MA250

Burial Hill Tour Series – Revolutionary Connections
2025-12-06 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-11-01 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Plymouth Burial Hill Cemetery, Town Square 19, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 02360, United States
The Plymouth Antiquarian Society and Pilgrim Hall Museum announce their continuing partnership in a free public tour series of Plymouth’s historic Burial Hill for the 2025 season. Each first Saturday of the month a thematic tour of the ancient burying ground will reveal facets of Plymouth’s evolving story over generations. This year honors the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution with a series theme of “Revolutionary Connections.” Each monthly tour highlights the Revolutionary era in Plymouth with insights into South Shore connections to America’s contest for independence. Presenters include local historians and authors who share their expertise on a range of topics, highlighting art, history, and culture atop the open-air history museum in the heart of downtown Plymouth, Burial Hill.
Severe weather may cancel tour. Stay up to date with us on our Facebook page and visit pilgrimhall.org or plymouthantiquarian.org for more information on the continuing Burial Hill tour series.

Handmade Craft Demonstration and Sale
2025-12-06 11:00 - 15:00, 2025-12-06 08:00 - 17:00 | Paul Revere House, 19 North Square, Boston, 02113, United States
Erich and Janice Steinhagen bring their 18th century craft techniques all the way from Connecticut for a two-day holiday season residency as they demonstrate redware pottery production and the fiber art of spinning in our Revere Room. Erich will be throwing pots on the wheel while Janice spins sheep’s wool or flax into yarn. Finished products will be available for sale!
While the crafters share their techniques on the ground floor of our Visitor Center, R.P. Hale will provide an 18th and 19th century Advent soundtrack in the second-floor exhibit space, playing the harpsichord and virginal, he meticulously crafted himself based on period originals.

Calling All Kids, Patriots And Sailors: Revolutionary Summer Saturdays
2025-12-06 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-29 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-22 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-15 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-08 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-01 10:00 - 13:00 | Custom House Maritime Museum, Water Street 25, Newburyport, Massachusetts, 01950, United States
FREE outdoor and indoor activities for kids all summer long
Building on the success of the Road to Revolution partnership programs, each Saturday from now until the end of September, the museum will host children’s outdoor and indoor programming. The hugely successful Discovery Center experience will extend out onto the lawn with 15 new activity stations. Rolling River Printmakers of New England will partner this week with an activity station to make prints. A rideable dolphin and elephant, courtesy of local sculptor Jeff Briggs, along with a bouncy castle, pirate boat with water guns, plus water, sand and craft tables await.
This free program runs from 10 am to 1 pm thanks to generous sponsorship from the Institution for Savings and the Local Cultural Council.
Looking ahead, in September, the museum is pleased to partner with Imagine Studios on a fascinating project to burn and carve out of a pine log and shape into a 20 foot long mishoon (dugout canoe) using traditional methods. Led by Imagine Studios, Darius Coombs of the Mashpee Wampanoag and Jonathan Petty of the Aquinnah Wampanoag will carve over successive weekends. Sponsored by the New England Foundation for the Arts, and with in-kind support from New England Development, the goal is to launch on Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 11.
We hope you can join us.–James

The First Commander Remembered: Washington’s Legacy in Cambridge
2025-12-02 18:00 - 19:30 | Cambridge Public Library, Broadway 449, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States
To mark the 250th anniversaries of the American Revolution and the founding of the United States, a coalition of Cambridge non-profits and government agencies will present Washington in American Memory, a seven-part speaker series taking place in-person and online.
Debunk myths and trace the evolution of the public memory of George Washington in Cambridge, Massachusetts, featuring:
– J.L. Bell, author of The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War and proprietor of Boston1775.net
– Charles Sullivan, co-author of Building Old Cambridge: Architecture and Development and Executive Director of the Cambridge Historical Commission
This speaker series is made possible through the generous support of America’s National Parks, a nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. It is presented in partnership by the National Park Service/Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, History Cambridge, Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge Historical Commission, and Cambridge MA250.

