Many historians who study the early years of the American Revolution tend to focus only on the actions of the residents of Boston and Middlesex County. However, on the eve of the Revolution, Essex County communities to the north established and organized resistance movements to Crown policies that often far exceeded the efforts of their...
THIS EVENT IS ALMOST FULL Join Us! Saturday, April 6, 2024 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM St. John’s Prep, Kenneally Commons, Danvers Space is limited. Registration required HERE. PDPs for Educators Offered! All are welcome. Essex Heritage invites you to a FREE workshop. Youth in the region are asking their teachers for a more accurate and honest...
Are you Team Beverly or Team Marblehead? Where is the birthplace of the American Navy? Two local towns that have argued with each other for centuries over this question. Help us settle the Great Debate once and for all! Come out and support your town as historians K. David Goss (Beverly) and Charlie Newhall (Marblehead)...
In December 1773, a mob of Boston residents stormed three merchant ships moored at Griffin's Wharf and quickly destroyed the chests of East India Company tea located onboard. Three months later, in response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed a series of laws known as the Boston Port Bill. These legislative acts essentially stripped...
Tour the site of the Great Salem Fire, October 6, 1774 with retired park ranger, Curtis White. The fire destroyed shops, a meeting-house, dwellings, and the Custom House. Was the fire a diversionary tactic to deter the arrest of Massachusetts delegates who met in defiance of the Massachusetts Government Act? This 1.25-mile walking tour will...
On October 7, 1774, ninety chosen representatives met at Salem in defiance of General Gage’s order. They elected John Hancock to serve as chairman. They resolved to form themselves into “a Provincial Congress...to take into consideration the dangerous and alarming situation of public affairs in this province, and to consult and determine on such measures...
On the 250th Anniversary of Leslie's Retreat, this National Park Service exhibit will explore why Crown soldiers under Lt. Col. Alexander Leslie came to Salem on February 26, 1775, who were the major players in the event, and how this event has been remembered and celebrated in Salem in the last 250 years. This free...
****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...
The year is 1775—tensions with the British Crown are rising, and one question is on every colonist’s mind: Would you fight for independence as a Patriot or remain loyal to the British Crown as a Loyalist? Join us as our two historians face yet another Great Debate that divided colonists and even families during the...
