Photos: At Acton Museum, lantern lights the way to 250
The lantern can be viewed at the museum through April 19, when it will be part of the Patriots’ Day Parade.
The Concord250 lantern is illuminated during a ceremony at the Acton Museum. Photo: Ken McGagh/The Acton Bridge
The torch has been lighted for Acton’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
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On Sunday night, a 10-foot-tall, 200-pound replica of one of Paul Revere’s signal lanterns was lighted on the Acton Museum lawn.
In April 1775, Robert Newman and John Pulling famously hung two lanterns in the belfry of the Old North Church in Boston, signaling that British troops were coming “by sea.”
The one surviving lantern is on display in the museum. Revere was stopped by a patrol in Lincoln, and fellow rider William Dawes finished the ride to warn the colonists.
Transporting a symbolic LED torch, 11 cyclists began the 20-mile route from the Boston church, joined by six others along the way, to retrace Revere’s ride, ending up in Acton.
The lantern was a community effort, introduced by Art for All and fabricated by Crosby Design, and it has Newbury Court as lead sponsor. The lantern can be viewed at the museum through April 19, when it will be part of the Patriots’ Day Parade.
Photos: Ken McGagh/The Acton Bridge
Tim Wilson of Wilmington carries an LED torch as a procession of cyclists completes a journey from Boston’s North Church to the Acton Museum. Photo: Ken McGagh/The Acton BridgeMembers of the Acton Players sing as onlookers wait for the the arrival of cyclists from Boston. Photo: Ken McGagh/The Acton BridgeWilson carries the torch to light the lantern in homage to patriots’ lanterns used to signal the movement of British troops in mid-April 1775. Photo: Ken McGagh/The Acton Bridge The Acton Minute Men Fife and Drum Corps performs as the sun sets, just before the ceremony begins. Photo: Ken McGagh/The Acton Bridge The Acton Minute Men Fife and Drum Corps performs during the lantern lighting ceremony. Photo: Ken McGagh/The Acton BridgeRichard Fahlander of Art for All, left, speaks to a crowd gathered on the Acton Museum lawn as Liviana Stevens, 11, holds the torch. Liviana, of Littleton, also sang the national anthem. She is the granddaughter of Priscilla and Jonathan Stevens of Acton. Photo: Ken McGagh/The Acton BridgeThe crowd sings during the lantern ceremony. Photo: Ken McGagh/The Acton BridgeThe Concord250 lantern is illuminated during a ceremony at the Acton Museum. Photo: Ken McGagh/The Acton BridgeThe crowd applauds moments after the lighting of the Concord250 lantern. Photo: Ken McGagh/The Acton Bridge
