March 21, 2025
By Sophia Richter
Peabody’s role in the American Revolution is an important aspect of how Peabody frames its identity. As you may have seen from our “Mapping Peabody’s Revolutionary History” online exhibit, it played an important role in the Battle of Lexington and Concord, of April 19, 1775 as well as in the many subsequent military actions. Thus, Peabody has taken commemoration of the War very seriously; marking April 19th of every year, and actively participating in the major commemorative years of 1875 and 1975.
“The Fight at the Jason Russell House,” Ruth Linnell Berry, 1974. Collection of the Arlington Historical Society.
Below, we have curated a collection of newspaper articles for you to explore that were published in Peabody. These articles highlight the diverse ways that the City has commemorated it’s role in the American Revolution, particularly during the years, 1845, 1860, 1875, and 1912. These gestures weren’t always City-wide, or municipally organized events. In other instances, commemoration was a regional affair, involving collaboration across town lines. Some recount significant events or memories of the War, others invoke the Revolutionary era to make a point about their present, and still others commemorate the War through “retrospectives” and their hopes for the future.
What has the City of Peabody done to mark the occasion? What were little ways that individual people marked these events?
While reading these, you may feel like you are in conversation with generations past. If you were to write an article to your local newspaper today, in the “Centennial Spirit” of the Revolutionary War, of the Declaration of Independence, and in consideration of the American experiment, what would you say? What conversations would you hope future generations would hear?
Lexington Monument, Peabody, Mass. Circa 1900.
As you explore these news articles, consider these guiding questions:
- What year was this article published?
- Focus on “how” the war was talked about: what words did people use? What emotions did they convey?
- What imagery, symbols, or objects are used to commemorate the War?
- What are the authors proud of, in terms of their country? What do they hope for or fear for in the future of the Republic?
- How did these narratives use “patriotism”, “nostalgia” or “rose tinted glass” when discussing the War?
- How might the “present” times, when the article was published, influence the way the author thought about the American Revolution?
- What does commemoration say about our “present” values, concerns, etc.?
- How do we use newspaper articles as primary sources? What should we consider about the strengths and weakness of newspaper articles as “evidence” of what actually happened in the past?
How to explore the newspaper gallery? Click on any one of the thumbnails and zoom in to read the text.
Commemorating April 19, 1775:
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- “First Battle of the Revolution,” The Wizard, 7 November 1860. p. 1.
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- “Veteran S. & S. Association,” The Peabody Press. 1 December 1875, p. 2.
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- “The Lesson of the Hour,” The Peabody Press. 1 December 1875. p. 2.
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- “To Lexington!,” The Peabody Press, 17 March 1875, p. 2.
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- “Lexington and Concord 1775 and 1875,” The Peabody Press, 17 March 1875, p. 2.
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- “History of the Danvers Monument,” The Peabody Press, 16 June 1875, p. 1.
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- “Sense and Nonsense,” The Peabody Press, 17 April 1912, p. 4.
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- “The Centennial,” The Peabody Press, 9 September 1874, p. 2.
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- “Alarm!” South Danvers Wizard, 17 April 1861, p. 2.
Remembering Peabody-Danvers Rev. War Soldiers:
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- “Gideon Foster,” The Wizard, 6 June 1860, p. 2. (pt. 2)
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- “Gideon Foster,” The Wizard, 6 June 1860, p. 2. (pt. 1)
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- “Col. Timothy Pickering,” The Wizard, 18 April 1860, p. 2.
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- “Needham Reunion,” The Peabody Press, 15 September 1875, p. 2.
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- “Another Patriot of the Revolution Gone!,” Danvers Courier, 8 November 1845, p. 2.
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- “Lancaster Hodges,” The Peabody Press, 29 May 1878, p. 1.
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- “Capt. Hiram Putnam, “The Peabody Press, 2 December 1874, p. 2.
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- “Henry Jacobs,” The Peabody Press, 24 April 1878, p. 1.
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- “The Old Columbian Fire Club,” The Peabody Press, 24 March 1886, p. 6. (pt. 2)
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- “The Old Columbian Fire Club,” The Peabody Press, 24 March 1886, p. 3. (part 1)
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- “Alarm!” South Danvers Wizard, 17 April 1861, p. 2.
1875-1876 Centennial Commemoration
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- “A Glance at the Past,” The Peabody Press, 12 April 1876, p. 1.
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- “Our Old Time Memorial,” The Peabody Press, 17 March 1875, p. 1.
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- “A Cannon with a History,” The Peabody Press, 23 August 1876, p. 2.
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- “The Lesson of the Hour,” The Peabody Press. 1 December 1875. p. 2.
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- “Veteran S. & S. Association,” The Peabody Press. 1 December 1875, p. 2.
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- “Mr. George William Curtis,” The Peabody Press, 2 December 1874, p. 2.
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- “Centennial Association,” The Peabody Press, 8 December 8th, 1875, p. 2.
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- “The Times,” The Peabody Press, 8 December 1875, p. 2.
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- “Charles Bradlaugh at the Mechanic Hall,” The Peabody Press, 27 January 1875, p. 2.
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- “Centennial Exhibition, Washington, D.C.,” The Peabody Press, 28 June 1876, p. 2.
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- “On the Grounds,” The Peabody Press, 28 June 1876, p. 2.
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- “Centennial Books,” The Peabody Press, 3 May 1876, p. 2.
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- “Martha Washington Party,” The Peabody Press, 3 May 1876, p. 2.
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- “The Patriot Sons of 1776,” The Peabody Press, 6 September 1876, p. 2.
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- “A Centennial,” The Peabody Press, 8 September 1875, p. 2.
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- “The Centennial Year,” The Peabody Press, 30 August 1876, p. 4.
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- “A Centennial Sermon, by Sankey, Jr.,”The Peabody Press, 1 December 1875, p. 2.