Unique Private Tours of Historic Boston for Groups

March 16, 2010 by Ben Edwards · Leave a Comment 

Is your group, organization or family planning a trip to Boston in the near future?

Are you looking for a memorable way to see the historic sites at your own pace with a knowledgeable guide?

If the answer to these questions is “Yes” then the six-minute video below on my private tours of Historic Boston will be of great interest to you. As a children’s book author, Boston historian and tour guide, I’ve had the opportunity to introduce thousands of individuals from all over the country and all over the world to Boston’s remarkable history since 2004. Families, civic and corporate groups, and school groups have participated in my Walking Tours of Historic Boston. Read some of their testimonials.

What makes the private tours I offer the obvious choice for your group or family?

This is not your “typical” walking tour. You’ll walk from Boston Common to the North End and see 14 historic sites plus 4 hidden/secret spots as I share photographs, engravings, maps, artifacts, and original colonial newspapers from my personal collection.

Your private tour is truly “private”. Only your group or family will participate and the tour will go at a pace that’s comfortable for you. This personalized approach ensures that you get the most out of your tour experience – plenty of time for questions and the flexibility to stay longer at many of the sites.

Tours are customized to meet your specific needs. Additional tour options are available (see details and pricing below) that allow time for a lunch break at Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market; a visit inside the Paul Revere House; and a trip to Charlestown to tour USS Constitution and see the Bunker Hill Monument and Museum.

Private tour participants receive a free copy of the audio version of my children’s book One April in Boston on 3 CDs. One CD set is given per group while individuals receive free access to download the MP3 audio version. The book tells the tale of my early Boston ancestors and their connection to the Sons of Liberty and Paul Revere.

Along the tour route, you’ll appreciate my genuine passion and enthusiasm for Boston history. This stems in part from the fact that four generations of my Edwards ancestors lived in Boston from 1700 to 1852 and during the tour I truly walk in their footsteps. I also reveal fascinating, little-known stories about early Boston life passed down in my family for over 200 years.

Children in particular enjoy learning about my family’s connection to Paul Revere. My fourth great grandfather Benjamin Edwards was a 10-year-old orphan in April 1775 living right down the street from the Old North Church when the signal lanterns were shown from its steeple and Paul Revere made his Midnight Ride. Ben lived with his uncle, a member of the Sons of Liberty, and toward the end of the American Revolution his older sister Sally Edwards married silversmith Paul Revere Jr., firstborn son of the famous patriot.

Private Tour Options and Pricing

Regular Tour

  • Includes: 14 historic sites; the 3 CD set of One April in Boston plus unlimited downloads of the MP3 audio version. The tour lasts 2.5 hours.
  • Pricing: 10 people or less for a total fee of $140 – additional adults are $14 each and additional children (12 & under) are $11 each.
  • Book your tour today by calling 617-670-1888 or use this form.
  • Tours begin at 10 am on Boston Common – corner of Park and Tremont streets.
  • View a map of the tour route as it appeared in 1775.

Extended Tour Option 1

  • Includes: 14 historic sites; the 3 CD set of One April in Boston plus unlimited downloads of the MP3 audio version; time for a lunch break at Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market; time to tour inside the Paul Revere House (a small admission fee); and a wonderful audio download of Longfellow’s famous poem “Paul Revere’s Ride”. The tour lasts 3.5 hours including lunch.
  • Pricing: 10 people or less for a total fee of $180 – additional adults are $15 each and additional children (12 & under) are $12 each.
  • Tours begin at 10 am on Boston Common – corner of Park and Tremont streets.
  • Book your tour today by calling 617-670-1888 or use this form.

Extended Tour Option 2

  • Includes: 16 historic sites; all of the items listed in Option 1 plus a visit to Charlestown to tour the USS Constitution and see the Bunker Hill Monument and Museum. The tour lasts 5 hours including lunch.
  • Pricing: 10 people or less for a total fee of $240 – additional adults are $17 each and additional children (12 & under) are $14 each.
  • Tours begin at 10 am on Boston Common – corner of Park and Tremont streets.
  • Book your tour today by calling 617-670-1888 or use this form.

