Vignettes from Lexington, Concord: ‘This is our generation’s time,’ Healey says - The Boston Globe (2025)

“In Massachusetts, we have always lit the beacon. We have always answered the alarm. We have always stood our ground – and we always will. That is the legacy of this hallowed place. This is who we are. Now it is our time to live up to this legacy. We live in a moment when our freedoms are once again under attack from the highest office in the land. We see things that would be familiar to our revolutionary predecessors: the silencing of critics, the disappearing of people from our streets, demands for unquestioning fealty.

“Due process is a foundational right; if it can be discarded for one, it can be lost for all. The right to speak freely, without fear of punishment, is the essence of personal liberty. A free press and independent courts are the lifeblood of a healthy democracy. These are the freedoms that America was built on, that make America great. They are the rights that people here in Massachusetts exercise when they use their talents to cure disease, heal the environment, build businesses, improve human life.

“They were won by the men and women who put their lives on the line, here at North Bridge in Concord and on the green in Lexington. They were protected by brave service members, and advanced by courageous men and women throughout our history. And they are ours to defend now. We must take a warning from John Adams, who said “Liberty once lost is lost forever.” And we must take courage from Coretta Scott King, who said “Freedom is never really won. You earn it and win it in every generation.”

“This is our generation’s time. Standing here, in this place, at this moment, we must commit ourselves to defending it. That is what I will do, and I encourage everyone who knows our history, and values our freedoms, to do the same. Stay engaged, stand up, and speak out – as the people of Massachusetts did 250 years ago. Together, we will protect the freedoms that were won here. And we will not be intimidated.

“In Massachusetts we must be, and we will be, the champions of freedom once again – not just because it is rooted in our past, but because it is alive in our hearts, and it is our hope for the future. It is what we owe to those who came before us here in Concord – and it is what we owe to the generations who come after us all across America.”

LEXINGTON — Lois Voisine, 66, of Nashua, arrived on Lexington Battle Green at 1 a.m., eagerly anticipating the reenactment of a skirmish in which, she said, all eight of the Colonial dead were relatives.

“I’m moving to Myrtle Beach in the next few months, so it was now or never,” Voisine said of watching her first reenactment in Lexington. “This has been on my bucket list.”

Clare and Christopher Hurley of Woburn, re-enacting civilians at Battle Green, also had a home-grown interest in the drama. Christopher portrayed Asahel Porter, an unarmed Woburn man who had been taken prisoner of the British during their march to Lexington and was shot dead 250 years ago as he tried to flee, Clare said.

Clare played Ruth Buckman, who owned nearby Buckman Tavern, which still stands adjacent to the Green. ”We had a very busy night last night, as the Minute Men were coming and going, trying to determine if the British were on the way,” Clare said, assuming Buckman’s character in period costume, as she walked the Green before the reenactment began. — Brian MacQuarrie

CONCORD — Rena Hedeman was among those in the crowd here early Saturday. She brandished a sign. One side said: “No king then, no king now.” The other: “Fighting tyranny then & now.”

“It’s not against any particular party,” Hedeman said of the sign. “It’s against one person.”

Hedeman, a 60-year-old nutrition and health coach, has lived in Concord for 19 years. She usually comes to the Old North Bridge festivities to celebrate the freedoms that minutemen fought for 250 years ago.

Referencing President Trump without naming him, she said he is failing to uphold the Constitution.

“It’s extraordinarily upsetting and worrying,” she said of the current political moment.

A cannon blast pierced the dawn as she spoke, and a man walking by asked to take a picture of her sign and thanked her for showing up.

In Lexington, several people gathered near the Battle Green that was set aside for protesters. A man who declined to be identified held a small sign that read: “Patriots don’t tolerate tyranny.”

When asked if the statement was a comment on the current administration, the man nodded. “They’re deporting people without due process,” he said. —Danny McDonald

Getting ready for the 250th anniversary of the bloody British retreat from Concord to Boston is serious business. Michael Graves of Chelmsford, a biology professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, is the commanding officer of the British regiment and has worked his way up from private since joining in 2005.

