DOCSLIB.ORG

Framingham House Tour

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Framingham House Tour THE FRAMINGHAM HISTORY CENTER PRESENTS 17th Framingham House Tour Sunday, May 19th, 2019 12:00 – 5:00 pm framinghamhistory.org Framingham, MA The 2019 Framingham House Tour is Presented by: The Framingham History Center P.O. Box 2032 Framingham, MA 01703 508-626-9091 framinghamhistory.org BOARD OF DIRECTORS STAFF Jeffrey Delvy, President Annie Murphy Nancy Devine, Vice President Executive Director Diana Edwards, Treasurer Laura Stagliola Nancy Hulme, Clerk Assistant Director Francesca Cerutti-Harris Stacen Goldman Charlene Frary Curator Mary Kiely Patsy Green Doug Lawrence Village Hall Rental Coordinator Kaitlin MacKenzie Steve Henning Susan Nicholl Facilities Manager Brett Peruzzi Nancy Prince Kevin Swope Christine Tibor ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Framingham History Center would like to thank the homeowners who have made this tour possible by graciously opening their homes and the many volunteers who have contributed their time and services. We thank our contributors, sponsors, patrons, and advertisers for their support. We encourage you to patronize these businesses. 3 Welcome to the Framingham History Center’s 17th House Tour! If this is your first House Tour, please note that the tour is self-guided and you can enjoy the afternoon at your own pace with family, friends and neighbors. Be sure to include a stop at the Village Hall on the Common to enjoy complimentary refreshments and tour this newly renovated and fully accessible historic treasure. New and accessible restrooms are a part of the renovation. We have more raffle items than ever inside this stop, so don’t forget your wallets! Raffle winners will be drawn at 5 p.m. today and you do not need to be present to win. This year’s House Tour is sponsored by Bernardi Auto Group, and Murphy, Edwards, Goncalves and Ferrera, PC. Their support over the years has been essential to our tour’s amazing success. We appreciate their understanding of the importance of building community through this event and our many other programs. In addition, we thank the many businesses who advertise in this booklet. Please support them, as they too give back to our community. We would also like to extend our thanks to the 100+ volunteers who greet and assist guests at our featured homes, run the raffle, provide refreshments, stage the Patron’s Party and generally contribute to this effort through our House Tour Committee. Finally, this event would not be possible without the homeowners who so generously open their homes up to you in support of our organization. This tour is the Framingham History Center’s (FHC) largest fundraiser and all proceeds benefit our operations in support of our mission. We are a non-profit 501c3 organization. We are not funded by the City of Framingham and we are dependent on your participation in events like this, membership dues, donations and bequests. To learn more about FHC membership, programs, events and volunteer opportunities, visit www.framinghamhistory.org. If you would like to get involved with next year’s House Tour or any of our programming please contact Laura Stagliola at 508-626-9091 or email [email protected]. Enjoy your day! Annie Murphy Executive Director Framingham History Center Mission To preserve and share Framingham’s history in order to encourage connection to community. 4 THIS BOOKLET IS YOUR TICKET! Please present it for admission at each house. PLEASE FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES: Houses are open between 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. only. Use the following link to access an online map: http://bit.ly/HT2019map Observe all Framingham parking regulations (park on the odd side of the street) and note any special parking instructions in this booklet. As you enter each house please present your booklet opened to the correct page so it may be checked off. No photographs may be taken in any of the houses. Children must have their own ticket unless they are in a backpack. Strollers or carriages are not allowed in the houses. Food and drink are not allowed in the houses. Restrooms are available at Village Hall on the Common, 2 Oak St. Restrooms are not to be used in the tour homes. Please respect the privacy of the homeowners and abide by all requests of the host/hostesses. Do not open any closed doors or drawers. We reserve the right to ask visitors to leave the tour. Visitors assume full responsibility for protecting their own safety and the property of others while on the tour. Join us for complimentary refreshments at the new Village Hall on the Common, 2 Oak St., where you can also take part in our raffle. 5 RIGHT TH E R E WITH Community Giving back to the communities we serve has always been a vital part of our community mission. As long as it’s local, we’ll want to help. We are proud of where we stand. Right there with you. Learn more about truly local banking, visit middlesexbank.com EQUAL HOUSING LENDER MEMBER FDIC MEMBER DIF (1) 85 Belknap Road Jeremiah Belknap House c.1800 Park on the house side of road. ©Damianos Photography ©Damianos rchitectural Significance: This is a traditional two-story, five bay central hallway Ahome, typical of the Georgian/Federal era. The pilastered doorway, window sashes, and the 6” distance between the second floor window heads and eaves suggests an approximate construction date of 1800, though an earlier structure existed on the property as far back as 1699. Note original beams which are mostly exposed and original floorboards in some rooms. History: In 1697, Abraham Belknap came to Framingham and built this homestead as a working