Paul Revere

Contribution to History

Paul Revere was a Boston silversmith and engraver, born in the city’s North End. His engraving of the 1770 Boston Massacre, copied from Henry Pelham’s drawing, became famous. On the night of April 18, 1775, he was sent to warn Hancock and Adams at Lexington that British troops were on the move. Two lanterns hung in the North Church steeple had already signaled that the troops were crossing by water.

After the war he went back to his trade and branched into casting bells and cannon. In 1800 he became the first American to roll copper into sheets, and his copper later covered the dome of the Massachusetts State House.

Why It Matters Today

Longfellow’s poem made the ride legendary, but the real story is more human. Revere was one of several riders in an alarm network that neighbors had set up in advance. Today we would call it a community warning system. He later remembered the ride himself:

The Masonic Thread

Revere was a member of St. Andrew’s Lodge in Boston and later served as Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts. On July 4, 1795, with Governor Samuel Adams, he laid the cornerstone of the new State House. He put his skill to work for his neighbors, and anyone with a trade can do the same.

Sources

• https://craftsmenonline.com/paul-revere/
• https://www.universalfreemasonry.org/en/encyclopedia/revere-paul
• https://www.nps.gov/people/paul-revere.htm
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Revere
• https://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?img_step=1&item_id=99&mode=transcript
• Portrait image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:J_S_Copley_-_Paul_Revere_(cropped).jpg (Public domain)