Tours/Field Trips and Pricing for School Groups – See the Innovative School Programs post below.

Learn more about your tour guide Ben Edwards.

Email your family and friends this link to my business card.

The video for private tours will be added soon. For now, you can get an excellent sense of what it’s like to work with me by viewing the six-minute video embedded below in the Innovative School Programs post.

Innovative School Programs Your Students will Love

March 16, 2010 by Ben Edwards

Are you a grade school social studies teacher looking for programs and tools that can help you move far beyond traditional textbooks to truly excite, motivate and inspire your Colonial American history students?

Are you interested in accomplishing this even if you have little or no budget?

If the answer to these questions is “Yes” then the six-minute video below will be of great interest to you. It introduces some of the innovative school programs and tools for teachers I’ve developed over the past six years including Boston field trips, school author visits and a blog dedicated to educators of Colonial American history. As a children’s book author, Boston historian and tour guide, I’ve had the opportunity to work with thousands of students and hundreds of teachers in Grades 3-6 throughout New England since 2004. During Boston field trips, I walk in the footsteps of my early Boston ancestors and introduce students to Revolutionary Boston with the aid of photographs, engravings, maps and original colonial newspapers from my personal collection. During school author visits, I discuss my book One April in Boston; teach students about the events that led up to the American Revolution; and discuss the book’s underlying theme of goal setting for children. Every student participating in these programs receives the MP3 audio version of my book for free. Those taking the Combination Tour or attending a school author visit also get a bonus audio download of Longfellow’s poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” – both mentioned in the video.

Perhaps the greatest tool I’ve created for teachers is one that’s absolutely Free – the Teach History blog. This resource, which has proven tremendously popular with technology loving students, contains interactive articles, audio podcasts, and YouTube videos that focus on Colonial American history and Boston history. Many of the articles contain links to rare primary source materials I’ve collected over the past 15 years.

Tours/Field Trips and Pricing for School Groups

Sons of Liberty Tour

On this tour you will be introduced to early Boston and walk in the footsteps of some of its most distinguished citizens including Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. You’ll learn more about the patriot cause, the story of their secret organization, and the events that led up to the American Revolution.

Along the route, you will see the Massachusetts State House, Boston Common, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, King’s Chapel Burying Ground, King’s Chapel, Old Corner Bookstore Building, Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Site of the Boston Massacre, Faneuil Hall and 3 hidden/secret spots. Learn more about these sites.

Tour length: 90 minutes (10 am-11:30 am)

Pricing:

Children (12 & under) $9
Adults $11
(One free chaperone for every 10 students)

Book your tour today by calling 617-670-1888 or use this form.

Paul Revere’s North End Tour

On this tour you will retrace the footsteps of 10-year-old Ben Edwards, my direct ancestor, and many of the other people in One April in Boston. Young Ben lived right down the street from the Old North Church in April 1775. You will learn more about the events of April 18-19, 1775 including the lantern signal from the steeple of Old North and Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride. Longfellow’s poem that made Revere famous will also be discussed.

You will see the Old State House, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere House, Old North Church, Copp’s Hill Burying Ground and 2 hidden/secret spots. Learn more about these sites.

Tour length: 90 minutes (10 am-11:30 am or 12:30 pm-2 pm)

Pricing:

Children (12 & under) $9
Adults $11
(One free chaperone for every 10 students)

Book your tour today by calling 617-670-1888 or use this form.

The Combination Tour

This economical tour is our most popular. It combines the Sons of Liberty Tour and Paul Revere’s North End Tour with a lunch break in between at historic Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market.

Tour length: 3 hours with a break for lunch (10 am-2 pm)

View a map of the tour route as it appeared in 1775.

