Paul Revere – A Man of Many Trades

December 1, 2009 by · 2 Comments 

© iStockphoto.com/JorgeAntonio

© iStockphoto.com/JorgeAntonio

When most people think about Paul Revere they usually recall his famous Midnight Ride on the evening of April 18-19, 1775 and perhaps his involvement in the Sons of Liberty. When it comes to his work as an artisan however, besides his fine efforts as a silversmith (master goldsmith), few can name any of the other trades this talented craftsman practiced. Paul Revere was a man of many trades – in fact he is rightfully considered one of America’s first industrialists. His entrepreneurial spirit was so strong that he began what might be considered his most daring business venture, opening the first copper rolling mill in North America, when many of his contemporaries were contemplating retirement. Paul Revere loved a challenge and long hours and hard work were nothing new to him. That work ethic started at a very young age when Revere initiated his career as an apprentice in the gold and silversmith shop of his father also named Paul. The elder Revere’s shop was located on Fish Street at the head of Clark’s Wharf. Nineteen-year-old Paul was in the midst of what was likely a seven year apprenticeship when his father died in 1754. At that time, Paul’s widowed mother Deborah Revere may have become proprietor of the family business and supervised the financial end of the operation where Paul, his brother Thomas and others worked. When Paul reached the age of 21, he was old enough to take over the business himself. After volunteering for a summer of service in the French and Indian War in 1756, Paul returned to run the family shop at the Clark’s Wharf location where he produced most of his work in silver, as gold was very expensive.

During his career as a silversmith, Paul Revere supplemented his income in numerous ways including work as a dentist and engraver. He advertised as a dentist in 1768 and 1770, offering to clean teeth and wire in false teeth, and served as a dentist until the Revolutionary War. After his good friend Doctor Joseph Warren was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill, it was Paul Revere who was eventually able to identify Warren’s body by the two false teeth he had wired in. A reference to that identification, what may be the first example of forensic dentistry, is made in this original article from the April 25, 1776 issue of the Pennsylvania Evening Post. As a copper plate engraver, one of Paul Revere’s first efforts was the North Battery Certificate produced about 1762. Later copper plate prints include the well-known engraving of the Boston Massacre; the Landing of the Troops – an engraving showing the British troops landing at Long Wharf in 1768; and engraving work for Massachusetts currency, books and magazines. Paul Revere also did lead metal engravings for newspapers including the mastheads of both the Boston Gazette and the Massachusetts Spy.

When the Revolutionary War broke out, Revere learned how to manufacture gunpowder from the owner of a powder factory in Philadelphia. He returned to Boston and oversaw the construction of a powder mill in Canton that would supply gunpowder for the newly formed Continental Army. Revere spent most of the American Revolution as lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts State Train of Artillery and commander of Castle Island in Boston Harbor. Newspaper ads placed by Paul Revere after the Revolution tell us that he moved his silversmith shop multiple times; operated a hardware store as early as 1783; and housed both businesses together in 1787 as this original ad from the June 13, 1787 issue of the Massachusetts Centinel mentions. By 1788, while still operating his silversmith shop (run on a day-to-day basis by his son Paul Jr.) and hardware store, Revere opened a foundry and produced bolts, spikes, and nails for local shipyards. After 1792, he began to cast bells at his foundry in the North End of Boston, and was assisted by his sons Paul Revere Jr. and Joseph Warren Revere. Today some 147 bells made at the Revere Foundry still survive. Most are located in New England.

In 1794, Revere began casting cannon (naval and field pieces) for the Federal government and various state governments. In 1801, at the age of 65, Paul Revere opened the first copper rolling mill in North America. He was the first American to successfully roll copper into sheets. At his mill in Canton, Massachusetts, Revere produced sheet copper for the dome of the new Massachusetts State House in 1802 and for the hulls of many ships. Paul Revere retired in 1811 at the age of 76. Revere passed his copper business, and the good reputation it had earned, on to his son Joseph Warren Revere and two of his grandsons. He spent his final years surrounded by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. These young boys and girls surely asked Paul Revere about the events of April 18-19, 1775, but they also knew of his many other accomplishments. Revere died on May 10, 1818 at the age of 83. The notice of his death in the Columbian Centinel included these words “During his protracted life, his activity in business and benevolence, the vigor of his mind, and strength of his constitution were unabated.” He is buried in Boston’s Granary Burying Ground.