Forging Independence | Building a Nation
2025-12-01 - 2026-12-31 | New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA, 02740, United States
In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the New Bedford Whaling Museum will open a new suite of conjoined galleries in that explore stories of independence, struggle, and citizenship in the region during the late colonial and early Republican period (1760-1830).
Forging Independence | Building a Nation introduces connections between historical events and pressing issues of today, asking visitors to consider what ideas are embodied in the terms and ideas of Independence and Nationhood. Words like patriotism, freedom, taxation, citizenship, liberty, equality, justice, tolerance, and independence serve as keystones within the installation to encourage thoughtful engagement with concepts that transcend the past and directly connect with our present. Associations forged between objects, concepts, and individuals broach insightful civic-minded questions about what it means to be “American.” What did colonial citizens think America should or would be, and how do we today continue to ask those questions and shape that outcome today?
Forging Independence | Building a Nation outlines important regional historical events of the American Revolution, including the Boston Tea Party, which happened on the locally built and owned vessel the Dartmouth, and Grey’s raid, encompassing the defense of Fort Phoenix, the siege and burning of Bedford Village, and the Bombardment of Fairhaven. The installation frames these war-time events within larger state-wide and national arcs, including the Stamp Tax Crisis, Battle of Bunker Hill, Occupation of Boston, Massachusetts statehood, the adoption of the State Bill of Rights, and early activities tied to nation building. What did it mean to discard a system of governance and colonial allegiance and establish a new country? How did people grapple with and make sense of the revolutionary period and what came after? What ideas and tenets became pillars of that era, how are their legacies felt today, and what complications or tensions arose in that space of negotiation?
The project relies on the Museum’s expansive permanent collection to center and share diverse stories and experiences from Massachusetts, consider the promises and challenges of the American Revolution, and makes connections between past and present. The exhibition utilizes artifacts and archival sources to illuminate the stories of a broad range of individuals, from local merchants who skirted blockades and traded as privateers to the narratives of private citizens and regional residents, including men, women and children of different classes, ages, ethnic and racial backgrounds, and status, immigrants, Indigenous people, and enslaved and free people of color. The exhibition includes the voices and stories of those who served in the American militia, were passionate Revolutionaries, outright ambivalent about Independence, or avid British Loyalists.

Pilgrims Arrive!
2025-11-22 15:30 - 16:30 | Arts Empowering Life Performing Arts Center, Southern Eagle Cartway 95, Brewster, Massachusetts, 02631, United States
November 22, 2025, 3:30 pm, Presented by G. Thomas Ryan
Before they arrived at Plymouth, the Pilgrims arrived in the midst of the Nauset Tribe and spent a month exploring the Outer Cape. History can describe trends over centuries and sharing the story through actual events allows all to appreciate the past through named men and women, and even their inner-soul struggles. On November 22, the events are truly local. The audience might then consider meanings for today as they come upon beaches and creeks, named streets and schools, and families who are descended from the Mayflower or Nauset – added depth for lived history.

Gallery Tour, "Protest & Promise: The American Revolution in Lexington"
2025-11-22 11:00 - 12:00 | Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA, 02421, United States
In 2025, the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library is celebrating its 50th anniversary with special gallery talks, engaging lectures, and exhibitions drawn from our rich collections. Our gallery exhibition “Protest & Promise: The American Revolution in Lexington” examines how an entire community—women, men, black, white, young, old, enslaved, and free—helped spark a revolution. Join museum staff this Saturday November 22 at 11 AM for a free gallery tour of this exhibition.

Sparking the Revolution: Flintlocks, Gunpowder, and Policy in America’s War for Independence
2025-11-21 08:30 - 2025-11-22 15:30, 2025-11-20 17:00 - 19:30 | Springfield Armory National Historic Site, One Armory Square, Springfield, 01105, United States
Join us in Springfield November 20 and 21st, 2025! The University of Wyoming College of Law’s Firearms Research Center, in partnership with Springfield Armory National Historic Site, invites you to an academic conference exploring the complex role of firearms in Revolutionary America.
Through thought-provoking panels, lectures, and discussions, the program will delve into topics such as colonial disarmament and regulation, the function of militias, the material culture of arms, and archaeological insights into the earliest days of the Revolution.
Bringing together historians, curators, and scholars, this event offers a balanced and dynamic look at how firearms, policy, and community shaped the struggle for independence – and how these legacies continue to inform our understanding of early America and resonate in conversations today.
Free to the Public. Available in person and online
Schedule:
November 20
Springfield Armory
5 – 7:30 p.m. Welcome Reception and Fireside Chat on Founding Era History and the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bruen decision.
November 21
Springfield Technical Community College
8:30 – 8:45 a.m. Opening Remarks
8:45 – 10 a.m. Panel 1: Disarmament and the Revolution (CLE)
Panelists:
Bob Cottrol, George Washington University
E. Gregory Wallace, Campbell University
James Slaughter, Marshall University
10:15 – 11 a.m.: Guns of the American Revolution
Speaker: Erik Goldstein, Colonial Williamsburg
11 – 11:30 a.m.: The Earliest Days of Springfield Armory
Speaker: Alex Mackenzie, Springfield Armory
11:30 – 12:30 p.m. Lunch
12:30 – 1:45 p.m.: Panel 2: The Colonial Militia (CLE)
Panelists:
Jody Madeira, Indiana University
Joyce Malcolm, George Mason University
Alexander Cain, Author
1:55 – 2:40 p.m.: Creating an Arsenal of Liberty
Speaker: Andrew Fagal, Historian
2:40 – 3:25 p.m.: Early Ballistics of the American Revolution
Speaker: Joel Bohy, Antiques Roadshow

