Jacob Whittemore House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jacob Whittemore House |
|
|---|---|
The house in 2016, exactly three hundred years after its construction
|
|
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Colonial |
| Location | Lexington, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Address | Airport Road |
| Coordinates | 42°26′57″N 71°16′03″W / 42.44905°N 71.26750°W |
| Completed | 1716 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 (including the cellar) |
| Design and construction | |
| Main contractor | Nathaniel Whittemore |
The Jacob Whittemore House is a very old and important building in Lexington, Massachusetts, USA. It played a part in the American Revolutionary War. Today, you can find it inside the Minute Man National Historical Park. The house is on Airport Road, near a famous path called Battle Road. It's special because it's the only house from the 1775 battles of Lexington and Concord that is still in Lexington. Other houses from that time are in nearby towns like Lincoln or Concord.
In 1775, when the Revolutionary War began, this house was home to Jacob Whittemore, his wife Elizabeth, their daughter Sarah, Sarah's husband Moses, and their three young children. The Whittemore family sold the house in 1780.
Contents
The Start of the American Revolution
The American Revolutionary War began with the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. These battles happened before the sun came up. British soldiers marched past the Jacob Whittemore House on their way to Concord. They passed it again on their way back to Boston.
Midnight Ride and Warnings
On the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere and William Dawes were on their famous "Midnight Ride." They were trying to warn American colonists that British soldiers were coming. A British Army patrol stopped them near the Whittemore House.
Another rider, Samuel Prescott, was with them. He managed to escape by jumping his horse over a wall and into the woods. Prescott then reached the Hartwell Tavern. He woke up Ephraim Hartwell and told him about the British soldiers. Ephraim sent his slave, Violet, to warn his son and his family. Mary Hartwell then told Captain William Smith, who led the Lincoln minutemen. Captain Smith's home is still standing along Battle Road. Thanks to these warnings, the minutemen got to Old North Bridge in Concord before the British. Prescott also made it to Concord to spread the word.
The Whittemore Family's Role
Neither Jacob Whittemore nor Moses, his son-in-law, fought with the Lexington militia on April 19. Jacob had trained with the militia, and Moses later joined other Revolutionary War efforts.
Instead, Jacob helped Moses move his wife, Sarah, and their children to safety. Sarah was still recovering from giving birth to her third child just eighteen days earlier. They found a safe spot in a nearby woodlot before the battle reached their home. West of the house, Captain John Parker led the Lexington militia. They fought against the British soldiers who were retreating.
Gallery
-
The house in the second half of the 20th century
