News and Press

Press Releases

• Blessing of the Animals Press Release Pets Will Flock to Old North Church & Historic Site for the Annual Blessing of the Animals
• National Park Service Investment Press Release National Park Service Invests $1.7 million into Old North Church & Historic Site to Fund Accessibility Upgrades and Capital Improvements in Advance of the Nation’s Semiquincentennial Celebration in 2026
• Lanterns & Luminaries 2024 Press Release Commander Billie J. Farrell to Receive Third Lantern Award at Old North Church & Historic Site
  New Exhibit Press Release Old North Church Celebrates 300th Anniversary with “Sparking Revolutions” New Exhibit Explores the Historic Site’s Role in American Revolution and Ties to Enslavement (August 10, 2023)
• Crypt Door Installation Media Alert Restored Tomb Doors Installation to Complete Crypt Renovation at Old North Church & Historic Site (October 18, 2023)
• Blessing of the Animals Media Alert Pets Flock to Old North Church & Historic Site for the Annual Blessing of the Animals (October 1, 2022)
• Site of Conscience Press Release Old North Church & Historic Site Becomes a Site of Conscience
• July 4 Media Alert Old North Church & Historic Site Celebrates Independence Day with Performances of “Paul Revere’s Ride,” an Original Play, Children’s Story Time, Guided Tours, and a Historical Summer Clothing Presentation
• June 3 Performance Art Event Media Alert Old North Church to Host Folklore Performing Artist Dzidzor for an Experimental Multimedia Performance Exploring Faith, Black Women, and Social Justice
• Original Play Press Release Old North Church Celebrates 300th Anniversary with an Original Play; Historic Site Partners with Plays in Place to Produce Revolution’s Edge: Opens June 15th
• Lanterns & Luminaries 2023 Press Release Annette Gordon-Reed to be Honored with Old North Illuminated’s Third Lantern Award; Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historian to Serve as Keynote Speaker at Event Celebrating the Anniversary of Paul Revere’s Ride and Old North Church’s 300th Birthday
• April 15 Celebration Media Alert Old North Church Celebrates its 300th Birthday with Free Day of Programming; Launches New Audio Tour in English and Spanish
• Audio Tours Press Release Old North Illuminated Receives Grants from The Lynch Foundation and The Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation to Develop Content for New Self-Guided Audio Tours and K-12 Curriculum to be Used Nationwide (November 8, 2022)
• Name Change Press Release Introducing Old North Illuminated: Old North Church & Historic Site and its Foundation Let History Light the Way (October 20, 2022)
• Blessing of the Animals Media Alert Pets Flock to Old North Church & Historic Site for the Annual Blessing of the Animals (September 8, 2022)
• July 4 Event Media Alert The Old North Church & Historic Site Celebrates Independence Day with Paul Revere Readings, Live Music, Guided Tours and a Historical Scavenger Hunt (June 13, 2022)
• First Female Sexton Press Release Old North Church & Historic Site Welcomes Chelsea Millsap as the 1st Female Sexton in 300 Years (May 5, 2022)
• Clough House Re-Opening Press Release Old North Church & Historic Site Re-Opens the 1715 Clough House; Launches Heritage Goods + Gifts Shop and Revives the Printing Office of Edes & Gill (March 29, 2022)
• Third Lantern Award Press Release Michael R. Bloomberg to Receive the Old North Foundation’s Third Lantern Award (March 29, 2022)
• Blessing of the Animals Media Alert Pets Flock to Old North Church & Historic Site for the Annual Blessing of the Animals (September 21, 2021)
• Window Restoration Press Release Old North Church & Historic Site Restores Windows in its Early 20th-Century Chapel (July 16, 2021).
• Old North Bloomberg Foundation Press Release Old North Church & Historic Site Receives Multi-Year Support from Bloomberg Philanthropies to Preserve Church’s Legacy  (June 11, 2021)
• July 3 Event Media Alert The Old North Church & Historic Site Kicks Off Independence Day Weekend with Paul Revere Readings, Live Music and a Book Signing featuring Make Way for Ducklings Sculptor Nancy Schön
  Saturday, July 3 (June 8, 2021)
• Avery Clock Restoration Release  The Old North Church & Historic Site’s 18th Century Avery-Bennett Clock is Ticking Once Again Thanks to 2nd Generation Clock Repairman Ken Pearson (June 8, 2021)
• Site Re-Opening Press Release The Old North Church & Historic Site Re-Opens for Tourists and Celebrates its Role in Igniting the American Revolution on Patriots’ Day Weekend Saturday, April 17 (April 12, 2021).