Paul Revere was not born to wealth – he was an ordinary man who lived an extraordinary life. Revere was a patriot, a businessman, an involved citizen, and a popular and well-respected member of his community. Today, the staff at the Paul Revere House is dedicated to preserving Paul Revere’s memory and his place in American history for future generations. Because of their work, the intriguing story of Paul Revere’s Boston is alive and well at the patriot’s former home at 19 North Square. Visit the Paul Revere House and learn more about his work as an artisan, his political and civic connections, and many messenger rides including the one that would make Paul Revere famous thanks to a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. You can see samples of his silverwork on display and also view a 931 pound bell produced at the Revere Foundry in 1804.

For more insight into Paul Revere’s life read:

All are available from the Revere House Museum Shop.

Exciting Changes at the Paul Revere House

One hundred years after it opened to the public on April 18, 1908, the Paul Revere House is in the process of dramatically improving the visitor experience by converting an 1835 building that stands directly behind its property into a 3,600-square-foot Education and Visitor Orientation Center. The facility will include youth and family program space, restrooms, museum shop, midnight ride exhibit and displays. It will also include an elevator offering full handicapped access to all floors as well as to the second floor of the Paul Revere House for the very first time. Click on the graphic at left to learn more and see floor plans. Consider making a Symbolic $76 contribution to this wonderful project and play a part in renewing and expanding this historic treasure!

Filed under: Audio, Books, Colonial Newspapers, Primary Sources, Tours
Tagged: , , , , ,

A Fall Journey to Adams National Historical Park

November 6, 2009 by · Leave a Comment 

JAdamsBirthplaceLast week, on a beautiful fall day, I traveled out to Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Massachusetts 10 miles south of Boston. If you are a teacher visiting Boston to learn more about Colonial American History and the Revolution, I highly recommend adding the Adams NHP to your trip’s itinerary. It is convenient to visit – from Boston the Adams NHP can be reached by the MBTA “T” Subway System – take the Red Line Braintree train to the Quincy Center stop. The ride took me under 25 minutes. When you exit the subway, the National Park Service Visitor Center is located a short distance away in the Galleria at President’s Place at 1250 Hancock Street. Guided tours leave from the Visitor Center on a regular basis and participants are taken by trolley to the presidential birthplace homes of John Adams and John Quincy Adams as well as Peace field – the home and farm purchased by John and Abigail Adams in 1788. The park is open for tours from April 19 to November 10.

The presidential birthplace homes stand in their original locations on Franklin Street, once part of the Old Coast Road (the main route from Boston to Plymouth) in what was then called Braintree. The John Adams Birthplace (pictured in this post) was built in 1681. The saltbox style home with six surrounding acres was purchased by John’s father Deacon John Adams in 1720 and here the future second president was born on October 30, 1735. In 1744 Deacon John Adams purchased a second saltbox style home, built in 1663, located next door along with a substantial amount of land. On about 188 acres of property, Deacon Adams worked as a farmer in the summer and cordwainer in the winter. His oldest son John and younger boys Peter and Elihu helped their father around the farm, where the main crop was corn. Deacon Adams wanted John to focus on his education instead of farming and John went on to attend Harvard and become a lawyer. When Deacon Adams died in 1761, the home that John was born in was given to his brother Peter and John received the home and land his father had purchased in 1744.