“Dreadful were the Vestages of war:” Three Human Stories of April 19, 1775
2025-11-20 18:00 - 20:00 | Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA, 02421, United States
Joel Bohy, military historian and Antiques Roadshow presenter, will give a lecture on Lexington’s Revolutionary War veterans at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library on November 20, 2025, followed by a signing of his 2025 book, Bullet Strikes From the First Day of the American Revolution.
The lecture will take a closer look at three individuals involved in the beginning of the war: John Robbins of Lexington who was badly wounded on April 19, James Hayward of Acton who was mortally wounded at Fiske Hill in Lexington, and a British soldier who was wounded in Lexington on April 19 and went on to join the Lexington militia and the Continental Army.
This lecture is co-sponsored by Lexington History Museums and the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, as part of SRMML’s 50th anniversary programming. It will take place in person at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library and will be live streamed by local community access partner LexMedia. Livestream link will be posted prior to the event.
Schedule:
6:00: Doors open for viewing of special exhibition Protest & Promise: The American Revolution in Lexington
7:00: Lecture
8:00 Book Signing

Opening Reception for the Rotch 250th Exhibition & Artist’s Talk
2025-11-20 18:00 - 19:30 | The Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum, County Street 396, New Bedford, MA, 02740, United States
Join the RJD for a reception and be the first to see RJD’s newest exhibition, Unraveling the Revolutionary Journey of William Rotch Sr. The exhibition features the art of a new historical graphic novel “Quaker, Whaler, Traitor, Spy! The Trials of William Rotch” written by Dr. Sarah Crabtree and illustrated by Melissa “Sawhand” Philley. Twenty prints of art in the book will be on display. The artist, Melissa Philley will speak about her work at 6:30pm. This event is free and open to the public.
Accused of treason four times by three governments in two revolutionary decades (1775 – 1795), William Rotch suffered from the “with-us-or-against-us” political landscape of the late eighteenth century. A Quaker, he opposed wars for independence and empire. Yet he downplayed and even withheld key details from his story, a second narrative that began with the Boston Tea Party, stretched across the world, and made him one of the wealthiest men in America.
This exhibit invites the viewer – you! – to decide which label best describes him. Along the way, we’ll revisit some famous (and infamous!) events and we’ll hear from a few characters you’ve definitely heard of and some maybe you haven’t. What we hope is that you’ll agree his-story is a way of reapproaching how history is made – a story that is as much about who and what we remember as how and why we remember them.

"I Screamed With All My Might” The Civilians Trapped Behind the Boston Siege Lines
2025-11-19 18:00 - 19:30 | Andover Center for History and Culture, 97 Main Street, Andover, MA, 01810, United States
“I Screamed With All My Might”
The Civilians Trapped Behind the Boston Siege Lines
A Rev 250 talk by historian and author Alex Cain
Alex returns to talk about the eleven month Siege of Boston April 1775 – March 1776.
Setting the scene:
The British were trapped in Boston and everyday citizens experienced relentless hardships which extended into surrounding towns. The constant fear of an American assault, hunger, coupled with outbreaks of disease and erosion of civil liberties under martial rule, fostered an atmosphere of desperation.
Join us November 19 to learn about the quiet endurance of ordinary citizens, including Andoverites – another chapter in the American Revolution.

