Lexington's 300th: Mass Memories Road Show Video Features Lexington Visit

UMass Boston has created a video to document its Mass Memories Road Show, using its stop at Lexington's 300th Incorporation Weekend as an example of the project.

We know that the Mass Memories Road Show, an event-based public history project at UMass Boston that digitizes personal photos shared by the people of Massachusetts, stopped by Lexington's Incorporation Weekend to collect and catalogue local memories. What we didn't know was that Mass Memories Road Show would use its visit to Lexington High School this past March as a tutorial on how people can participate in recording their place in Massachusetts history.  But, apparently, that's just what they've done: A few months back, UMass Boston posted a video to its YouTube channel that explains the project using footage from the trip to Lexington. You can watch the video by clicking here, or on the YouTube clip posted to your right.  Lexington’s …

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At Jacob Whittemore House, Lexington Resident Helps Historic Walls Speak

For the past year, the house and the family that inhabited it in 1775 have been the subjects of grant-funded research, led by Lexington resident and public historian Polly Kienle

The following was provided by Minute Man National Historical Park. Of the 43 historic buildings within Minute Man National Historical Park, 11 were standing on April 19, 1775 to witness the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Of these eleven “witness structures,” only the Jacob Whittemore House (ca. 1717) stands in Lexington. For the past year, the house and the family that inhabited it in 1775 have been the subjects of grant-funded research. The Friends of Minute Man National Park were awarded a grant by the Mass Humanities Foundation to fund a Scholar-in-Residence project on behalf of the park. Lexington resident and public historian Polly Kienle has spent the grant term investigating the structure’s 18th-century residents, a “forgotten …

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Your Turn: Pro-Gun Rally Has History in the Crosshairs

That Lexington’s Battle Green will host a pro-gun rally next week has upset some and inspired others. Where do you come down on the issue?

  Here once the embattled farmers stood and—even if Emerson’s prose puts it a dozen miles west—fired the “shot heard ‘round the world.” Now, nearly a quarter-millennium later, Lexington’s Battle Green finds itself home to a gun battle of a different kind. Next Friday, April 19, Gun Rights Across America plans to hold a “Muster on the Battle Green” rally in Lexington, featuring Oath Keepers Founder Stewart Rhodes as a guest speaker. On the local front, there has been some talk about mounting a counter-rally. And the newish national group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America has taken notice of the rally and says some local members may stand in silent opposition to, but are unlikely to engage, the pro-Second Amendment rally. All that’…

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Aron Levy

10:46 pm on Thursday, April 18, 2013

Oh, I guess that was just wishful thinking on my part. Too bad. With that, you can have the last word. Have fun imagining me as a re-enactor.   more ›

Lexington's Patriots’ Day Weekend Schedule Released

Telling you when and where to celebrate the 238th anniversary of the ‘Battle of Lexington’ and this town’s 300th birthday.

  The Town Celebrations Committee’s “Program of the Day” schedule of Patriots’ Day events hit the interwebs over the weekend. Spoiler Alert: It’ll be a weekend of pomp, circumstance and patriotism – and all of it quintessentially Lexington.  Much of it will sound familiar, but there is a significant, one-time change this year: The afternoon parade will be held on Sunday, April 14, as a nod to the yearlong town’s tercentennial celebration. Read on for an overview of the Patriots' Day weekend events. For the full schedule, check out the town website or the PDF posted to your right. Saturday, April 13 Per the usual, the weekend’s events will get started at 10 a.m. Saturday morning, when the Lexington Minutemen will gather on the Battle Green …

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Patrick Ball

6:15 pm on Friday, April 19, 2013

"Tele Gram," I don't often offer opinions here, but I'm going to make an exception. You're probably one of the few who does not believe this event did not receive "appropriate 'air' time." -pb   more ›

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Concerts, Lexington's Historical Signs and Concord's Family Trees

A roundup of some weekend happenings around Bedford, Concord and Lexington.