Media Highlights

• Restoration uncovers 18th-century cherubs at Old North Church, WCVB Channel 5 Boston (2024)
  At Old North Church, there’s an effort to uncover and preserve painted angels — including one named Howard, The Boston Globe (2024)
• Colonial-era Bible chronicling family of Old North Church builder to be given to church, The Boston Globe (2024)
• Old North Church uncovers painted angels ahead of 250th anniversary of Revere’s ride, GBH News (2024)
• Mass Appeal: Curious Crypt, 7 News Boston (2024)
• Interview with Nikki Stewart About The Old North Church’s Crypt Tours, GBH News  – The Culture Show (2024)
• Old North Church Art Restoration, Yahoo! News (2024)
• Artists carefully uncover paintings hidden in the walls of Old North Church, NBC 10 Boston (2024)
• Old North Church in Boston offers after-hours crypt tours in time for Halloween, CBS News Boston (2024)
• National Park Service Invests into Old North Church & Historic Site, Boston Patch (2024)
• What we saw on a tour of the underground crypt beneath Old North Church, Boston.com (2024)
• How Can Strategic Planning Transform Your Nonprofit? – With Nikki Stewart, Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership (2024)
• “Growing as a Nonprofit Leader” with Nikki Stewart of Old North Illuminated, Inspired Nonprofit Leadership Podcast (2024)
• New England Revolution to host watch party at Old North Church for match against Montreal, Boston.com (2024)
• Practical Preservation Podcast featuring Nikki Stewart of Old North Illuminated, Practical Preservation Podcast (2024)
• Talking Revolution’s Edge with Nikki Stewart and Patrick Gabridge, WGBH’s The Culture Show (2024)
• At Boston’s Old North Chuch, “Revolution’s Edge” Time Travels to the Start of the American Revolution, Theater Mirror (2024)
• July 4th at Old North Church, NECN (2024)
• Revelers celebrate the Fourth of July from the Esplanade to Castle Island, The Boston Globe (2024)
• Old North Illuminated Wins 2024 AASLH Award of Excellence, Boston Patch (2024)
• Ifé Franklin’s Eggun Ancestor Procession, The Bay State Banner (2024)
• Lantern reenactment held at Old North Church, The North End Regional Review (2024)
• NightSide News Update: Commander Billie J. Farrell, WBZ NewsRadio (2024)
• A first for Old Ironsides, CommonWealth Beacon (2024)
• Old North Church pulls back sanctuary veil on ties to slavery, The Bay State Banner (2024)
• CityLine: Sparking Revolutions, WCVB Channel 5 Boston (2024)
• Old North Church’s George Washington bust restoration underway, The Boston Globe (2024)
• Historic George Washington Bust In Old North Church Gets Restored, WBZ NewsRadio (2024)
• Old North Church’s George Washington bust revitalized, Boston Herald (2024)
• George Washington sculpture in Old North Church sanctuary cleaned, restored, WCVB Channel 5 Boston (2024)
• Old North Church’s oldest artifacts, four wooden angels, repaired and reinstalled ahead of holiday services, The Boston Globe (2023)
• Restored centuries-old angels land in Boston’s Old North Church, Boston.com (2023)
• Old North Church Unveils Newly-Restored Wooden Angels, WBZ NewsRadio (2023)
• Restored centuries-old angels land in Old North Church in Boston, Boston Herald (2023)
• Old North Church celebrated its 300th anniversary with a new exhibit, The Boston Globe (2023)
• Reviving the Old North Church, NH Chronicle WMUR 9 (2023)
• Beneath the steeple: A glimpse into the crypt of Boston’s oldest standing church, The Huntington News (2023)
• Organ tuner marks 100th tuning of historic pipe organ at Old North Church in Boston, 7News Boston WHDH (2023)
• For organists, Boston is a city of (pipe) dreams, The Boston Globe (2023)
• The Historic Pipe Organ At Boston’s Old North Church Gets A Tune Up, WBZ NewsRadio (2023)
• Old North Church’s 300-year-old crypt reopens for tours after 10 months of renovation, WCVB Channel 5 Boston (2023)
