• The Revolution Ball

    Hamilton Hall 9 Chestnut Street, Salem, MA, United States

    The Revolution Ball is a colonial dress/black tie evening of live music, dancing, food, and drinks. The event celebrates the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Leslie's Retreat from the Salem gun powder raid of 1775. In February of 1775, Colonel Alexander Leslie and his British regulars were sent to raid the gunpowder and cannon...

    $150
  • In Open Rebellion

    Old Town Hall 32 Derby Square, SALEM, MA, United States

    Held in Salem’s Historic Old Town Hall, step back into Salem on the eve of the American Revolution for the anniversary of Leslie’s Retreat and Revolution 250! Its autumn of 1774, Salem is the seat of the newly appointed Royal Governor, General Gage- welcomed by some, resented by others. With their local government severely constrained...

    FREE
  • When Redcoats Marched in Marblehead

    Marblehead Museum 170 Washington Street, Marblehead, United States

    On Sunday, February 26, 1775, about 250 British soldiers marched through Marblehead, sent by the royal governor to search for weapons. When that column of redcoats stalled at a drawbridge in Salem, their commander ordered locals to let them pass. Militia companies were assembling to stop them. If that confrontation had turned violent, it could...

    $15
  • Newburyport’s Road to Revolution Part I: Roots of Rebellion

    Firehouse Center for the Arts 1 Market Square, Newburyport, MA, United States

    Join the Museum of Old Newbury and the Custom House Maritime Museum for the kick-off event to a year-long exploration of Newburyport's role in the American Revolution. Join historian and author Alexander Cain for a captivating lecture exploring the roots of the American Revolution, focusing on Newburyport, the Merrimack Valley, and Essex County. Explore the 17th and...

  • For the Defense and Safety of the Province: Essex County Prepares for War

    Meredith Farm 41 Cross Street, Topsfield, MA, United States

    ****THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT**** Join us for a lecture by Historian Alex Cain, followed by drilling demonstrations performed by reenactors from Danvers & Lexington. In October 1774, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress ordered the towns across the colony to prepare for war with England. In response, Essex County entered a wartime phase that included creating...

    Pay-What-You-Can
  • Newburyport’s Road to Revolution Part II: Nbpt Braces for Attack by Sea

    Custom House Maritime Museum 25 Water Street, Newburyport, MA, United States

    Boston is occupied, Portsmouth blockaded. A wild rumor flies that Ipswich has been attacked by sea and her inhabitants killed. A British scouting party sneaks into Newburyport Harbor under the cover of night. In the face of constant threat, Newburyport’s harbor became a safe haven for vessels of all kinds on the eve of Revolution,...

  • Newburyport’s Road to Revolution, Part III – The First Tea Party

    Museum of Old Newbury 98 High Street, Newburyport, MA, United States

    Join us for a special Sunday afternoon tea party at the Museum of Old Newbury to explore a tea mystery. For generations, Newburyporters claimed to have been the first to protest onerous British tariffs by destroying tea imported from British India. Before Sam Adams's band dunked that tea in Boston harbor, as the Clipper City's claim goes, a sturdy shipwright sparked...

  • “Heads of Families and Men of Substance” The Rise of the Merrimack Valley Minute Men

    The Stevens Center on the Common 800 Massachusetts Avenue, North Andover, MA, United States

    In October 1774, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress instructed towns throughout the colony to prepare for imminent conflict with England. In response, the Merrimack Valley, in particular, shifted into a wartime stance, forming minute companies, stockpiling weapons, ammunition, and supplies, and setting up a defense network ready to mobilize if British forces advanced from Boston. Join...

    $10
  • North Andover Revolutionaries in the First and Second Burial Grounds

    The Stevens Center on the Common 800 Massachusetts Avenue, North Andover, MA, United States

    Join us as we approach the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution by learning about our local revolutionary heroes buried in North Andover's First and Second Burial Ground. Who were they? What was their previous fighting experience? What drove them to war? NA Historical Society Educator, David Blauvelt, will speak on the character and actions...

    $10
  • Marblehead’s Mysterious Revolutionary

    Marblehead Museum 170 Washington Street, Marblehead, United States

    On May 10, 1775, the once formidable life of Colonel Jeremiah Lee of Marblehead came to an abrupt end, due to his covert acts on behalf of independence. Judy Anderson leads this illustrated presentation to honor Lee’s life and contributions to the revolutionary cause, which have remained nearly unrecognized for two and a half centuries....

    $15