Pricing:

Children (12 & under) $11
Adults $13
(One free chaperone for every 10 students)

Book your tour today by calling 617-670-1888 or use this form.

School Author Visits

My classroom presentations, highly praised by teachers, are interactive, educational, inspirational and fun! I discuss my book One April in Boston and share a copy of the print version with every student. Students meet the characters in the story including 10-year-old Ben Edwards, my direct ancestor, learn about their lives and the events that led up to the American Revolution. Special focus is given to the Sons of Liberty and their fight against British taxation, and Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride.

One April in Boston is the story of an American family and a very special gift that was passed down from generation to generation. This “gift of the spyglass” is given to each child who reads the book and listens to the presentation. Through the story, children learn the value of setting a goal for the future, developing a plan, working hard and never giving up on their dreams. Just like the main character in the book, each child realizes that by utilizing this strategy they can truly be “anything they set their minds to be.”

Students learn about the goals I had when I was their age and read the first book I wrote about Boston history at age 10. They see how taking small steps, even at a young age, can move them closer to their own goals.

Pricing:

$175 for a one-hour classroom presentation
Minimum of 4 classroom presentations per school visit
Travel fees (40 cents per mile) apply to schools outside a 30-mile radius of Boston

School Programs Brochure

Click on the links below to view our 2010-2011 School Programs brochure outlining field trip options for school groups.

Video link: Innovative School Programs on History (embedded above)

Filed under: Audio, Colonial Newspapers, Primary Sources, Technology In The Classroom, Tours, Video
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Pirates of the Caribbean – Featuring my Sixth Great Grandfather

December 30, 2009 by Ben Edwards · 1 Comment 

When I was growing up, a family vacation to California enabled me to experience what to this day remains my favorite amusement park ride – Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean. I could have waited in line all day with my E ticket (anyone else remember those?) in hand just for the opportunity to go over those two waterfalls in a boat and be transported back to another time. My favorite part was always when we entered what felt like the open ocean and a battle raged between a pirate ship and a fort. The sights and sounds of Disney’s audio-animatronics characters and even the smells are fixed in my memory. When it was over, the first thing I wanted to do is get back in line and do it all over again! The original Pirates of the Caribbean ride was truly a multisensory adventure – well before high tech special effects and the days of Captain Jack Sparrow and the three (soon to be four) blockbuster Disney films. The one thing I could never have imagined back then is that there was a logical reason for me to be drawn to this ride – my first ancestor in America, a Boston sea captain named Benjamin Edwards had experienced it in real life in a fashion that was, unfortunately for he and his crew, anything but enjoyable. This I would discover quite by accident many years later, even after I had written the children’s book One April in Boston which tells the tale of my early Boston ancestors including my sixth great grandfather Captain Benjamin Edwards. One day, while working, I decided to type the name “Benjamin Edwards” and the word “Greyhound” (one of his vessels) into Yahoo search. Much to my amazement, the results included numerous links to information on a battle in the Caribbean between Captain Benjamin Edwards aboard the Greyhound and pirate George Lowther aboard the Happy Delivery on January 10, 1722.

I began to research this incident and found it mentioned in a newspaper called the Boston News-Letter on May 7, 1722 and in Captain Charles Johnson’s book A General History of Pyrates first published in 1724 and still available today. It also appears in the book Pirates of the New England Coast 1630-1730 by George Francis Dow and John Henry Edmonds published in 1923. It seems that the battle occurred off the coast of Honduras – Captain Edwards had a crew of 14 aboard a ship protected by 6 guns; while the pirate George Lowther had a crew of 90 aboard a ship protected by 16 guns. What became of Captain Benjamin Edwards? The wikipedia entry on pirate George Lowther (as of today’s date) tells us that Captain Edwards and his entire crew were “possibly killed”. To learn what really happened, read on.

