The Paul Revere House
19 North Square
Boston, MA 02213
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Picture from The Paul Revere House Website
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Basic History of the House
The
house was first built in 1680 on the site where the former parsonage of the
second Church of Boston was located. Increase Mather and his family, inducing
Cotton Mather, lived in the parsonage from 1670 till the Great Fire of 1676. A
brand-new two-story townhome was built four years later. Robert Howard, a
wealthy merchant, was the first person to own the new building.
Paul
Revere brought the house in 1770 and had his wife, Sarah, their five children
and his mother, Deborah. They all lived there on and off till 1800 when he has
sold the home. The building then became a tenement. The ground floors have
become a shops of variety such as a candy store, fruit and vegetable store, and
go on.
In
1902, his great Grandson, John P. Reynolds, Jr. bought the house in order to
make sure the house won’t be demolished. In short few years, he has raised
enough money and formed the “Paul Revere Memorial Association” – their mission
basically was to preserve and renovate the building. In 1908, they opened the
house to the public and it was one of the earliest historic house museums.
*Note: 90% of the house
structure, two doors, three window frames, and portion of the flooring,
foundation, inner wall material, and raftering are
all original.
Brief Description of the site
It is located downtown Boston
on North Square. It is located between the Faneuil Hall and Old North Church stops on the
Freedom Trail.
Mission Statement
“The Association actively
preserves and interprets two of Boston's oldest homes. We provide our
increasingly diverse audience with remarkable educational experiences based on
historical issues and social history themes relevant to our site, our
neighborhood, and Boston from the 17th through the early 20th century.”
According
to the website, www.paulreverehouse.org, here is what they have to say what
they did according to their mission statement. From what I can see online, and
from what I have heard, they do what they meant in the mission statement.
“Today the Association is
an American Association of Museums accredited museum with a full range of
operations and programs. Our properties are key sites along Boston's Freedom Trail,
private cooperative sites in the Boston National Historical Park, and members
of the Boston House Museum Alliance.
We fulfill our mission by
offering educational programs for all ages - walking tours, concerts, living
history presentations, lectures, school programs and much, much more. We
maintain an important collection of Revere-made objects, household artifacts,
items commemorating the midnight ride, and items related to Revere's life and
work. We still collect actively and welcome donations of appropriate
Revere-related items.
The Association is also
responsible for the ongoing care of both of our historic buildings - the Paul
Revere House and the Hichborn House. Annual maintenance projects and capital
restoration efforts require that funds be raised on an annual basis.
We award an annual
research fellowship, publish research on a range of topics and produce numerous
curriculum materials teachers. We would love to hear from people who are
interested in what we do or would like to learn more about opportunities such
as jobs, internships, and volunteer work.
The Association supports
its restoration efforts, cares for its collection and funds daily operations
and programs through a healthy mix of earned income and contributions.”
References
"Paul Revere House." Wikipedia. Accessed
March 20, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Revere_House.
"The Paul Revere House." The Paul Revere
House. Accessed March 20, 2016. https://www.paulreverehouse.org/.
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