteers and “form them into Companies of fifty Privates at the least, who shall equip and hold themselves in Readiness to march at the shortest Notice…” Because they were expected to be ready quickly, “at a minute’s warning…” they would become known as “minute men.” Importantly, Minute man companies were comprised of volunteers, rather than the mandatory service that had traditionally been the standard for town militias.
So who were the Lincoln Minute Men? Records list 77 men listed in either the company itself or affiliated with the corps in some way. These men were the first to arrive to the aid of Concord’s forces on the morning of April 19, 1775, bravely ready to lay down their lives in defense of American liberty. Notably, while “Indian and Negroes” were prohibited from serving under militia laws, they were expected to still be armed and turn out in the event of an emergency. Two Black men of Lincoln, Peter Oliver and Cato Smith, while not on the enlisted “Men-In-Arms” of April 19 would join the Continental Army to serve on May 30 and April 24 respectively. They would notably be a part of the Battle at Bunker Hill. Peter would serve until 1781 while Cato would die in the service in 1777.
Lincoln250 Series
Myths of the Battle of Lexington-Concord with Rick Wiggin
Lincoln Minute Man and Historian Rick Wiggin will discuss what truly happened in Lexington, Concord, and most importantly, Lincoln, on April 19, 1775 and how it became mythologized over time. The day was a one-sided massacre without return fire. By the Centennial anniversary, the idea of the battle had become accepted history. Rick will dispel many of the popular myths of this pivotal day on Battle Road!
Recommended Reading
Quintal, George. Patriots of Color: “a Peculiar Beauty and Merit” : African Americans and Native Americans At Battle Road & Bunker Hill. Division of Cultural Resources, Boston National Historical Park, 2004.
National Parks Service. April 19, 1775
National Parks Service. The Militia and Minute Men of 1775
March 2025: Women in Colonial Lincoln
Women’s political and public involvement in the lead up to the Revolutionary War were often restricted to areas that involved furthering household tasks or religious services. It was quite uncommon for women to publish treaties in the newspaper calling for revolution or decrying the injustice of the British Empire. Instead, women would often support non-importation and non-consumption pledges, gathering together for spinning bees to spin their own yarn to avoid having to purchase imported British goods.
While traditionally regulated to supporting roles, the Revolution brought the political into the household sphere more than any previous war or upheaval had done before. This led to women often mobilizing their sons or husbands to support the war was, as historian Linda Kerber writes, “part of their expression of their surrogate enlistment in a society in which women did not fight” (Kerber, 22). In some instances, women were able to take direct action, and in Mary Flint Hartwell’s case, save the Revolution before it had really even begun.
The evening of April 18, 1775, Mary Hartwell was 28, and lived in Lincoln with her husband Samuel and their three children when they were alerted of the Redcoats arrival in Boston. Together, she and her husband spread the word of the alarm to their friends and neighbors, including Captain William Smith, commanding officer of the Lincoln Minutemen. While there is some debate on whether Mary was responsible for getting the word to Captain Smith directly, it is clear that thanks to her efforts the Minutemen were able to arrive at Old North Bridge before the British soldiers, holding back the Regulars long enough to gather more militiamen and force the British to turn back to Boston.
Lincoln250 Series
Women in the American Revolution with Audrey Stuck-Girard
While the experiences of individual women during the American War of Independence have been largely left out of the historical record, they were nonetheless active participants of the cultural shift known as the American Revolution. Rural Massachusetts women in 1775 managed household budgets and property while being legally barred from owning any of that property. As the primary influence and educators of young children, they instilled moral and cultural values and ethics to the first generation of independent Americans. And when many of the men in their lives were away serving or killed in the war, women endeavored (with varying levels of success) to fulfill both male and female roles in their absence. Come learn about these women with reenactor Audrey Stuck-Girard.
Recommended Reading
Linda Kerber, “History Can Do It No Justice: Women and the Reinterpretation of the American Revolution,” in Women in the Age of the American Revolution, (Washington D.C.: United States Capitol Historical Society, 1989).
Donald L. Hafner, Mary Hartwell and the Alarm on April 19, 1775
Alyssa Kariofyllis, Women During the Lead Up To War
Palmer Faran, Heroine of the Battle Road
February 2025: Enslaved in the American Revolution
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Enslaved peoples played a pivotal role in the American Revolution, often journeying hundreds of miles to assist in the fight for freedom only to return home to enslavement. In Lincoln, that dichotomy was reflected poignantly in the experience of a young man named Peter Nelson.
In 1765, Josiah and Elizabeth Nelson purchased an infant child named Peter, aged “a bout one year and seven months,” from their neighbors. By mid-1777, Peter would be recorded as enlisted in the Continental Army for their campaign in Saratoga, New York, although it is unclear if the service was willing or if his enslaver sent Peter in his stead. Peter would return home to the Nelson family and resume his position in their household. He would reenlist in 1778, this time willingly and with permission, but it is unclear if he would ever return to Lincoln.
In addition to Peter, there are many other Black and Brown men and women who participated in the historic events at Lexington, Lincoln, and Concord:
Prince Estabrook (born c.1740) was an enslaved Lexington militiaman who was wounded when British soldiers fired on militia men in the first battle of the American Revolution. He later enlisted in the Continental Army and served till the end of the war.
Caesar Minott (born c.1740), an enslaved servant, was at the clash at the North Bridge with his owner, Concord’s Captain Minott, in the second battle of the American Revolution. He later served in the Continental Army.
Peter Salem (born 1748), a Framingham minute man, marched through Lincoln with his regiment and engaged the Redcoats on April 19. On June 17, he was engaged in the battle at Bunker Hill. He enlisted and served in the Continental Army for five years.