After John Adams married Abigail Smith on October 25, 1764, they moved into the home John had inherited from his father. In this home, John and Abigail Adams raised four children including the future 6th president John Quincy Adams. Today this building is referred to as the John Quincy Adams Birthplace. John Adams ran his law practice here and during the tour of this historic home you will see the room he worked in. In that room he wrote the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In this home, Abigail educated the children, ran the family farm and did her best to make ends meet while John was away for long periods of time working for the government both in Philadelphia and in Europe. Throughout this time, Abigail wrote letters to John updating him on the latest news from the home front. On Saturday June 17, 1775, Abigail and the children could hear the guns of Bunker Hill as the battle raged miles away. Abigail took her seven-year-old son John Quincy to the top of nearby Penn’s Hill where they witnessed the bombardment and saw the smoke as the British burned Charlestown. Today the spot where they stood is marked by the Abigail Adams cairn. The cairn was constructed in 1896; rebuilt from the original stones this past year; and rededicated on July 11, 2009. It is located at the corner of Franklin Street and Viden Road.

David McCullough’s Pulitzer-Prize winning book John Adams published in 2001 and the HBO miniseries John Adams that aired in 2008 have elevated interest in the second president and dramatically increased attendance at the Adams NHP. The favorite stop for many of these visitors has been Peace field – the home and farm purchased by John and Abigail Adams in 1788. It was here that John Adams learned he had been elected the first Vice President of the United States, as this original article from the April 11, 1789 issue of the Massachusetts Centinel notes. Peace field was the home of four generations of the Adams family and during that time it grew from a small home to one with twenty-one rooms. It contains more than 78,000 artifacts, including furniture that belonged to John and Abigail, paintings, china and John Adams’ personal copy of the Declaration of Independence. Next to the home is the Stone Library built in 1870 – the Presidential Library of John Quincy Adams. To learn more, read the excellent article The Farm of a Patriot (PDF) that appeared in the September 2008 issue of South Shore Living Magazine.

As I completed my tour, I strolled around the property admiring a tree planted by John Quincy Adams and marveled at a rose bush planted by his mother Abigail Adams in 1788. She brought the York rose back from England and remarkably it still blooms today. I tried to imagine how beautiful the property and gardens would look during the summer months and what John and Abigail would say if they could speak to us today. No need to imagine any longer – just check out the videos below. I’ve added a link to a personal favorite of mine as well – The Making of John Adams.

Video link: The Old House at Peace field (embedded above)

Video link: John Adams – Legacy

Video link: The Making of John Adams (HBO)

Filed under: Books, Colonial Newspapers, Primary Sources, Tours, Video
Tagged: , , , , , ,

Technology and the Role of School Administrators

October 30, 2009 by · Leave a Comment 

My previous post focused on motivating teachers to take the initiative and embrace the use of technology in the classroom. To be fair to my teaching friends, the responsibility for embracing and integrating technology into K-12 classrooms is certainly more than yours alone, it is shared equally by your school’s administration. In a recent tech article on the Education World website, technology consultant Cathy Chamberlain explains what a difference it makes when the principal and other school administrators are on board. Cathy notes, “In my experience, technology integration is highest in buildings in which the principal is involved and excited about technology and its possibilities and is lowest in buildings in which the principal doesn’t demonstrate technology use while encouraging others to use it too. Modeling technology usage is key if administrators want teachers to play an active role in technology integration.” This concept of modeling technology is outlined further in the article.

Many of you may be familiar with author, educator and consultant Will Richardson. Will was a classroom teacher for over 20 years who integrated blogs, RSS and Internet based technologies into his courses for over four years. For the past three years he has spoken to and worked with thousands of educators around the world on the benefits of “The Read/Write Web” (Web 2.0). In the video below called Challenges for Educational Administrators, Will discusses the role of school administrators in Twenty-first Century education. He explains that educational administrators’ active participation in the very technology they seek to integrate into their schools is important, as is developing a collected vision / long term plan with the input of teachers, parents and other vital members of the community. This will enable organized systemic change as schools make the shift from a traditional “teaching culture” to a more collaborative “learning culture”.

Will Richardson is the author of the highly praised Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. The book’s companion DVD will be released soon and, when it is, Teach History will feature a post on this much awaited product.

