Built in 1723, the Old North Church is the oldest surviving church building in Boston and is the most visited historical site. The original congregation was loyal to the British crown and many of the congregates held royal government positions. Over 1,000 former members of the congregation are interred at the church. The church’s steeple has been blown down by two different hurricanes. The silver used at church services and a bible were given to the church by the King of England.

            On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere was tasked with alerting the Colonial Army of how the British Army was approaching. He gave instructions to Robert Newman and Captain John Pulling Jr. to climb the steeple of the church to give the signal. If they hung one lantern in the steeple, then the British were approaching by land and if they hung two lanterns, then the British were approaching by sea. They hung two lanterns which signaled to Paul Revere that the British were approaching by sea via the Charles River towards Lexington and Concord. The battle that followed at Lexington was the first official battle of the Revolutionary War.

            This event was an inspiration for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.

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Sources: https://oldnorth.com/oldnorthhistory/

http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/

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