farm. Upon his death in 1728, Abraham likely passed down the original house to his son Jeremiah Belknap, Sr. His son, Jeremiah Jr. (1739 - 1816), built the current house where he and his wife Hepzibah Stone had nine children, one of whom, Luther (1769-1855), would later live in this home with his family. Jeremiah Belknap Jr. served as a Captain in the French and Indian War and in the first company of the Framingham militia in 1771, and later as a Framingham Selectman. Peter Salem, an enslaved person born in Framingham in 1750, spent his early life working on this farm. Prior to the Revolutionary War, Jeremiah Sr. sold Salem to Patriot soldier Lawson Buckminster who freed Salem in 1775 so that he could enlist in the militia. Salem fought heroically at the Battle of Bunker Hill; he delivered the fatal shot to British Major Pitcairn. The Interior: As you enter, you will arrive in the contemporary kitchen which is an addition to the original home. On your left is the butler’s pantry. Follow the hallway to the current living room; the living room furniture c. 1920 was passed down from the Austrian great-grandmother of the current owner. On the right, the portrait of the couple depicts the owner’s great-great- grandparents. The current owners were delighted to finally find a house with enough built in bookshelves to hold nearly all of their books. You’ll also see their collection of crackle-glass throughout the home, placed in different windows to catch the light at all times of day. The dining room was the original working kitchen and it still retains the original cooking hearth with a “fireplace crane” -- a colonial-era invention that allowed the cooking pot to be swung away from the fire to regulate temperature. To the right of the hearth is a small door to the 18th c. brick bread baking oven. Also notice the internal shutters in the sitting area at the front of the dining room. The owners believe that these are original to the home. Continued on page 9 7 MutualOne Bank has a proud history of “doing good.” Whether providing grants through the MutualOne Charitable Foundation, contributions to fund local programs or events, or sending employee volunteers to help make a difference, MutualOne is proud to be a good bank – and good neighbor. Framingham 828 Concord Street • One Lincoln Street Natick 49 Main Street 508.820.4000 Member FDIC/SIF MutualOne.com 5” x 8” Framingham History Center 85 Belknap Road (continued) At the top of the central staircase to the right is the master bedroom which features his and hers dressing rooms. On the left is the guest bedroom, and over the garage is a recently renovated home office. Back downstairs, exit through the airy screened-in porch, a later addition to the home. The stones in the rear next to the patio are either the foundation to Abraham Belknap’s homestead or for an original farm building. Auto ~ Home ~ Business 9 Norton Funeral Home, Inc. Family Serving Families since 1912 53 Beech St., Corner of Union Ave. Framingham, Massachusetts 01702 508-875-7871 www.nortonfuneralhome.com Congratulations to the Framingham History Center on another successful House Tour. (2) 37 Berry Street Park on house side of street. Parking is also available at Lake Waushakum Beach. ©Damianos Photography ©Damianos istory: This home was built in 1925-1926 and the addition was constructed in 1994. HThe current owner’s grandfather bought the house in 1938 and it has been in the family for three generations. The owner’s father recalls spending his boyhood afternoons swimming in Lake Waushakum and hunting pheasants in the surrounding woods. The homes in this neighborhood used to be spaced far apart, but a building boom following WWII filled in the empty lots, creating what is now a densely populated neighborhood. The Interior: The owner of this home is a carpenter and cabinetmaker who did all the home renovations himself. Throughout the house, you’ll find that oak is the dominant construction material, including the cabinetry, trim, and floors; oak is the owner’s favorite wood to work with, because the stain picks up the beauty of the grain.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Historical Study Guide
    Historical Study Guide Light A Candle Films presents “THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL” Historical Study Guide written by Tony Malanowski To be used with the DVD production of THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL The Battle of Bunker Hill Historical Study Guide First, screen the 60-minute DocuDrama of THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL, and the 30 minute Historical Perspective. Then, have your Discussion Leader read through the following historical points and share your ideas about the people, the timeframe and the British and Colonial strategies! “Stand firm in your Faith, men of New England” “The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die.” - George Washington, August 27, 1776 When General Thomas Gage, the British military governor of Boston, sent one thousand troops to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock at Lexington in April of 1775, he could not know the serious implications of his actions. Nor could he know how he had helped to set in motion a major rebellion that would shake the very foundations of the mightiest Empire on earth. General Gage was a military man who had been in North America since the 1750s, and had more experience than any other senior British officer. He had fought in the French and Indian War alongside a young George Washington, with whom he still had a friendly relationship. Gage had married an American woman from a prominent New Jersey family, and 10 of their 11 children had been born in the Colonies.
