The Boston Tea Party Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) will host an America 250! commemoration on May 17, 2026, honoring Captain James Mugford and the Continental schooner “Franklin.”
In May 1776, Captain Mugford captured the British powder ship Hope, securing 1,500 barrels of gunpowder for the Continental Army. Two days later, American crews repelled a British assault in Shirley Gut, where Captain Mugford was the only American casualty. These actions marked a turning point toward direct naval engagement during the Revolutionary War.
The program begins at noon with the rededication of the Mugford Monument at Beacon Circle on Shore Drive in Winthrop, originally installed by the Deane Winthrop Chapter, NSDAR in 1937.
At 1:00 p.m., a commemorative event at the Historic Deane Winthrop House will feature the USS Constitution Color Guard and keynote speaker Eric Jay Dolan, author of Rebels at Sea.
The event will conclude at 3:00 p.m. with music and refreshments in the garden.
This event is free and open to the public.