• Old North Church in Boston completes crypt renovation, NBC10 Boston (2023)
• Old North Church crypt comes alive after 10-month, $1.2 million restoration project, Boston Herald (2023)
• Tales From The Tomb Under Boston’s Old North Church, WBZ NewsRadio (2023)
• Would you go in a 1700s crypt after-hours? Boston church offers tours, MassLive (2023)
• Old North Church Hosts Annual Blessing of the Animals, 7News Boston WHDH (2023)
• At Boston’s Old North Church, Reprinting The Dangerous Ideas That Sparked A Revolution, Wonderland (2023)
• Who rings the bells inside the Old North Church?, Boston.com (2023)
• Old North Church grapples with slavery, CommonWealth Magazine (2023)
• Old North Church becomes a site of conscience, North End Regional Review (2023)
• The Sleepless Critic Reviews “Revolution’s Edge”, The Sleepless Critic (2023)
• Joyce Kulhawik Reviews “Revolution’s Edge”, Joyce’s Choices (2023)
• Nikki Stewart of the Old North Church and Jazzmin Bonner of Plays in Place discuss the church’s new original play “Revolution’s Edge”, WGBH’s Boston Public Radio (2023)
• Old North Church hosts new live play, the first one in its 300 year history, WBUR’s Radio Boston (2023)
• Historic Boston church where the Revolution was sparked to host its first play, AP News (2023)
• A lantern lighting and birthday cake: Old North Church celebrates 300th anniversary, WBUR (2023)
• Presiding bishop preaches at Boston’s Old North Church for 300th anniversary celebration, Episcopal News Service (2023)
• Old North Illuminated brings Black and Indigenous histories to light, The Boston Globe (2023)
• New research sheds light on Black and indigenous parishioners at Boston’s Old North Church, WBUR’s Radio Boston (2023)
• Historic crypt in the Old North Church, with parts unopened since 1860, undergoing restoration, The Boston Globe (2023)
• Historic Old North Church in Boston restores underground crypt, MassLive (2023)
• Old North Church renovation offers peek into the past, NBC10 Boston (2023)
• Boston’s Old North Church’s historic underground crypt being opened during renovation, WCVB Channel 5 Boston (2023)
• Pieces of History: Old North Church Records Reveal Untold Stories of Black and Indigenous Parishioners, NBC10 Boston (2023)
• How Shining A Light On American History Builds A Brighter Future, Comcast Newsmakers (2023)
• The Old North Church is telling a new story. Here’s why., Boston Business Journal (2022)
• Old North Church is shining a light on its connections to slavery, Boston.com (2022)
• The Old North Church, a Boston landmark, reckons with its role in slavery, NPR Morning Edition (2022)
• Old North Church, a beacon of freedom, grapples with its own ties to slavery, GBH News (2022)
• Tom Moroney Talks to Nikki Stewart of Old North Illuminated, Bloomberg Baystate Business (2022)
• Interview with Nikki Stewart of Old North Illuminated, Building Boston & Beyond (2022)
• Old North Illuminated Receives Foundation Grants, North End Patch (2022)
• Introducing Old North Illuminated: Old North Foundation changes its name to better reflect its mission, MassNonprofit News (2022)
• Cape Cod Resident Celebrates Decades Supporting Old North Church, Barnstable-Hyannis Patch  (2022)
• Bostonians, Americans line up to sign condolence books for Queen Elizabeth II, WCVB Channel 5 Boston (2022)
• Digging into the past at Old North Church, Boston Globe (2022)
• What is Boston Known For? 12 Things That Will Make You Fall in Love With the City, Redfin Blog (2022)
• Free things to do in Boston this summer, Boston Herald (2022)
• Inside Boston’s Historic Old North Church, Bloomberg TV (2022)
• 2022 Best of New England | Massachusetts, Yankee Magazine (2022)
• The Crypt At Old North Prepares To Close For Accessibility Improvements, WBZ NewsRadio (2022)
