WORCESTER—To mark the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s legendary ride, a historic replica of the lantern used to signal the start of the American Revolution will be presented to the Worcester City Clerk for public display.
On behalf of the Worcester Legislative Delegation, State Representative David LeBoeuf will present the replica lantern to City Clerk Niko Vangjeli on Friday, April 18, at 9 a.m. inside Worcester City Hall.
The lantern will be showcased as part of the city’s 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution display, located outside the City Clerk’s Office on the second floor of City Hall.
According to the announcement, the tribute commemorates the moment in 1775 when two lanterns were hung in the steeple of Boston’s Old North Church by Robert Newman and Captain John Pulling. That act warned Paul Revere and William Dawes of British troop movements, prompting their historic midnight ride to alert the countryside.
The event inspired Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s iconic poem Paul Revere’s Ride, which helped cement the midnight mission in American historical memory.
The lantern will be on loan from the Worcester Legislative Delegation and will serve as a visual centerpiece for local efforts to recognize the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