It’s Thursday, and you’ve got no idea what you’ll do this weekend. Lexington Patch is coming to the rescue. We’ve got the best bets for your done-work-outta-here time. Check our picks for the activities you'll want to take part in this weekend. 1. Pilgrims Of Rock Where/When: Concord's Colonial Inn, 48 Monument Sq, Concord; 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 23 Why Go: Because musicians Tom Yates, Rick Maida and Mike Avery are promising a musical journey through rock history. Pricing: Free 2. Family Trees: A Celebration of Children's Literature at the Concord Museum Where/When: Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Tpke, Concord; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 23 and Saturday, Nov. 24 Why Go: From Nov. 21 through Jan. 1, the Museum’s galleries are filled with 38 …

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Five Things To Do This Weekend: June 8 to 10

A look at what's going on in and around Lexington this weekend.

It’s Thursday, and you’ve got no idea what you’ll do this weekend. Lexington Patch is coming to the rescue. We’ve got the best bets for your done-work-outta-here time. Check our picks for the activities you'll want to take part in this weekend in Lexington and beyond. 1. Grand Opening of Wilson Farm's New Entrance Where/When: Wilson Farm, 10 Pleasant St.; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, June 8, Saturday, June 9 and Sunday, June 10 Why Go: Over the three-day grand opening event, the first 200 people to enter Wilson Farm each day will receive something special, and the farmstand will run a sale of items located within our new entrance. Pricing: Free to enter 2. Cops Take the Court Where/When: Lexington High School, 251 Waltham St; 7:30 p.m., Friday…

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Five Things To Do This Weekend: May 18 to 20

Open art studios, opera and a barbeque cookoff are among the events and activities going down around Lexington.

It’s Thursday, and you’ve got no idea what you’ll do this weekend. Lexington Patch is coming to the rescue. We’ve got the best bets for your done-work-outta-here time. Check our picks for the activities you'll want to take part in this weekend in Lexington and beyond. 1. What Color Are Your Work Boots? A Performance by Laura Lapointe Where/When: Follen Community Church, 755 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington; 7 p.m., Friday, May 18 Why Go: From the pangs of perceived inadequacy to the promise of hard-won perspective, Laura exposes the inner experiences of one in the job search trenches. You just might leave feeling refreshed and ready to put on your own work boots and set out on your unique purposeful path, regardless of what your job is or isn’…

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VIDEO: A Revolutionary Reenactment on Lexington's Battle Green

History reenacted on Patriots' Day morning.

As the Patriots' Day dawn broke over the Battle Green, a crowd thousands strong stood, along with the Lexington Minutemen, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the British Regulars. They marched on town from the east, as the companies came on April 19, 1775.  And, though it's April 16, 2012, the results looked roughly the same as that fateful morning when American liberty was born. The local militia bravely stood their ground as the Redcoats approached with both numbers and training on their side. Suddenly, a shot rang out, from who know's where. And thus began a brief firefight that left eight men dead, the first veterans to lose their lives in the American Revolution.  This time around, neither the bullets nor the results were real. …

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Town Meeting Approves CPA Requests, Bus Fee Subisdy (PHOTOS)

A quick rundown of articles taken up during last night’s fifth session of annual Town Meeting at Cary Hall.

The fifth night of Lexington’s annual Town Meeting on Monday approved a number of Community Preservation Committee requests and agreed to a school bus transportation subsidy to lower bus fees. Beyond a prop-filled report on Revolutionary Revelry in the month of May from the Tourism Committee, only two articles saw action on the Town Meeting floor April 9, but there were a number of items for consideration under Article 8, the CPA projects. Following the meeting, Massachusetts Avenue was shut down west of the intersection with Waltham Street in Lexington Center due to a manhole explosion, according to the police officer diverting traffic down Waltham. Here's a quick rundown of articles taken up during last night’s fifth session of annual …

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PHOTOS: Lexington Rebels and Redcoats Speak of Revolution

In Their Own Words, a Lexington Historical Society presentation performed on the eve of Patriots' Day, recalls the first hours of the American Revolution through eyewitness accounts.

The following press release was provided by the Lexington Historical Society. What do you really know about the first day of the American Revolution? Imagine hearing it from the people who lived it? The dramatic events of April 1775, are retold In Their Own Words, on the eve of Patriots’ Day, Sunday, April 15, at First Parish, 7 Harrington Road in Lexington. There will be two shows, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. “This show sells out year after year,” says Susan Bennett, executive director of the Lexington Historical Society. “It’s such a thrill to be in the moment with the words of real people from history, that we have added a performance to give more people the chance to embrace it. It’s what the Society is all about.” In Their Own Words is drawn…

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