Here are accounts of the battle from both of the books mentioned above, containing the original spelling and punctuation:

The following is taken from A General History of Pyrates by Captain Charles Johnson, 1724:

The 10th of January, the pyrates came into the Bay (Bay of Honduras) and fell upon a ship of 200 Tuns, called the Greyhound, Benjamin Edwards Commander, belonging to Boston. Lowther hoisted his pyratical Colours and fired a Gun for the Greyhound to bring to, which she refusing, the Happy Delivery (the name of the Pyrate, Lowther’s ship) edg’d down, and gave her a Broadside (the firing of all guns on one side of a ship at the same time), which was returned by Captain Edwards very bravely, and the Engagement held for an hour; but Captain Edwards, finding the Pyrate too strong for him, and fearing the Consequence of too obstinate a Resistance against those lawless Fellows, order’d his Ensign to be struck. The Pyrates’ Boat came aboard, and not only rifled the Ship, but whipp’d, beat, and cut the Men in a cruel Manner, turned them aboard their own Ship, and then set Fire to theirs. (i.e. the crew were brought aboard the Delivery and the Greyhound burnt)

The following is taken from The Pirates of the New England Coast 1630-1730 by George Francis Dow and John Henry Edmonds, 1923:

On the 10th of January 1722, the good ship “Greyhound” of Boston in the Massachusetts Bay, Benjamin Edwards, Commander, was homeward bound. She was loaded with logwood and only one day out from the coast of Honduras where the crew had been worked hard for several weeks loading the many boatloads of heavy, thorny-growthed, blood-red wood. Early in the morning the lookout had sighted a ship headed toward them and while not plantation built she attracted no particular attention until it was seen that her course was slightly changed to conform to that of the “Greyhound,” or rather, it would seem, to intersect the course on which the “Greyhound” was sailing. As the ship drew nearer, a long look through the perspective revealed a heavily-manned vessel of English build and Captain Edwards thought it best to order all hands on deck. Soon the stranger ran up a black flag with a skeleton on it and fired a gun for the “Greyhound” to bring to.

West India waters had been plagued for many years by piratical gentry and the Boston captain had heard many terrifying tales of their barbarous cruelties to masters and seamen but he was a dogged type of man and so at once prepared to defend his ship. The pirate edged down a bit and shortly gave the “Greyhound” a broadside of eight guns which Captain Edwards bravely returned and for nearly an hour the give and take continued at long gunshot without much damage to either vessel. Finding the pirate was more heavily armed than the “Greyhound,” and her decks showing many men, Captain Edwards began to reckon the consequences of too stubborn a resistance, for it seemed likely that eventually he must surrender, barring, of course, lucky chance shot from his guns that might cut down a mast on the pirate ship. At last he ordered his ensign to be struck and hove to. Two boatloads of armed men soon came aboard and searched the ship for anything of value. The loot was not great for the New England logwood ships had little opportunity for trade or barter and the disappointment of the pirate crews was soon spit out on the men. Whenever one came within reach of the cutlass of a pirate he would receive a swinging slash across shoulders or arms, or perhaps, a blow on the head with the flat of the blade that would fell him half-senseless to the deck. By way of diversion two of the unoffending sailors were triced up at the foot of the mainmast and lashed until the blood ran from their backs. Captain Edwards and his men were then ordered into the boats and sent on board the pirate ship and the “Greyhound” was set on fire.

The rogue proved to be the “Happy Delivery,” commanded by Capt. George Lowther and manned by a strange assortment of English sailors and soldiers with a sprinkling of New England men. As soon as the men from the “Greyhound” reached her deck they were given a mug of rum and invited to join the crew. This was habitually done at that time by these outlaws and frequently a nimble sailor would be forced and compelled to serve with the pirates against his will. The first mate of the “Greyhound” was Charles Harris, born in London, England, then about twenty-four years old, and a man who understood navigation. He, with four others, Christopher Atwell, Henry Smith, Joseph Willis and David Lindsay, was forced and Captain Edwards and the rest of his crew, with other captured men, were put on board another logwood vessel and permitted to make the best of their way home.

