February - Scottish Rite

are young.”
She says the response from the
Lexington area has been strong due in
part to a great committee.
Included with her from the community
are such leaders as Mary Gillespie,
Chuck French, Bebe Fallick, Selectman
Norm Cohen, Dawn McKenna, Jim
Shaw, and Laura Atwater.
She also thanks the Masonic community
“for making sure that this all happens.”
Reiterating the theme that this is a
story of people, Hilary Anderson explains
that much of the focus centers
on two main characters, John Parker
and Jonas Clarke. Parker, among the
many hats he wore in town, was head
of the local militia.
He was in charge of the men on the
town common when the British regiment
arrived from Boston. Legend has
it that his last order to his men was,
“Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they
mean to have a war, let it begin here.”
The other, Jonas Clarke, was minister
of the local church. Additionally he was
a strong and well-respected voice in
favor of independence from Great
Britain.
The exhibition, however, makes clear
that the revolution involved more than
those that stood on the Green.
The whole town was involved. The
idea of revolution permeated all facets
of life. In the small town of Lexington
Iron Compasses, 1700s. John Parker, captain of the Lexington militia,
made his living as a farmer and a wheelwright. He used
compasses like these in his work. National Heritage Museum.
everyone was tied to everyone else,
either by family, trade, or church; often
by all three.
The new exhibition is divided into
seven sections.
Introduction
In that era, Anderson points out,
“everyone was a farmer.” They may
have had other jobs, such as blacksmith,
cooper, or wheelwright, but all were
tied to the land, as well.
Every man was also a citizen-soldier.
Underscoring that theme is an image
that greets visitors as they enter the
“Seeds of Liberty.”
On the wall opposite the doors is a
scrim that depicts a farmer. Using lighting
techniques the farmer transforms
into a soldier and then back again.
Exhibits in the first room reiterate the
multiple tasks that everyone undertook.
Using the diary of Jonas Clarke along
with tax and probate records, museum
staffers are able to describe what life
was like in 1775.
Images and artifacts relating to farming,
leather work, dairy products, and
other trades of the day are shown.
The Loring Kitchen
The kitchen of the Loring family is
re-created to showcase family life. The
visitor learns how Lexington families
participated in the world of goods as
both producers and consumers.
A gathering area for students and
families features touchable objects. ➤
Journée de Lexington, ca. 1784.
François Godefroy (1743?-1819),
artist; Nicolas Ponce (1746-1831), engraver;
M. Comte d’Artois, publisher.
Within ten years, the Battle of Lexington
had become a symbol of righteous
rebellion and freedom throughout Europe.
This depiction of the battle was
published in France in about 1784, not
long before the start of the French
Revolution.
Van Gorden-Williams Library.
FEBRUARY 2007 / THE NORTHERN LIGHT 5