Text projected onto the Old North Church that reads "The Revolution started here and it never left".
Tonight (4/22), around 8pm, the artist Silence Dogood will project messages onto the Old North Church.
The text will be a community-authored statement from participants in their new “Precedented Times” Town Hall series. Join us at 193 Salem St in Boston to see the projections!
For Patriots' Day, our Executive Director, Nikki Stewart, wrote this op-ed for @cogwbur.bsky.social.
"To love our country at this moment is not to excuse its failures, but to insist on its full potential. It is to refuse indifference."
Read the full letter:
www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/...
A photo of two lanterns shining from Old North Church's steeple in Boston.
On this night 251 years ago, two men climbed Old North Church's steeple. They held high two lanterns as a signal from Paul Revere that the British were heading to Concord by way of the Charles River.
Their famous “one if by land, two if by sea” warning ignited the American Revolution.
Lantern bearers, Annie and Selvin, walking down Old North Church's center aisle at Lanterns & Luminaries.
Two lanterns shining from Old North Church's steeple on April 16, 2026.
Most importantly, we raised funds to continue Old North’s important educational and preservation work — bringing 300+ years of history to a diverse audience.
Thank you to all of our attendees, sponsors, volunteers, partners, and friends. We could not have done it without you!
Two lanterns lit up the sky from our steeple, Paul Revere and William Dawes galloped by on horseback, and we gathered for refreshments and merriment.
As the Boston Pops Esplanade Brass Quintet played "The Stars and Stripes Forever," beautiful fireworks were projected onto the walls of the church by Illuminus.
Keith Lockhart receives the Third Lantern Award at the Old North Church. Left to Right: Angela Johnson, Keith Lockhart, Nikki Stewart, and Jared Bowen.
What a night! Lanterns & Luminaries was SO MUCH fun. Our honoree, Keith Lockhart, delivered an inspiring keynote about the power of public music and public history.
The Old North Church's steeple in Boston.
Today is the Old North Church’s 303rd birthday! On April 15, 1723, masons began construction on the church, and just nine months later, the congregation held its first service.
The church’s first stone was laid by the minister of King's Chapel, Rev. Samuel Myles.
The logo for the Boston 250 Pass (1776 - 2026) against the backdrop of a historic map of Boston.
Five Boston landmarks have joined together to create the BOSTON 250 PASS! Explore five iconic historic sites in Downtown Boston for just $33:
- Old North Church
- Paul Revere House
- Old South Meeting House
- Old State House
- King's Chapel
Learn more: widgets.bokun.io/online-sales...
Two Educators at Old North Church dressed in colonial clothing.
Just another Casual Friday at Old North!
An Old North staff member modeling a T-shirt with the winged skull ("death's head) image and the phrase "Bury Me in Boston." The shirt is light gray, and the text is black.
Puritans did not advocate using religious symbols, such as cherubs, Christ figures, or crosses, on their gravestones.
Instead, the death's head, a non-religious symbol, was the first imagery employed in gravestone carving.
oldnorthgiftshop.online/products/bur...
An Old North staff member modeling a hat with the winged skull ("death's head) image and the phrase "Bury Me in Boston." The hat is black, and the text is white.
Some have speculated that winged skulls were intended to symbolize a combination of physical death and spiritual regeneration.
oldnorthgiftshop.online/products/bur...
An Old North staff member modeling a T-shirt with the winged skull ("death's head) image and the phrase "Bury Me in Boston." The shirt is black, and the text is white.
Our team is loving the new "Bury Me in Boston" merch we have in our gift shop!
The "death's head" design is a decorative motif used on Boston's 17th century gravemarkers.
oldnorthgiftshop.online/products/bur...
In this atmosphere of anxiety, Bostonians were deeply divided about the right path forward. At Old North Church, the full spectrum of political opinion was present every Sunday: united in faith but divided in many other ways.
Engraving of the Green Dragon Tavern, c. 1898
If we could time-travel to 1775, we would find a tense city ready to boil over from the pressures of military presence, economic struggle, and political strife. One in five people in Boston was a British soldier.
Image: A photo of Keith Lockhart on a smartphone with the GBH logo Text: Live Streamed on GBH's Forum Network, Lanterns & Luminaries, Thursday April 16 7:00pm, with Honoree Keith Lockhart, Celebrating America's 250th!, GBH.org/forum-network
In-person tickets for Lanterns & Luminaries have sold out, but we are thrilled to share that the event will be live streamed on the @wgbh.org Forum Network for free!
Join us from home as we celebrate 250 years of American Independence at the Old North Church:
www.wgbh.org/forum-networ...
Image: a portrait of William Dawes Text: The Midnight Ride of William Dawes ’Tis all very well for the children to hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere; But why should my name be quite forgot, Who rode as boldly and well, God wot? Why should I ask? The reason is clear— My name was Dawes and his Revere.
Today is William Dawes’s birthday! On 4/18/1775, both Paul Revere and Dawes made midnight rides to Lexington.
While Revere’s ride became famous, Dawes has remained relatively anonymous. In 1896, Helen F. Moore published a parody of Longfellow's poem entitled "The Midnight Ride of William Dawes."
Beautiful flowers on a windowsill in the Old North Church.
The altar at Old North Church, with flowers flanking the portrait of Jesus at the Last Supper.
Wishing a wonderful Easter to all who celebrate!
He was named for Dr. Joseph Warren, the Revolutionary leader who had sent Paul Revere on his midnight ride and who was killed in action at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June of 1775.
www.oldnorth.com/blog/joseph-...
This Portrait of Joseph Warren Revere was painted by Gilbert Stuart, c. 1813.
Paul Revere did not worship at Old North Church…but one of his sons did! Joseph Warren Revere attended Old North in the early 19th century, sitting in Pew #54 with his family.
Number 3 is the lie!
Great reasoning! Number 3 is the lie!
3.) In 1928, three members of the congregation were arrested for secretly distilling liquor in the church’s bell ringing chamber.
2.) In the 1700s, one of Old North’s early congregants owned a lion. Some of the lion’s fur was cut by the Chief Judge of the Massachusetts Court to be placed under the armpits of his sick grandchild.
Text (in ransom note font): "two truths and a lie." Image: a photo of the Old North Church's steeple.
For April Fools’ Day, we’re playing Two Truths and a Lie! Which of these Old North stories isn’t true?
1.) In 1757, an entertainer “flew” from the church’s steeple using a makeshift zipline while shooting two pistols in the air.
Matilda Bibbey exemplified active citizenship. Throughout her life we see her working within and outside traditional gender roles to effect change in her community.
She and her sister, Gertrude, each owned a pew at Old North, which was still rare for women even by the early 20th century.
She was also a founding member of the Women’s Guild, working with other women at Old North toward the preservation and continuation of Old North Church through fundraisers, events, and community outreach.
A photo of Old North Church's choir posing in front of the organ. Matilda Bibbey can be seen wearing a white blouse.
Matilda Bibbey was a trailblazer for 20th-century women at Old North Church. She was the first female member of the vestry, a board of lay leaders who oversaw day-to-day operations at the church.
In this photograph taken around 1905, Matilda can be seen wearing a white blouse.