My ancestor Captain Benjamin Edwards survived his run in with pirates in the Caribbean in 1722 – lucky for me, because if he hadn’t I would never have been born! I mention that when I tell this story to students at the conclusion of my Walking Tours of Historic Boston. Captain Edwards had three children prior to 1722 that all died in infancy. He later went on to father seven more including my fifth great grandfather Dolling Edwards a mastmaker in Boston who was born in 1737. Captain Edwards outlived two of his 3 wives and died in 1751. What became of pirate George Lowther? The answer to that is something straight out of a Disney movie. I’ll let you discover it as Captain Edwards might have himself, by reading this original article from a copy of the June 13, 1724 issue of the London newspaper called the Post Boy.

Today’s post wraps up by returning to my childhood experience at Disneyland. I haven’t had the opportunity to visit Disney in either California or Florida since discovering the information about Captain Edwards but I’m sure that when I do, my favorite ride will take on a whole new meaning! The original ride was modified in 2006 to add elements from the recent Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

To view the trailer from the first of those films, click on the pirate flag at the top of this post!

Below is a bit of Disney nostalgia: two videos on the creation of the original Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland that truly show the genius of Walt Disney.

Video link: Pirates of the Caribbean The Ride Part 1 (embedded above)

Video link: Pirates of the Caribbean The Ride Part 2

Filed under: Books, Colonial Newspapers, Primary Sources, Tours, Video
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Covering the Annual Boston Tea Party Reenactment on Twitter

December 15, 2009 by Ben Edwards · Leave a Comment 

OldSouthLast Sunday I attended the annual reenactment of the Boston Tea Party at Old South Meeting House celebrating the 236th Anniversary of the event. I decided to cover it using some of the latest technology available to any 21st century correspondent these days – with mobile device in hand (in my case an iPhone) I would be sending tweets on Twitter using TweetDeck as the events unfolded. My Twitter handle @bostonhistory seemed appropriate for the assignment. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to step back in time and discuss these modern communication tools with patriot printers like Benjamin Edes and Isaiah Thomas. I’m sure they would both think I had taken leave of my senses and ask me to follow them back to their respective print shops – the Boston Gazette and the Massachusetts Spy – so I might help set type by hand so everyone could learn the news “as quickly as possible” about the events that took place in Boston on December 16, 1773. Well, I digress…back to the present day. It was a rainy night in Boston on Sunday but that didn’t prevent a large crowd from gathering at Old South. This “meeting of the people of Boston and the neighboring towns” was completely Sold Out with over 600 in attendance including some 70 reenactors. (At the original meeting over 5,000 people, 1/3 of Boston’s population, gathered both inside Old South and in the area surrounding the building.) The performance by Old South’s Tea Party Players was outstanding. The reenactors, dressed in correct period attire, were mixed in with audience members throughout the meeting house and each and every one had a particular role to play.

The reenactment of the meeting was called to order by Mr. Samuel Savage, a gentleman of the Town of Weston, who was chosen as moderator. The first of the three tea ships, the Dartmouth, had been in Boston since late November and its cargo still remained on board. A tax had to be paid the moment the tea was landed and if the duty was not paid within 20 days of the ship’s arrival, it would be seized by British customs officials. For weeks, the colonists held mass meetings and tried to prevent the tea from being unloaded, even stationing guards around the ships. They sought a peaceful resolution – have the tea ships return to England with their cargo. Up to this point, all their requests had been denied. The meeting’s moderator asked Mr. Francis Rotch, owner of the Dartmouth, to seek a pass from Governor Hutchinson so his ship might return to England with its cargo. Mr. Rotch left for Governor Hutchinson’s country home in Milton and as the crowd awaited his return and the governor’s reply, a debate ensued and I began my work as a Twitter correspondent.

