Category: 18th Century
-
An Unknown Tea Party: York, Me – September 15th, 1774
Last week, December 16th marked the 243rd anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, one of the most remembered acts of resistance against British tyranny in the years before the American Revolution. Highly regarded today, this protest garnered the attention of other patriots throughout the colonies and inspired numerous other “tea parties.” Tea was one of the most…
-
The People in the Pews: Owen Richards
In the spring of 1768, John Hancock’s vessel, the Lydia, pulled into Boston Harbor after a transatlantic voyage. Suspected of smuggling tea and other cargo, the vessel became a target for two customs officials, Owen Richards and Robert Jackson. When the captain of the vessel informed John Hancock of their arrival, he instructed the captain to…
-
On This Day in Old North’s History: October 7
It isn’t often that we can know exactly what someone was thinking on a specific date back in 1775, but today is one of those rare days. It was exactly 241 years ago today that former Old North Reverend Dr. Mather Byles put quill to paper and noted his frustration with the church’s parishioners. It…
-
The People in the Pews: Capt. Arthur Savage
In 1716, Arthur Savage displayed the first exotic animal to set foot in the American colonies. He exhibited a male lion at his Brattle Street home where a hand-painted sign declared, “The Lion King of beasts is to be seen here.” Such a royal and commanding African animal surely would have attracted throngs of colonists…
-
The People in the Pews: Gillam Phillips
The connections between families in 18th century Boston and subsequently their connections to Old North Church are truly fascinating. Take Gillam Phillips for instance. Through his life journey, he can be connected to Cotton Mather and Peter Faneuil, AND an illegal sword duel started by his brother Henry. And yes, he attends Old North Church…
-
Change Ringing Bells: What, How and Why
As a newbie here at Old North, I saw the church bells before I understood them. They are beautiful and impressive—and between two fairly precarious flights of “stairs” that we can’t let visitors climb (that should give you a sense of what I mean by precarious. And “stairs.”) It wasn’t a good time to wonder…
-
The Wardens’ Wands
Just inside the entrance of the Old North Church stand two white poles with strange gold pine cones on top. The casual observer might pass them right by and not even notice them, but they played an important role in the history of the Church. These are the Wardens’ Wands, and they are placed right…
-
Rebecca Reed and the Ursuline Convent
Rebecca Theresa Reed was born in 1813 in Charlestown, Massachusetts. She was raised Protestant and attended Christ Church in the City of Boston (Old North Church) with her family in the early 19th century. Although the Reed pew records can’t be located, city records indicate that Rev. William Croswell (vicar 1829-1841) acknowledges her as a member of his…
-
The Real Story Behind Thomas Gruchy and His Angels – Part 4
The final article in a four-part series detailing the fascinating story behind the Belgian angels on display inside Old North Church. Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 After the successful endeavor of Queen of Hungary, what began to plague Gruchy were unsettled accounts surrounding the privateer. Even the fellow vestrymen of Christ Church filed suits in court against…
-
The People in the Pews: The Sounding Board
Many visitors chuckle upon seeing the contents of pew 49, pointing to the large 1980s soundboard and mixer that runs the church’s “modern” audio system and proclaiming “Look! The original colonial speakers!” Ironically, these visitors need only look up to find that they are nearly directly below the church’s real audio system: the sounding board. Appearing to…