He arrived at the battlefield early Saturday, around 2 a.m., clad in in 18th-century gear — from linen shirt and breeches to bright scarlet coat. His wife, Valerie, was also there, dressed in a traditional gown and petticoats. Their ensembles are meticulously crafted by hand, stitch-by-stitch.

The Graves have amassed so much period clothing over the years that each has a room devoted entirely to the art of colonial dress. Dressing in late-1700s fashion is no quick task. Both Valerie and Michael spent upwards of 10 minutes layering multiple items of clothing — each serving a particular purpose.

In the 1700s, an officer and his wife would have had assistants to help them. But today, it’s all on them. — Jenna Perlman

CONCORD — The two interactions took place about two minutes apart on Old North Bridge Saturday morning.

Conan Walter, a 65-year-old retiree, was holding a sign that read “Stop fascism now” and “We the people.” His shirt had another message: “No one votes for Elon Musk.”

One woman approached and him and said, “Fascism stopped on Jan. 20.”

“You think so?” replied Walter.

“I do.”

“Well we have a difference of opinion, and that’s what I’m fighting to keep,” Walter replied.

Minutes later, a different woman approached Walter and his sign on that bridge, fist-bumped him, and said “Hell yeah, brother.”

Walter shrugged.

“Every interaction is going to be different,” he said.

Walter was here 50 years ago for the bicentennial celebration. He recalls then-president Gerald Ford getting booed by droves of protesters. There are far fewer demonstrators this year, something that Walter found unsurprising.

“There’s just a lot of wrong (expletive) going on,” he said.

Referencing President Trump, he added, “He’s turning this joint into Russia if he gets the chance.”

Zander Kessler had similar sentiments. The 24-year-old consultant held a sign comparing Trump to King George III, III, ruler of Great Britain during the Revolutionary War. Growing up in Concord, Kessler attended many April 19 commemorations throughout the years.

“The people of Concord didn’t want a king in 1775, and they don’t want one now,” he said. — Danny McDonald

LEXINGTON —Spectators milled about as clusters of reenactors portraying the Lexington militia gathered in small groups, awaiting the arrival of British troops marching down Massachusetts Avenue.

Bells tolled. Women and children dressed as family members of the militia. And the smell of gunpowder hung in the air as the Colonials discharged their muskets in preparation for a confrontation.

“Do not fire unless fired upon!” Stephen Cole, portraying militia Captain John Parker, barked at his men.

Then, with drums beating out a marching pace, the British troops appeared to loud boos at the east end of the Green. They quickly assembled in formation as dawn slowly brightened the cloudy skies.

‘Lay down your arms!’ a British officer yelled three times at the militia. And then, as the militia began to disperse, a shot rang out of unknown origin, and a fusillade of British fire, followed by bayonets, left eight Colonials dead.

Followed the fighting, after the “dead” rose from the ground to loud applause, a reenactor portraying a colonial minister addressed the survivors of Parker’s militia.

“The lust of domination appears no longer in disguise,” the minister said. “Will the world learn the lesson of this day,” he added, “that tyranny will not be tolerated?” — Brian MacQuarrie

This milestone commemoration this year carries extra meaning for reenactors.

.Jamie Lee has participated for 10 years as a member of the Lexington militia, this time as the wounded Nathaniel Farmer, and every year he feels chills as the British reenactors march onto the Green.

“It’s almost surreal,” said Lee, who lives in Lexington. “You really are in the moment. You hear the commands from the captain, and the drums and the fifes. And when the Redcoats come down the road, the crowds just disappear.”

In Concord, Gary Babin, a 68-year-old from Groton who works in IT, portrayed a Concord Minute Man. In addition to period attire, he also had two satchels containing three days of munitions and food. “We’re supposed to be ready to go at a moment’s notice,” he said as he posed for photos with spectators and answered some historical questions..

He gripped a musket. The replica weapon burns black powder and can clog because of that, he said. He has tools to unclog the weapon, including a horsehair brush. “There are a lot of misfires because of that,” he said.

Babin has been a re-enactor for about 10 years, calling the hobby a “no-brainer” for anyone interested in history. He hoped the presence of re-enactors helps foster a fun atmosphere.

“The British were actually very complimentary of the bravery of the minute men,” he said. — Brian MacQuarrie and Danny McDonald