Audience members were given the opportunity to participate in the debate. In the program for the evening, everyone received a slip of paper, color-coded for either a patriot or a loyalist, and containing words that people attending the original meeting and supporting that particular side of the debate might have spoken. People of all ages stepped up to microphones placed throughout the hall as Mr. Samuel Savage moderated the debate. Here are a few of the 24 tweets I sent during the event: “Doctor Joseph Warren speaks out against the tea tax.”; “Loyalists speak out – 3 pence a pound is a paltry sum to pay.”; “William Health says patriots are traitors to the crown.”; “Patriot – the tea tax is an insult to the citizens of Boston.”; “Loyalist – we must pay for the French and Indian War debt.”; “Patriot – I will continue to wear only homespun clothes and drink Liberty tea, huzzah!”; “Loyalist – we might be speaking French if not for the King. Fi!”; “Patriot – we should have the right to tax ourselves and keep it in the colonies.” A motion was made from the chair that the tea not be landed and a short time later, Mr. Francis Rotch returned with Governor Hutchinson’s answer. The Governor would not grant a pass for the Dartmouth, the tea must be landed and the tax paid. At that very moment, patriot leader Samuel Adams stood up and said “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country.” It was a secret signal for the Sons of Liberty to act.

The lights dimmed in Old South Meeting House and the “destruction of the tea” was played out in fine theatrical fashion. Men thinly disguised as “Mohawks” or “Indians” resembled their period counterparts who at the actual event were covered with blankets or ragged clothing with their faces smeared with lampblack or soot. The reenactors depicted how the tea was dumped into the sea, while a narrator filled the audience in on all the details including an interesting tale of an individual who tried to pocket some of the loose tea and how he was dealt with by the patriots. On the evening of December 16, 1773, in less than four hours, a party of patriots dumped 342 chest of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor in a protest against British taxation that John Adams called “so bold, so daring, so firm, intrepid and inflexible, and it must have so important Consequences, and so lasting, that I can’t but consider it an Epocha in History.” As the lights came back up in the Old South Meeting House and the audience expressed its appreciation for a wonderful production, I thought of one individual likely in attendance at the original meeting 236 years ago – my ancestor Alexander Edwards a member of the Sons of Liberty. Old South’s Tea Party Players truly helped me picture what his experience might have been like.

The 236th Anniversary Boston Tea Party Annual Reenactment was sponsored by Salada Tea – offering some exciting new flavors of green tea – and The Liberty Hotel located in the Beacon Hill section of Boston. Teachers: Visit the Old South Meeting House website to learn more about the Boston Tea Party and their great school programs including the very popular Tea is Brewing.

Filed under: Colonial Newspapers, Primary Sources, Technology In The Classroom, Tours
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King’s Chapel – A Must-See on Your Next Trip to Boston

December 3, 2009 by Ben Edwards · 1 Comment 

KingsChapelIn downtown Boston, at the corner of School and Tremont streets, stands a historic treasure called King’s Chapel. Founded in 1686, it was the first Anglican Church in New England and in 1785 it became the first Unitarian Church in America. Today the church has a Unitarian theology and an Anglican form of liturgy. It was originally housed in a wooden building dedicated on June 30, 1689. A growing congregation found this building in disrepair by the mid 18th century, so they acquired additional land, and hired architect Peter Harrison of Newport, Rhode Island to design a new and larger structure. The first block of Quincy granite for the new church was laid in 1749 and the building opened in 1754. A bell cast in England was hung in the church tower in 1772 and lasted for 42 years until it cracked in 1814 while being rung for evening services. It was melted down, re-cast and re-hung by Paul Revere & Son in 1816. The Revere bell at 2,437 pounds is the largest ever cast at the Revere foundry and Paul Revere himself called it “the sweetest bell we ever made”. The bell is still rung today by hand for all church services. King’s Chapel was a Loyalist or Tory church at the time of the American Revolution. It closed for a few months in 1776 after the British soldiers and Bostonians loyal to the king evacuated the town but did reopen that year for the funeral of patriot leader General Joseph Warren who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Press coverage of that event can be seen in this original article from the April 25, 1776 issue of The Pennsylvania Evening Post.