Quincy 400 x MA250: New England Foodways During the American Revolution
2025-11-17 18:00 - 19:00 | Thomas Crane Public Library, Washington Street 40, Quincy, MA, 02169, United States
Step back to the eve of the American Revolution and discover the foods that sustained Massachusetts households, soldiers, and farmers.
Join the 18th Century Cook, Michael Duncan Smith, for an engaging afternoon exploring local foodways in the 1770s. Learn how everyday meals compared with fine dining, what rations soldiers received before the Battle of Bunker Hill, and how families preserved the harvest through the seasons.
The presentation draws on probate records, newspapers, early cookbooks, and personal journals to offer a unique window into the town’s past. Ingredients, kitchen tools, and cooking techniques will also be on display. Stop by and say good-day!
Michael Duncan Smith is an artist, educator, and culinary historian based in Greater Boston. He is the creator of 18th Century Cook, a digital project with more than 650,000 followers that brings early American recipes and culinary traditions to life. His research focuses on New England foodways in the 18th century and during the American Revolution, drawing from primary sources to illuminate the everyday meals of early America.
This program is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library.

Annual Meeting for the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust, Inc.
2025-11-15 13:00 - 15:00 | North Dartmouth Public Library, Cross Road 211, Dartmouth, MA, 02747, United States
You are cordially invited to attend DHPT’s Annual Meeting on Saturday, November 15, 2025. Location: the North Dartmouth Public Library at 211 Cross Road, off Route 6 and close to I195.
Following a short business meeting, DHPT will welcome our featured speaker. Lee McColgan, author of A HOUSE RESTORED, The TRAGEDIES and TRIUMPHS of SAVING a NEW ENGLAND COLONIAL.
Lee will entertain you with stories of the challenges he faced in restoring an 18th century house––the Thomas Loring III House, built in 1702. Undoubtedly, it was a witness site to the Revolution as it remains extant. What happened in Pembroke, Massachusetts during the Revolution? More on that to be discovered.
“Trading the corporate ladder for a stepladder,” Lee started as a neophyte, who had thoughts of “how hard can it be?” to becoming a “jack of all trades.” The historic preservation muse took over in a matter of months.
You will have to attend to find out how this ambitious project turned out. You will benefit from his learned experiences.
Be prepared to be inspired! This event is free and open to the public. Lee will be offering books for sale and a book signing at the end of the program.
Visit DHPT at https://dhpt.org/

A Revolutionary Concert: Paul Revere. The Man, the Myth, and the Legacy
2025-11-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Converse Hall, Tremont Street 88, Boston, Massachusetts, 02108, United States
Join the Paul Revere Memorial Association, Massachusetts Poet Laureate Regie Gibson, and Paul Revere for an engaging and immersive free program to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Midnight Ride. From the loyalist anthems of the Tories, to the fiery songs of the Revolutionaries, and original 19th century compositions written to further Revere’s legacy this program brings 18th and 19th century America to life through the music of the times. The evening will include performances by some of Boston’s finest musicians.
Blending rich narration, historical images, and live music, this program offers a fresh, moving, and insightful take on one of the Revolution’s most misunderstood heroes. Far more than just a messenger on horseback, Paul Revere was a devoted family man, a savvy businessman, and a respected civil servant. This special evening promises to be a powerful journey through sound and story, separating fact from folklore while painting a vivid portrait of one of America’s most iconic patriots.
Major support for this program has been provided by the Freedom Trail Foundation and an anonymous donor.
Register for free through Eventbrite: https://bit.ly/48jRUw9