Violet Thayer (birth date unknown) was an enslaved servant of Ephraim Hartwell (Hartwell Tavern) and helped spread the alarm that the Redcoats were marching toward Concord on the morning of April 19. She may have helped bury five British soldiers in Lincoln’s Precinct Burial Ground.
Brister Hoar (born 1756) was an enslaved Lincoln 19-year-old who fed the Woburn Minutemen who were marching through Lincoln on their way to Concord. He joined the Continental Army and changed his name to Sippio Brister. He is buried in Lincoln’s Precinct Burial Ground near the single grave of the five British soldiers.
The experience of these Black and Brown men and women represent a complicated part of America’s early history. They desired more than independence from a British king; they fought for freedom from enslavement.
Exhibited Works
Papers, 1748-1902 (bulk 1748-1860), 2002.006.1, Nelson Family Papers, Courtesy of the Lincoln Town Archives. Finding Aid.
Donald L. Hafner, Entangled Lives, Black and White
Lincoln250 Speaker Series
Virtual: Entangled Lives, Black and White
In the 18th century, the town of Lincoln had dozens of Black residents, enslaved and free, who helped the town thrive. They plowed the fields, hoed the gardens, and harvested the food. They did the cooking, they did the laundry, they cared for the children, they tended the sick and the elderly. They worked the blacksmith shops and the sawmills, made the nails and cut the boards that built Lincoln’s first meeting house and built houses that still stand in Lincoln. More than a hundred white residents of Lincoln lived in a household with an enslaved person. They lived entangled lives, Black and white, enslaved and free. Come hear what we know about their lives with historian Don Hafner.
Recommended Reading
- Donald L. Hafner, Entangled Lives, Black and White
- Jared Fuoss, Massachusetts: 1777, Peter Nelson
- Joyce Lee Malcolm, Peter’s War: A New England Slave Boy and the American Revolution
- Elise Lemire, Black Walden: Slavery and Its Aftermath in Concord, Massachusetts
January 2025: The Second Provincial Congress
On January 9, 1775, the town of Lincoln held a meeting to “know the towns mind whether they will elect a meeting person to represent them in a Provincial Congress held at Cambridge.” The town of Lincoln voted to send Eleazer Brooks, Samuel Farrar, and Abijah Pierce.
The Second Provincial Congress was presided over by John Hancock. Its main purpose was to discuss funding for the militia, to instruct colonists to pay taxes to the receiver-general instead of the Royal Officer, and to declare that those who served in the British army would be enemies of Massachusetts.
Lincoln did have its loyalists. Dr. Charles Russell (1738-1780) was the descendant of Chambers Rusell, the one that named Lincoln after Lincoln, England. He was a physician and a proud loyalist. He inherited the Chambers Russell estate before he was banished, and his property confiscated. He would continue being a physician in Antigua. He would spend the rest of his life there.
Exhibited Works
Lincoln First Book of Records, 1754-1806, 2003.015.1.2, Town of Lincoln Administrative Records, Lincoln Town Archives, Lincoln, MA.
Exhibit Reading List
- Jones, E. Alfred. The loyalists of Massachusetts: their memorials, petitions and claims.
- Maas, David E. Divided hearts, Massachusetts loyalists, 1765-1790 : a biographical directory
- Stark, James H. The loyalists of Massachusetts and the Other Side of Revolution.
- The Plight of Massachusetts Loyalists americanheritage.com (Spr 24,Vol:69 Issue:2)
May-August 2024: Lincoln’s Reaction to the Massachusetts Government Act, 1774
The Parliament of Great Britain effectively repealed the 1691 charter of the Province of Massachusetts-Bay when they passed the Massachusetts Government Act on May 20, 1774. This act was intended to suppress dissent in Massachusetts and restore order in Great Britain’s colony. Instead, this revocation of the colony’s charter led directly to the start of the American Revolution in April, 1775.
Exhibited Works
- Special Town Meeting, September 29, 1774. Lincoln First Book of Records, 1754-1806, 2003.015.1.2, Town of Lincoln Administrative Records, Lincoln Town Archives, Lincoln, MA.
- Wiggin, Richard C. Embattled Farmers: Campaigns and Profiles of Revolutionary Soliders from Lincoln, Massachusetts, 1775-1783 (Lincoln, Mass.: Lincoln Historiocal Society, 2013), p. 228.
Exhibit Reading List
Zabin, Serena R. The Boston Massacre: A Family History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [2020].
Archer, Richard. As If An Enemy’s Country: The British Occupation of Boston and the Origins of Revolution. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
Brooks, Paul. Trial by Fire: Lincoln, Massachusetts, and the War of Independence. Lincoln, Mass. : Lincoln 1975 Bicentennial Commission.
Carp, Benjamin J. Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010.
Copeland, David A. Debating the Issues in Colonial Newspapers: Primary Documents on the Events of the Period.Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2000.
Ellis, Joseph J. Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013.
Hafner, Donald. William Smith, Captain: Life and Death of a Soldier of the American Revolution. Lincoln Historical Society, 2017.
MacLean, John C. A Rich Harvest: The History, Buildings, and People of Lincoln, Massachusetts. Lincoln, Mass.: Lincoln Historical Society, 1987.
Malcolm, Joyce Lee. The Times That Try Men’s Souls: the Adams, the Quincys, and the Battle of Loyalty in the American Revolution. New York: Pegasus Books, 2023.
Norton, Mary Beth. 1774: The Long Year of Revolution. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, [2020].
Schiff, Stacy. The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2022.
Wiggin, Richard C. Embattled Farmers: Campaigns and Profiles of Revolutionary Soldiers from Lincoln, Massachusetts, 1775-1783. Lincoln Historical Society, 2013.
