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The Old North Church, officially called Christ Church, is located at 193 Salem Street in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts and is the location of the famed "one if by land, and two if by sea" phrase related to Paul Revere's midnight ride on April 18, 1775 that preceded the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
The church is a mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. The Old North Church is the oldest active church building in Boston and is a National Historic Landmark. Inside the church is a bust of George Washington, which the Marquis de Lafayette reportedly remarked was the best likeness of him he had ever seen.
The Old North Church was built in 1723, and was inspired by the works of Christopher Wren, a British architect who was responsible for rebuilding London after the Great Fire.
The Lanterns
On April 18, 1775, probably a little after 10 P.M., the 191 ft (58 m) steeple of the Church served a military purpose.
Paul Revere told three Boston Patriots to hang two lanterns in the steeple. These men were the church sexton Robert Newman, who probably displayed the lanterns, Captain John Pulling, who probably helped him carry them up the steeple, and Thomas Bernard, who stood watch for British troops outside the church. The lanterns were displayed to send a warning to Charlestown Patriots across the Charles River about the movements of the British Army. Revere and William Dawes would later deliver the same message to Lexington themselves, but this lantern method was faster, and it was a good back-up plan for communication in case they were captured.
The signal only lasted for a few brief moments to avoid catching the eyes of the British troops occupying Boston, but this was long enough for the message to be received in Charlestown. They had kept someone looking at the steeple all night.
The meaning of two lanterns has been memorized by countless American schoolchildren for generations.
- One if by land, and two if by sea.
is from Longfellow's poem, "Paul Revere's Ride." One lantern was to notify Charlestown that the British Army would march over Boston Neck and the Great Bridge, and two were to notify them that the troops were taking boats across the Charles to land near Phips farm. After receiving the signal, the Charlestown Patriots sent out a rider to Lexington, but this rider did not reach his destination and his identity has disappeared from history. He was the one who might have been captured by a British patrol.
But the warning was delivered miles away to dozens of towns, first by Revere and Dawes on horses, and then by other men on horses and men who rang church bells and town bells, beat drums, and shot off warning guns. Revere didn't really say "The British are coming!" because most of the people in Massachusetts still thought of themselves as British. But he did say "The Regulars are coming out!" (or something similar) to almost every house along the way to Lexington after he felt safe from that British patrol. See the Battle of Lexington and Concord and Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fischer ISBN 0195088476.
Bicentennial celebration
President Gerald Ford lit a third lantern during his April 1975 visit, and it is now displayed in a window of the church. On July 11, 1976, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain visited Boston and made reference to that event. She said, "At the Old North Church last year, your President lit a third lantern dedicated to America's third century of freedom and to renewed faith in the American ideals. May its light never be dimmed." The Queen and Prince Philip attended a Sunday morning service at the Old North Church. The Rev. Robert W. Golledge led the service and presented the Queen with a replica of a silver chalice made by Paul Revere.
The Bells
Eight change ringing bells at Old North Church were cast in Gloucester in 1744 and hung in 1745. One bell has the inscription: We are the first ring of bells cast for the British Empire in North America, A.R. 1744. The bells were restored in 1894 and in 1975. They are maintained and rung regularly by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Guild of Bellringers.
Steeple Damage
The original steeple of the Old North Church was destroyed by the Storm of October 1804. A replacement steeple, designed by the architect of Faneuil Hall, Charles Bulfinch, was toppled by Hurricane Carol on August 31, 1954. The current steeple that was rebuilt after Hurricane Carol uses design elements from the original and the Bulfinch version. The church is now 175 feet (53 m) tall. At its tip is the original weathervane.
Previous Old North Church
Prior to the construction of the current Old North Church, the first Old North Church (also known as Second Church or Paul Revere's Church) was found in North Square, across the street from what is now known as Paul Revere's house. John Mayo was installed as the first minister in 1655 and continued until 1673 when due to old age he was replaced by his close associate Increase Mather. This church was dismantled and burned for firewood by British soldiers during the occupation. At the time, what we now call Old North Church would probably have been called Myles Church after Reverend Samuel Myles.
The fact that there have been two churches in Boston referred to as Old North Church leads to considerable confusion as to which physical church location is being referenced in both historical and modern documents. There are two key differences: The Old North Church of today is Episcopal, whereas the original was Puritan (Congregational); and the current building dates from 1723; the earlier church was built in 1655. information provided by a docent at the current Old North Church.
Reference
- Boston Celebrates July '76, Boston 200 Office of the Boston Bicentennial, Kevin H. White, Mayor. Boston, MA: Addison House, 1976. ISBN 0-89169-011-5 (paperback) and 0-89169-010-7 (cloth).
External links
Freedom Trail | Episcopal churches in the United States | Buildings and structures in Massachusetts | Registered Historic Places in Massachusetts
"Old North Church"