Sacred Rebellion Virtual Exhibition Tour
2025-11-13 17:00 - 18:00 | Online
Back by popular demand, this encore virtual tour of the Congregational Library & Archives’ new in-person exhibition, Sacred Rebellion, will be hosted by Executive Director Dr. Kyle Roberts and New England’s Hidden Histories Project Director and Sacred Rebellion curator Dr. Tricia Peone.
By the time the American Revolution began, many Congregationalists had embraced a theological justification for war and revolution. They believed that God favored them and that their cause was a morally justified, sacred rebellion. Through sermons, books, poems, songs, and letters, Congregationalists shared their stories, reflected on their moral obligations to each other, and debated questions of liberty and loyalty. But consensus was elusive, and implementation proved difficult and unsatisfactory to many, especially those on the margins.
The interactive tour will be hosted on Zoom, with registration limited to a small group of attendees. Participants will view Revolutionary-era treasures from the collections; hear stories about how Congregationalists experienced the period leading up to, during, and immediately following the war; have opportunities to ask questions; and reflect on what this pivotal event means 250 years later.
Registration is $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Tickets must be purchased by Tuesday, November 11th at https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/CongregationalLibrary/SRVirtual11.html
After registering, you will receive an email with information about attending the event.
Email any questions to programs@14beacon.org.
SPEAKER BIOS
Dr. Kyle Roberts was appointed the Executive Director of the Congregational Library & Archives in 2022. He received his BA in American Studies from Williams College and his PhD in History from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to the CLA, he was Associate Director of Library & Museum Programming at the American Philosophical Society and Associate Professor of Public History and New Media and Director of the Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities at Loyola University Chicago.
A scholar of Atlantic World religion, print, and library history, he is the author of Evangelical Gotham: Religion and the Making of New York City, 1783-1860 (Chicago, 2016), the co-editor, with Stephen Schloesser, of Crossings and Dwellings: Restored Jesuits, Women Religious, American Experience 1814-2014 (Brill, 2017) and, with Mark Towsey, of Before the Public Library: Reading, Community, and Identity in the Atlantic World, 1650-1850 (Brill, 2017).
Kyle is an accomplished public historian and digital humanist whose collaborative projects include the Jesuit Libraries Provenance Project, the Maryland Loyalism Project, and Dissenting Academies Online: Virtual Library System. In addition to being the consultant for numerous digital and public history projects, he sits on the executive committees of the American Catholic Historical Association, the New England Historical Association, the Urban History Association He is on the editorial and advisory boards for American Catholic Studies, Early American Studies, and portal.
Dr. Tricia Peone joined the CLA in 2022 as the Project Director for New England’s Hidden Histories. Prior to joining the CLA, she was a research scholar at Historic New England for the Recovering New England’s Voices project. She has also previously worked as the public programs director at New Hampshire Humanities, a university lecturer teaching classes on the Salem witch trials, early New England, and public history, and as a researcher for cultural heritage organizations. She holds a PhD in history from the University of New Hampshire with a specialization in the early modern Atlantic world and history of science.

Concord Museum Forum: Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters
2025-11-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Concord Museum, 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Join Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward Larson for a timely forum on his forthcoming book, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters. As the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, Larson offers a powerful reexamination of the ideas, debates, and military turning points that made independence possible. From Common Sense to the Declaration itself, and from Boston to Trenton, Larson explores how 1776 transformed colonial resistance into a revolutionary movement—and why its lessons remain urgent for America today.
Free Members | $10 Non-Members | Free Virtual

"Spies Among Us" year long exhibit opening on February 6th 2025
2025-11-09 13:00 - 15:00 | Golden Ball Tavern Museum, Boston Post Road 662, Weston, Massachusetts, 02493, United States
“Spies Among Us” will open on Thursday, February 6th at 10 a.m. during the museum’s first Thursday opening hours. We will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on February 6th and will be open every Thursday going forward from 10-4. We will also showcase the exhibit during our February Second Sunday Open House on Sunday, February 9th from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The exhibit will recall the story of General Gage’s spies who visited the Tavern in 1775, explore examples of espionage on both sides, and examine the many ways of spying that were used during the American Revolution.
Spycraft played a pivotal role during the American Revolution, with both the Continental Army and British forces using intelligence operations to gain strategic advantages. The Golden Ball Tavern and its proprietor Isaac Jones, played host on a few occasions to British spies sent, by General Thomas Gage, to survey the towns that were scattered around the area from Boston to Worcester. This was just one of the British military’s tactics for keeping the Patriots in line. On the American side, espionage was essential in countering the British military’s superior resources and manpower.
The spycraft of the American Revolution was marked by its ingenuity, the use of civilian networks, and the blending of military and civilian espionage tactics. Though it was often risky and unreliable, intelligence-gathering operations played a critical role in the eventual success of the American cause, allowing the Continental Army to take advantage of British vulnerabilities and ultimately secure victory.
Join us as we introduce our new exhibit and our new Thursday opening hours. The museum will continue to be open every second Sunday of the month for our Second Sunday Open House Tours and will now be open every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
We look forward to welcoming you!