Filed under: Books, Technology In The Classroom, Video
Tagged: , , ,

Honoring Prince Estabrook – Slave and Soldier

October 16, 2009 by · Leave a Comment 

Prince-Estabrook-RockOn a recent trip to Lexington and Concord, I photographed the Prince Estabrook memorial located in a prime spot near Buckman Tavern overlooking the Lexington Battle Green. The memorial was dedicated in April 2008 and pays tribute to a slave and soldier named Prince Estabrook who fought with Captain Parker’s militia in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775. Estabrook was wounded in the battle. While visiting the memorial, I wondered how many teachers across the country were aware that an African American had fought for freedom in this historic battle even though he was still enslaved. If they knew that a slave had participated and displayed such bravery in the first battle of the American Revolution, I’m sure it would be something teachers would want to include in their curriculum.

Reporter Alice M. Hinkle was of a similar mindset in 1987 after she had the opportunity to interview Charles H. Price Jr., past commander of the Lexington Minute Men for a newspaper article. For more than 20 years, Price had played the role of Prince Estabrook during the annual Patriot’s Day battle reenactment. This interview with Charles H. Price Jr. served as an introduction to Prince Estabrook and made Alice M. Hinkle want to learn much more about a man who in her words had “slipped between the cracks of history”. In late 1994, she began a research journey that spanned nearly seven years and involved visiting sites, searching through archives and following numerous leads. In 2001, her hard effort was rewarded when Alice M. Hinkle’s outstanding book Prince Estabrook, Slave and Soldier was published. Copies can be purchased today from the Visitor Centers in both Lexington and Concord as well as other sites along Boston’s Freedom Trail.

Below is a video from the dedication ceremonies of the Prince Estabrook memorial in April 2008 with wonderful speeches by William Hinkle, husband of the late author Alice M. Hinkle, and Charles H. Price Jr.

Prince Estabrook Memorial Dedication, Part 1
Prince Estabrook Memorial Dedication, Part 2
Prince Estabrook Memorial Dedication, Part 3

Filed under: Books, Video
Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Best Revolutionary History Blog: Boston 1775

October 6, 2009 by · Leave a Comment 

bostongaz1775I’d like to make teachers aware of an outstanding online resource for information on New England just before, during, and after the Revolutionary War – the Boston 1775 blog. The blog is authored by J.L. Bell, a Massachusetts writer who specializes in the start of the American Revolution in and around Boston. J.L. has published scholarly papers and popular articles for both children and adults. His recent presentation “Gossiping about the Gores”, the story of one family from Colonial Boston, is archived by the WGBH Forum Network.

J.L. Bell is more than a writer who is passionate about history; he’s also a bit of a detective. Since 2006, the content on Boston 1775 has grown to over 1,300 posts, with many being the result of his exhaustive research into primary sources. Educators and all those passionate about history can truly spend hours on this blog learning information that will make them think about historical events in a different way. You’ll find numerous posts on Lexington and Concord, the Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, Bunker Hill and so much more.

Two posts I found particularly fascinating were on the myths and realities of the Quartering Act. Back in grade school I was taught that the Quartering Act forced Boston families to provide food and shelter for the King’s troops occupying the town. I had pictured colonists being required to open up their homes to soldiers without any payment in return or say in the matter. By reading posts at Boston 1775, I realized this was not the case. The Act only referred to shelter in “unoccupied” buildings and not inhabited ones.

Some Boston families did house British soldiers in their homes before the war but most did so due to economic necessity and were compensated for it in the form of rent. One example of this is the family of Old North Church sexton Robert Newman. Knowledge of the true nature of the Quartering Act came too late for me to catch a small Act related error on page 31 of my children’s book One April in Boston – but I guess that’s what second editions are for! It’s an example of what one can gain from reading Boston 1775, and ensures that today I’m conveying the correct information to the students I work with both on field trips and in the classroom. Thanks J.L. for all the time and effort you’ve invested in creating this important resource for educators and history buffs alike.

Filed under: Audio, Books, Technology In The Classroom
Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

« Previous Page — Next Page »