LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

Famed American silversmith, engraver, industrialist, and Patriot in the American Revolution Paul Revere ... on the eighteenth of April in seventeen seventy five, tho nary a man is still alive, who remembers that famous day and year, never ever did they hear "THE BRITISH ARE COMING! from the mouth of Paul Revere

But the midnight ride of William Dawes didn't have the right ring to it.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Ecrivez mon enfants et vous entendrez. That's about as far as I got in 7th grade French.

raymondh Loc: Walker, MI

Dannj

And the connection to October 20th is
__________ ?

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Listen, my children and give a pause, for the midnight ride of William Dawes........... (actually, maybe it was the midnight walk, since he lost his horse in the process)

Listen, my children to all we've got 'bout the midnight ride of Sam Prescott.......... (who was the one who made it to Concord that night)

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Local version of history:

I lived in Stow, MA for many years (not THAT many years). The Stow minutemen responded to the alarm but got there after the battle was over (in Concord, anyway -- they joined the chase back to Boston). The reason they were tardy was because Henry Gardner lived in Stow at the time. Gardner was the Treasurer and Receiver General for Massachusetts. The towns were paying their taxes to him rather than to the Crown. He had all the money, which was needed to buy arms. Naturally our version of history claims that the British were marching to Stow, but they were stopped in Concord. The Stow minutemen held back to protect Gardner (and the money).

Unfortunately, there is no documentation to support our claim so Concord gets all the credit.

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

Nothing.

Dannj

Well, on this day in 1774 the Continental Congress formally discouraged entertainment within the colonies. Perhaps Paul’s ride approximately eight months later was prompted by pent up energy.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Patriot's Day.

Originally it was the 19th of April. All the local towns re-formed Minutman companies and marched to Concord on Patriot's Day.
Eventually, like many other holidays, Patriot's day was changed to the Monday closest to the 19th. All the Minutemen march to Concord on Monday now.

Except for Sudbury. They march on the 19th.

Welcome to New England. Home of Individualism.

Another story:

The towns south of Route 2 have to cross that highway (a busy main commuting route) to get to Concord. The Minutemen around Stow marched across that area right where there is a large traffic rotary next to the local state prison. One year a company of Minutemen approached the rotary. There was a lot of traffic coming toward Boston. The Minutemen stepped out onto the highway, muskets ready, to stop traffic. They were blocking the rotary just after an exit to a side road. Instead of blocking the road, the Minutemen waved the traffic off to the side road. The first car in the line was a police car, which was going to take the side road anyway since it led to the prison. All the rest of the line of traffic followed. There is no record of where all the traffic wound up, somewhere in the middle of Concord.

Last time I lived in Stow, they had a spring festival commemorating the founding of the town. The Minutemen always marched to the site with their flintlock muskets and would fire a few volleys. The festival was held at the local school and the Minutemen had a table to display their historical artifacts and their muskets, which the parents and children were welcome to handle.