Old Belfry

The Old Belfry is a historic structure on Clarke Street in Lexington, Massachusetts, United States. It stands on Belfry Hill.[1]

Old Belfry
The Old Belfry, pictured in the first half of the 20th century
General information
TypeBelfry
Architectural styleColonial
LocationLexington, Massachusetts, U.S.
Coordinates42.44822°N 71.23085°W / 42.44822; -71.23085
Completed1762 (1762)

The belfry was erected at its current location in 1762, but it was moved a few yards away to Lexington Common[2] in 1768, after Jonas Monroe, on whose land it originally stood, wanted the town to pay him taxes for keeping it there.[1] (Its former location on the Common is now marked by a boulder and a plaque.)[1] The bell that hung in it summoned locals to worship, reminded them at 9:00 pm to "rake up the fires and go to bed",[1] warned them of danger, tolled on their deaths, and rang out the initial alarm of what became the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.[3] Today it rings in the beginning of Patriots' Day annually at 5:30 am.[1]

The third incarnation of the structure was built, this time with a steeple to house the bell, in 1794.[1] Three years later, the belfry was moved to the Parker Homestead in the southern part of town and used as a wheelwright's shop by the son of John Parker. In 1891, after it had fallen into a much-dilapidated state, it was refurbished and returned to its original location by the Lexington Historical Society after it was gifted to them by James S. Monroe.[1] It was destroyed in a gale on June 20, 1909,[1] and was rebuilt by March the following year.[2] It was moved from the back end of Belfry Hill to its present site in 1913, with an iron fence erected around it.[4]

In 1971, the Katharine Harrington House at the corner of Clarke Street and Massachusetts Avenue was torn down to make way for Belfry Hill Park.[4]

Bell

Isaac Stone donated a new bell to the town of Lexington in 1761. It weighed 463 pounds. At a town meeting on June 15 of that year, it was decided to "hang ye Bell on ye top of ye Hill upon ye North side of Liet Jonas Munroes house."[1]

Between 1:00 am and 2:00 am on April 19, 1775, the bell summoned the local militia to Lexington Common, just after Paul Revere and William Dawes had passed through.[1] After a scout arrived to tell Captain John Parker that the British Regulars were just over a mile away, the bell was rung for a second time, summoning the 77 Minutemen.[1]

Today's bell was made in the 19th century, but the original bell tongue is now stored at the Hancock–Clarke House.[1] The bell was replaced again in March 1964, a donation by William Maloney and which formerly hung in Wilmington Methodist Church.[4]

  • The front of the building
    The front of the building
  • A view of the hill on which the belfry sits
    A view of the hill on which the belfry sits
  • Steps up to the belfry
    Steps up to the belfry

References
  1. "Lexington belfry has storied history" – Wicked Local Lexington, April 11, 2007
  2. Historic Sites – Lexington Historical Society
  3. The Belfry – Visit Lexington Massachusetts
  4. Form C – Object – Town of Lexington website
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