• Woman named sexton of historic Boston church for 1st time, AP News (2022)
• After 300 years, Old North Church’s first woman sexton, Radio Boston (2022)
• Old North Church welcomes first female sexton after 300 years, 7News Boston WHDH (2022)
• Old North Church gets first woman Sexton — a Mayflower pilgrim descendent, Boston.com (2022)
• Clough House In Boston’s North End Reopens After 2 Years With Reimagined Look, WBZ CBS Boston (2022)
• Old North Raises $130K via Annual Lantern Lighting Event, Mass Nonprofit News (2022)
• The gravest danger to US democracy: righteous intolerance, The Boston Globe (2022)
• Cancel Culture Is Bipartisan. Let’s Unite to Fight It, Bloomberg (2022)
• Old North Church, Historic Site Re-Opens the Clough House, North End Regional Review (2022)
• Cacao and Colonial Chocolate, CityLine (2022)
• Old North Church, an icon of the past, adds racial justice to its 21st-century mission, The Boston Globe (2022)
• Old North Church Reckons With History Of Trafficking, Slavery, WBZ NewsRadio (2022)
• Lanterns lit at Old North Church to mark 1-year anniversary of US Capitol attack, WCVB Channel 5 Boston (2022)
• Remembrance Day at Old North Church, Boston Neighborhood Network Media (2021)
• Crypt visit, ghost story in Boston’s Old North Church, WCVB Channel 5 Boston (2021)
• Tales of a Crypt Keeper: Sexton of Old North Church shares ghost stories, Boston Business Journal (2021)
• Nikki Stewart of The Old North Foundation: 5 Things You Need To Know To Successfully Lead A Nonprofit Organization, Authority Magazine (2021)
• Nikki Stewart of The Old North Foundation: “Internal Culture”, Thrive Global (2021)
• How a Disturbing Historical Discovery Inspired a New Mission at Old North Foundation, American Alliance of Museums (2021)
• Historic American church set to integrate its slavery ties, Associated Press (2021)
• National Endowment for the Humanities Announces New Grants, The New York Times (2021)
• In historic Massachusetts, some iconic sites remain closed or have limited schedules, The Boston Globe (2021)
• Old North Church with Nikki Stewart of Old North Foundation, Comcast Newsmakers (2021)
• Old North Church & Historic Site Reckons with its Past While Charting a Course for its Future, New England Museum Association (2021)
• Old North Church director: ‘We’re a lot more than just a historical one-night stand’, Boston Business Journal (2021)
• A Tough Pandemic Year Shaped Nikki Stewart’s Idea about Leadership, Mass Nonprofit News (2021)
• Visitors return to Old North Church to celebrate Independence Day, 7News Boston WHDH (2021)
• Despite stormy weather, Independence Day celebrations prevail, The Boston Globe  (2021)
• Massachusetts rain-proof Fourth of July events, WCVB Channel 5 Boston (2021)
• It’s A Historic Hobby For The Bellringers Still Pulling The Ropes At Old North Church, WBUR (2021)
• We Meet The People Who Ring The Bells In Boston’s Old North Church, NPR Morning Edition (2021)
• Oldest public clock in Boston ticking again in Old North Church, WCVB Channel 5 Boston (2021)
• ‘My life purpose’: Horologist with ancestral ties to Old North Church clock completes latest restoration project, 7News Boston WHDH (2021)
• Old North Church historic clock dating back to 1726 reinstalled after restoration project, The Boston Globe (2021)
• Michael Bloomberg’s charity donates to keep Old North Church open, Boston Business Journal (2021)
• Old North Church Reopens, Marks Patriots Day, BNN News (2021)
• Creating and sustaining Massachusetts history, a Chronicle feature on Old North’s famous angels (2021)
• The Old North Church in Boston is Reckoning With Its Dark Past, NBC LX (2020)
• Old North Church, a cherished symbol, opens up about its link to slavery, The Boston Globe (2019)
• Boston Underground: Old North Church & Unearthing the North End, a Chronicle feature on Old North’s historic crypt (2018)