The interior of King’s Chapel is elegant and it is certainly one of the most beautiful churches in New England. The double Corinthian columns are made of wood and elements of them were hand-carved by Boston craftsmen in the 1750s. The wineglass pulpit was built in 1717 and used in the earlier wooden church. It is the oldest pulpit in the United States in continuous use on the same site. The box pews are original – families would pay a yearly rental fee for them and could decorate the pews to their liking. Their high walls kept out the drafts and helped retain the heat from the small foot-stoves that families would bring to church with them. Although the fabric in today’s pews has been replaced over the years, the cushions you can sit on when you visit still contain the original horsehair stuffing! The most famous pew in the church is the Governor’s Pew – once reserved for the Royal Governor and his family. President George Washington sat here on October 27, 1789 while attending an oratorio – a musical composition with orchestra, choir and soloists. At the time, King’s Chapel was generally called the Stone Chapel and press coverage of that event can be seen in this original article from the October 28, 1789 issue of The Massachusetts Centinel. President Washington’s visit to Boston lasted from October 24-29. Money raised from the oratorio (which was likely performed multiple times) was used to fund the addition of a colonnade or portico to the Chapel. This was added in 1790. A steeple was also in the architect’s original plans for the church but it was never built due to lack of funds.

Music at King’s Chapel

Visitors to King’s Chapel today can follow in the footsteps of President Washington by attending one of the many concerts and recitals held throughout the year. The King’s Chapel musical tradition dates back to 1713 when the church became the first in New England to acquire an organ! Here is a current list of recitals – they take place on Tuesdays, last 30-40 minutes and begin at 12:15 pm. Here is a current list of concerts. You can also learn more about music at King’s Chapel and view photos of the choir and organ. The current organ built in 1964 is the sixth in the church’s long history. The carved panels, ornamentation over the pipes, and the gold crown and miters on the present organ once decorated an earlier organ built in London for King’s Chapel in 1756.

Tours/Programs at King’s Chapel

Visitors can elect to go on a self guided tour or participate in one of the special tours/programs that are available. Two of these, the popular Tory Stories and Puritans, Patriots, and Pirates!, are offered during Harborfest. King’s Chapel’s latest journey into the past is the unique Bells and Bones Tour where knowledgeable guides take you to visit the crypt beneath the church and climb with you into the church tower where you have the very rare opportunity to view and photograph the largest bell ever made by Paul Revere! The cost for this tour is $7 per person (or $5 per person for the crypt only). The Bells and Bones tour is offered most weekdays (check with staff); Saturdays, on the hour, from 10 am – 4 pm; and Sundays, on the hour, from 1:30 pm to 4 pm. Learn what King’s Chapel has to offer educators and how you can arrange school group tours and group visits.

Restoring King’s Chapel

In conjunction with the National Historic Landmarks Commission, King’s Chapel is in the midst of a long and involved restoration project. To learn what they’ve already accomplished as well as the restoration work still needed to maintain a building over 250 years old – and how your contribution can help – view The Restoration Project.

Worship Services

Worship Services at King’s Chapel are held on Wednesdays at 12:15 pm and Sundays at 11 am.

Hours for King’s Chapel

Beginning May 3 King’s Chapel will be open from 10 am-5 pm every day with the following exceptions –  the church is closed for recitals on Tuesday  from noon to 1:30 pm; closed for church services on Wednesday  from noon to 1:30 pm; and closed for church services on Sunday until 1:30 pm.

Filed under: Colonial Newspapers, Primary Sources, Tours
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Paul Revere – A Man of Many Trades

December 1, 2009 by Ben Edwards · Leave a Comment 

© 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!

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