250th Marine Corps Birthday Weekend onboard Quincy's USS Salem Museum Ship
2025-11-09 10:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-08 10:00 - 16:00 | United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum, South Street 549, Quincy, Massachusetts, 02169, United States
In honor of the US Marine Corps 250th Birthday, United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum is offering Free Admission for US Marine Corps Active Duty & Veterans on Saturday, November 8th & Sunday, November 9th from 10am – 4pm. Honors will be rendered for service members. Commandant’s Video Birthday Message will be shown throughout the day.
On 10 November 1775, the Continental Congress resolved, “That two Battalions of Marines be raised… that they be distinguished by the names of the first and second battalions of American Marines…” Founding Father John Adams is recognized as the Father of the US Navy. Quincy is the hometown of 2nd US President Adams and has a proud maritime history showcased onboard USS Salem. General Paul X. Kelley, 28th Commandant of the Marine Corps served as Commanding Officer of Salem’s Marine Detachment from 1952-54. His uniform is on display in the Salem Association Memorial Room.

250th Marine Corps Birthday Ball Plymouth
2025-11-08 16:30 - 23:00 | Hotel 1620, Water Street 180, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 02360, United States
250th Marine Corps Birthday Ball in Plymouth, MA. In conjunction with a Marine cake cutting ceremony, there will be a showcasing of Plymouth’s connection to the Continental and Privateer Marines of the Revolutionary War by reenactors. From the first Continental Marine Recruiter in Plymouth 1776, Lieutenant Seth Chapin. To Plymouth’s own Continental Marine Lieutenant James Warren Jr, who served aboard the USS Alliance until wounded in May 1781. He is also the son of James Warren and Mercy Otis Warren. Then the Privateer Marines who perished aboard the General Arnold in a storm in Plymouth Bay on Christmas 1778. This event is a collaboration between the Marine Corps League Detachment 1306 in Plymouth and Volunteers of America Massachusetts in Plymouth. Guest of Honor for this Marine Corps Birthday Ball will be Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. Barrow USMC Ret.

Artist Workshop - Historical Graphic Novel Edition
2025-11-08 12:00 - 15:00 | New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park Visitor Center, William Street 33, New Bedford, MA, 02740, United States
With The New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
Melissa “Sawhand” Philley, the graphic artist and illustrator of the graphic novel: Quaker, Whaler, Traitor, Spy! The Trials of William Rotch, presents a hands-on art workshop for youth ages 12 and up. Artists of all skill levels are welcome. The workshop is free and takes place at the NBWNHP Visitor Center, in New Bedford. Some supplies will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring their own pens, pencils, and markers.
This talk is a part of the project titled, “America’s 250th: Unraveling the Revolutionary Journey of William Rotch Sr.”. The project explores a new historical graphic novel about the life of William Rotch Sr., penned by Dr. Sarah Crabtree and illustrated by Melissa Philley, through a series of programs and an exhibition of about 20 artworks from the book, opening at the RJD onNovember 20. It is funded by Eastern National, a non-profit partner of the National Park Service.

Author Talk & Book Signing: Colonel William Prescott — Heroic Commander of the Battle of Bunker Hill
2025-11-02 14:00 - 16:00 | Prescott Community Center, Main Street 145, Groton, Massachusetts, 01450, United States
As part of Massachusetts’ commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the Destination Groton Committee will host Donald R. Ryan for an author talk and book signing of his new work, Colonel William Prescott: Heroic Commander of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Sunday November 2, from 2-4 pm at the Prescott Community Center, 145 Main Street. Admission is free to all. To register for a seat go to: https://destinationgroton.com/RSVP/
Made possible through a grant from the Town of Groton’s Lecture Fund.
The program honors Groton-born Colonel William Prescott, whose steadfast leadership at the Battle of Bunker Hill (fought on Breed’s Hill) embodied American courage and shaped the course of the Revolution. Drawing from years of public history work with the National Park Service at the Bunker Hill Monument, Ryan’s talk revives Prescott’s remarkable story — from frontier family and colonial farmer to civic leader, wartime commander, and participant in the formative years of the new nation.
“I’m excited to bring Prescott’s story home to Groton,” said Donald R. Ryan. “His calm defiance and deep integrity captured the American spirit before there even was a United States — and his legacy deserves to be remembered as part of our 250th celebration.”