    [Show full text]
  • African Americans in the War for Independence
    GUIDE TO READING Section What roles did African Americans play in the 4 War for Independence? What spurred some African African Americans Americans to support in the War for Independence the Loyalist cause? What spurred some African Americans to support The Revolutionary War the Patriot cause? When it came to fighting between Patriots on one side and the British and their Loyalist American allies on the other, African Americans joined the side that offered freedom. In the South, where the British held out the K E Y T E R M S promise of freedom in exchange for military service, black men eagerly fought on the British side as Loyalists. In the North, where white Patriots Loyalist, p. 123 were more consistently committed to human liberty than in the South, privateers, p. 126 black men just as eagerly fought on the Patriot side (see Map 4–2). The war began in earnest in August 1776 when the British landed a large army at Brooklyn, New York, and drove Washington’s Continental Army across New Jersey into Pennsylvania. The military and diplomatic turning point in the war came the following year at Saratoga, New York, Guide to Reading/Key Terms when a poorly executed British strategy to take control of the Hudson For answers, see the Teacher’s Resource Manual. River led British general John Burgoyne to surrender his entire army to Patriot forces. This victory led France and other European powers to Teaching Notes enter the war against Britain. Significant fighting ended in October In the words of historian Benjamin Quarles, 1781 when Washington forced Lord Cornwallis to surrender another “The Negro’s role in the Revolution can best be British army at Yorktown, Virginia.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Blacks in the Revolutionary War
    Title of Unit: The Forgotten Patriots: The Role of Blacks in the Revolutionary War Vital theme of the unit: Students will learn how African Americans were important in the war effort. Author and contact information: Tammie McCarroll-Burroughs Lenoir City Elementary School 203 Kelley Lane Lenoir City, Tennessee 37771 Phone: (865) 986-2009 ex. # 7349 Email: [email protected] [email protected] Grade Level: Intermediate – Fourth or Fifth Grade Curriculum Standards Addressed: 4.5.6; 4.5.7; 4.5.8; 4.5.11; 4.6.2; 4.6.3 Technology Used: Primary Source Materials Provided in Lessons: Discharge Papers of Oliver Cromwell Newspaper Article from Burlington Gazette Affidavit of Service and Need of Pension Affidavits of Martin Black’s Service and Need of Pension Transcript of Craven County Court Minutes – Included in Background Information Pension Record Approval Page Listing Amount of Pension Additional Sources for Teachers in Separate Folder: Peter Salem Documents and Excerpt from Patriots of Color Phylllis Wheatley Selected Poems and Letter from George Washington Related Web Sites for More Information Unit introduction and overview of instructional plan: Over the course of this unit, students will gain understanding of the roles of freed and enslaved African American Patriots through lessons that go beyond the lessons taught in the textbook. The lessons are based on events and issues that may not necessarily be covered in the textbook. The two selected soldiers and their Pension Records are not identified in our textbook. Peter Salem is identified by name in one lesson of the Fourth Grade text Early United States (Harcourt Brace).
