Historic House Museums Open for the Season This Weekend (PHOTOS)

The following press release was provided by the .

Lexington’s three historic house museums—, , and the —along with the Buckman Tavern Museum Shop all open for the season for guided tours.

At each of the homes, experienced tour guides in 18th century attire will take the visitor through the important events of April 18 and 19, 1775.

Buckman Tavern, at 1 Bedford St., will feature a new interpretation based on recent original research that has provided fresh insight into the lives of the slaves, youth, women, and militiamen of Lexington at the outbreak of the Revolution. Museum rooms have been refurnished and stories retold to reflect this new, in depth interpretation.

Buckman Tavern was the waiting place for Lexington’s militiamen before the Battle on the Green. It will be open daily 7 days a week with tours every half hour 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and—for the first time in many years—will remain open every day through Thanksgiving weekend. The Buckman Tavern Museum Shop will also be open daily starting at 9:30 a.m.

The elegant Hancock-Clarke House (36 Hancock St.) was home to Lexington’s parson, the Rev. Jonas Clarke, and Paul Revere and William Dawes hastily rode to the house the night of April 18, 1775, to warn the parson’s guests, John Hancock and Samuel Adams, in the famous “midnight ride.” The tour here features the documentary film “First Shot! The Day the Revolution Began.” Hancock-Clarke will be open weekends until Memorial Day, and daily after that through October, with tours on the hour 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. 

The tours at Munroe Tavern (1332 Massachusetts Ave.) focus on the British Redcoats, a story that doesn’t get told often enough. Home to patriot and orderly sergeant William Munroe and his family, the house and tavern were taken over temporarily by force by Col. Percy as a field hospital and place of respite for wounded Redcoat soldiers on their retreat back to Boston from Concord. Munroe will be open weekends through Memorial Day, daily after that through October, with hourly tours 12 to 4 p.m.

Lexington Historical Society members always come free into the historic houses. Tickets—good anytime—for all others are $12/adult and $8/child for all three houses, or $7/$5 for one house. Tickets will be available at any house and at the Buckman Tavern Museum Shop.

For more information visit the Society’s website at www.lexingtonhistory.org or call 781-862-1703.