    [Show full text]
  • Freeborn Men of Color: the Franck Brothers in Revolutionary North America, 1755-1820
    FREEBORN MEN OF COLOR: THE FRANCK BROTHERS IN REVOLUTIONARY NORTH AMERICA, 1755-1820 Shirley L. Green A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2011 Committee: Ruth Wallis Herndon, Advisor Radhika Gajjala Graduate Faculty Representative Lillian Ashcraft-Eason Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina Rebecca Mancuso © 2011 Shirley Louise Swan Green All Rights Reserved iii Abstract Ruth Wallis Herndon, Advisor This dissertation examines the lives of William and Ben Franck, freeborn men of color, who used military service as a means to assert their manhood, gain standing in their community, and help to create free African American and African Canadian communities during the Revolutionary Era. It focuses on the lives and experiences of the Franck family from the 1750s, when Rufus Franck served in the French and Indian War, until the 1820s, when his younger son, Ben Franck, settled in Nova Scotia. At each step of the story, this study analyzes the communities of free people of color with whom the Franck brothers interacted. In doing so, this project challenges traditional narratives and stereotypes of African Americans during the Colonial and Revolutionary Eras. The Franck brothers’ individual histories, closely analyzed, have the power to expand the prism through which we view early American people of color, so that we see their reality more sharply in three ways. 1. The establishment of free families of color and communities throughout North America, from the pre-Revolutionary period until postwar America, was limited by social prejudices and legal prohibitions.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 from Gary Nash, the Unknown American Revolution: “Fighting To
    From Gary Nash, The Unknown American Revolution: “Fighting to Be Free” If any group within America's diversified people came close to answering John Adams's plea that "we must all be soldiers," it was black Americans. No part of revolutionary society responded to the call for arms with anywhere near the enthusiasm of those who were black. Proportionate to their number, African American males—and some females—were more likely to join the fray than white Americans. But, as we will see, Adams should have been careful about what he wished for, because the "spirit of '76" manifested among enslaved and free blacks mainly took the form of fighting against the side that proclaimed all men were born free, equal, and endowed with certain unalienable rights. Those who fought at Lexington and Concord in April 1775 must have noticed the dusky Lemuel Haynes among the contingent of militiamen from Granville, Massachusetts, who rushed to the scene. Born in West Hartford, Connecticut, Haynes was twenty-two at the time. He was the son of a full-blooded African and a young white woman. After his mother gave him up when he was just five months of age, the town's selectmen indentured Haynes out to a farmer and Congregational church deacon in Granville, Massachusetts. There on the frontier he learned to plough, chop wood, and read. "I could vie with almost any of my age," he wrote many years later in telling of his love for books.37 Full of martial ardor, Haynes joined the local militia in Granville in 1774.
    [Show full text]
  • African-Americans in the Revolution
    African-Americans in the Revolution OBJECTIVES The student will be able to: In “The Negro in the American Revolution,” Benjamin Quarles 1) list the responsibilities said the African-American was “a participant and a symbol. He was of African-American soldiers active on the battlefronts and behind the lines . The Negro’s role in the Revolution, and; in the Revolution can best be understood by realizing that his major loyalty was not to a place nor to a people, but to a principle. Insofar 2) discuss the contributions as he had freedom of choice, he was likely to join the side that made of at least three African- him the quickest and best offer in terms of those ‘unalienable rights’ Americans of the era. of which Mr. Jefferson had spoken.” 3) identify duties African-Americans served in the Massachusetts companies and in most often performed by the state militias of northern states. The Rhode Island regiment at African-Americans. Yorktown was three-fourths black. African-Americans also served in the navy. It is estimated that about 5,000 African-Americans served in the war. Many African-Americans fought with the British since the British commander, Sir Henry Clinton, offered freedom to slaves who would fight for the King. The British used the runaway slaves as guides, spies and laborers (carpenters, blacksmiths, etc.). By using the African-Americans as laborers, whites were free to be soldiers. Many slaves left when the British evacuated after the end of the war. Quarles says. “Thousands of Negroes were taken to other islands in the British West Indies .
    [Show full text]
  • African-Americans in Boston : More Than 350 Years
    Boston Public Library REFERENCE BANKOF BOSTON This book has been made possible through the generosity of Bank of Boston \ African-Americans in Boston More Than 350 Years Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015 https://archive.org/details/africanamericansOOhayd_0 African-Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years by Robert C. Hayden Foreword by Joyce Ferriabough Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston, 1991 African-Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years Written by Robert C. Hayden Conceived and coordinated by Joyce Ferriabough Designed by Richard Zonghi, who also coordinated production Edited by Jane Manthome Co-edited by Joyce Ferriabough, Berthe M. Gaines, C. Kelley, assisted by Frances Barna Funded in part by Bank of Boston PubUshed by Trustees of the Boston PubHc Library Typeset by Thomas Todd Company Printed by Mercantile Printing Company Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following individuals and organizations for use of the illustrations on the pages cited: T. J. Anderson (74); Associated Press Wirephoto (42 bottom, 43, 98 left, 117); Fabian Bachrach (24, 116); Bob Backoff (27 left); Banner Photo (137); Charles D. Bonner (147 left); Boston African-American Historic Site, National Park Service (38, 77, 105 right); The Boston Athenaeum (18, 35 top, 47 top, 123, 130); Boston Globe (160); Boston Housing Authority (99); Boston Red Sox (161); Boston University News Service (119 right, 133); Margaret Bumham (110); John Bynoe (26); Julian Carpenter (153); Dance Umbrella (71); Mary Frye (147 right); S. C. Fuller, Jr. (142 right); Robert Gamett (145 left); Artis Graham (86); Calvin Grimes, Jr. (84); James Guilford (83); Rev.
    [Show full text]
  • African-Americans in the American Revolution As
    Jennifer DePaoli EDUP&L 863 November 7, 2010 Curriculum Development Project: African-Americans in the American Revolution As the English colonies in the New World became more developed and populated, conflicts began to arise between England and the colonists. After providing troops and money for fighting of the French and Indian War, the British Parliament passed legislation to tax the colonies, but colonial leaders, unhappy with the idea of “taxation without representation,” began organizing around the idea of independence. As Britain attempted to enact laws to control the colonies, skirmishes broke out between British soldiers and colonists, and as tensions grew, Patriot leaders began to see the need for building a fighting force. Led by General George Washington, the Continental Army began forming regiments throughout the colonies, but many of its leaders, including Washington, struggled with including African-Americans – both freedmen and slaves – amongst the ranks of white soldiers. However, by the time the war was over and the colonies earned their independence, many African- Americans fought on both sides and played important roles both on and off the battlefield. African-Americans at the time of the Revolution In 1775, Britain and the American colonies were inching closer to war over independence, and at the same time there were approximately 450,000 Africans enslaved in all thirteen colonies (National Park Service [NPS], 2008). While the majority of slavery existed in the south, Africans were treated as second class citizens across the board, and in the discussion of colonial liberty, slaves were not included in the conversation. The irony of white colonists fighting for their freedom while simultaneously holding slaves was not completely lost on all Patriot leaders.
    [Show full text]
  • Peter Salem African-American
    CACC Standard 3J Patriot Peter Salem African-American CACC Training Aid 37-T-5 Last Modified 15 Sep 07 1 CACC Standard 3J Peter Salem 1750 - 1816 Peter Salem was born a slave. His owner, Jeremiah Belknap, named him after his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts. Peter Salem was sold to Major Lawson Buckminster, who freed Salem. Salem became one of the Minutemen heroes of the American Revolutionary War. CACC Training Aid 37-T-5 Last Modified 15 Sep 07 2 CACC Standard 3J Peter Salem 1750 - 1816 On April 19, 1775, Salem fought at Concord, Massachusetts. On June 17, 1775, fought with Captain Drury at the Battle of Bunker Hill. British General William Howe attacked three times without success. In this battle the Americans had 400 dead and wounded men; the British lost more than 1000. CACC Training Aid 37-T-5 Last Modified 15 Sep 07 3 CACC Standard 3J Peter Salem 1750 - 1816 Peter Salem has been credited with killing British Major Pitcairn at the height of combat. In John Trumbull’s famous painting “Battle at Bunker’s Hill” (shown on the next slide), Major Pitcairn is dying under the British flag, being held up by his son and another officer. Salem is at the far right - behind an American officer. CACC Training Aid 37-T-5 Last Modified 15 Sep 07 4 CACC Standard 3J “Battle at Bunker’s Hill” Major Pitcairn Peter Salem CACC Training Aid 37-T-5 Last Modified 15 Sep 07 5 CACC Standard 3J “Battle at Bunker’s Hill” Peter Salem CACC Training Aid 37-T-5 Last Modified 15 Sep 07 6 CACC Standard 3J Peter Salem 1750 - 1816 After the war, Peter Salem built a cabin near Leicester, Massachusetts, and worked as a cane weaver.
    [Show full text]
  • North Carolina's Black Patriots of the American Revolution
    NORTH CAROLINA’S BLACK PATRIOTS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION by W. Trevor Freeman May, 2020 Director of Thesis: Dr. Gerald Prokopowicz Major Department: History This thesis explores the service of an estimated 468 black men who fought for the American cause during the Revolutionary War. Specifically, it examines those who resided in North Carolina or fought under the forces of this state. While the war largely did not fulfill its egalitarian potential for free and enslaved people of color, the armed service of these men—and their later status as veterans—brought them a mixed array of benefits. This study reveals why these men served, how they affected the war, and how their participation in the military impacted them, their families, and the larger community of people of color within North Carolina. It will show the geographic, economic, and social factors that influenced their enlistment into the Continental and militia forces of the state, as well as the ways their varied service fostered camaraderie and connections with other soldiers. It juxtaposes the ways the war failed veterans— black and white—economically with the tenuous but appreciable social gains made by North Carolina’s black veterans: gains that ultimately receded as the living legacy of these soldiers disappeared. Examining these unique soldiers of North Carolina is particularly important as article and even monograph-length treatments of black soldiers in other states exist. This scholarship, specifically focusing on black Patriot soldiers in a Southern state and employing rudimentary quantitative assessments, fills a historiographical void and provides greater understanding of the plight of free people of color within early North Carolina society.
    [Show full text]
  • The Simpson Musket……………………………...11
    1 Note: This booklet was created for the owner of the musket only, and may not be reproduced in any form or offered commercially. Jonathan Holstein 2016 BUNKER HILL: Private Simpson and His Musket Table of Contents The Battle of Bunker Hill: Pvt. Simpson and His Musket…..1 Appendix A. Lieutenant Simpson’s Commission……………..10 Appendix B. The Simpson Musket……………………………...11 Appendix C. The Simpson Family………………………………30 Appendix D. Major John Simpson. Granite State Magazine, Vol. II, July to December 1906……………………...35 Appendix E. Lieutenant James Dana at the Battle of Bunker Hill……………………………………………………….43 Appendix F. Joseph Spalding…………………………………….46 Bibliography……………………………………………………...….48 The Battle of Bunker Hill Pvt. Simpson and His Musket The first battle of the American Revolution occurred on April 19th, 1775, when British regulars, attempting to find and confiscate military stores amassed by colonial militiamen, were attacked by colonists at a number of places in Middlesex County of the Massachusetts Bay Province. The siege of Boston, in which Massachusetts militiamen cut off land access to the city, began that day. The British, stationed in Boston, thus had to rely on the sea and Boston’s harbor for material communications. The second battle occurred some two months later. On June 13th, the colonists learned that the British intended to establish positions on the strategic hills overlooking Boston that would give them control of its harbor. Moving quickly, the colonists responded on June 17th by occupying two of them, Bunker Hill and nearby Breed’s Hill, establishing positions that would have allowed them to bombard Boston with artillery. By the morning 1 of the 17th the British had become aware of the occupations, and assembled a force to expel the militiamen.
    [Show full text]
  • Peter Salem and the Battle of Bunker Hill
    Peter Salem Little is known of Peter’s early life. It is known that he was born as a slave in Framingham, Massachusetts sometime around the year 1750. Peter’s original owner was Jeremiah Belknap, who sold Peter to Lawson Buckminister who allowed Salem to enlist in the Massachusetts Minutemen (militia). In exchange for enlisting in the army, Peter received his freedom. Peter served in the Colonial Army until the end of war. He also fought at Concord and at Saratoga. Peter Salem has been credited with killing Major Pitcairn, the leader of the British forces storming Bunker hill. According to the story, the colonial troops were near defeat, and British Major John Pitcairn ordered them to surrender. Salem then stepped forward and shot Pitcairn. The British were temporarily stunned, and the Americans were able to retreat. After the war Peter was a free man, making a living weaving baskets, dying in 1816. The Battle of Bunker Hill One of the most important colonial victories early in the U.S. War of Independence was the Battle of Bunker Hill, which was fought on June 17, 1775. Shortly after the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, colonial troops from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island assembled in the vicinity of Boston to stop a British army of 5,000 or more stationed there. General Ward, Commander- in-Chief of the Massachusetts Militia served as the overall commander of the New England troops. There were two obvious points from which Boston was vulnerable to artillery fire: Dorchester Heights, and two hills located in Charleston; Bunker's and Breed's.
    [Show full text]