— Photo by Fred Bernardin

By Fred Bernardin

On Sunday September 1, the 10th and 4th British regiments marched from Trum Field down Broadway to the Powder House at Nathan Tufts Park to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Powder Alarm, which resulted when British troops removed gunpowder for safekeeping in Boston’s Castle William (since renamed Fort Independence) in the Boston Harbor.

The event commemorates an early morning raid by about 250 British troops, who landed in Ten Hills near the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse. Although the raid itself was uneventful, the repercussions of this raid led to the “Shot heard round the world” the following spring. As a direct result of the Powder Alarm, and the resulting increased tensions between the Colonists and the British Crown, the Minutemen and a network of horseback messengers were put into higher readiness.

This past Sunday, a much-reduced contingent of British troops arrived well after sunrise to the less-than-courteous welcome of several hundred onlookers. The reenactment by costumed reenactors included the reading of proclamations made by the original key players such as Governor Thomas Gage and Major-General William Brattle. The reenactment of the Powder Alarm was followed by a Living History Fair, Docent Tours of the Powder House, as well as several activities and games.  Against a background of food and music inspired by the revolutionary era, dancing took place as well as conversations with and between the participants, who provided their perspectives on the historical events and on their participation.

Grace Bryan, the Historic Events Manager at the Somerville Museum, said that the planning for this event began in February when she was contacted by members of the community interested in commemorating this important historical anniversary. She was able to draw on a vibrant community of Somerville residents who actively and regularly participate in revolutionary war era reenactments and commemorations. She also was able to make use of funding from the City of Somerville to help make this event happen.
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Army veteran Lawrence Willwerth, a life-long Somerville resident shared the importance he sees in educating the public about the history that binds us together as a nation, particularly in the present divisive political atmosphere. Willwerth played the role of a narrator to help fill in the historical context of the proclamations by Gage and Brattle; he participates regularly in Somerville historical events and was dressed for the part although he does not consider himself a “reenactor.”

Dan Breen, Somerville resident and professor of Legal Studies at Brandeis University, attended the event and emphasized that the Powder Alarm was a pivotal moment in which the British over-reaction which drove many of the less radical colonists to align themselves with the more radical elements responsible for the Boston Tea Party which took place that previous December. Breen presented a lecture on the Powder Alarm at the Somerville Museum on May 23, 2024, (available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3vfBQiV93c) in which he fully explains the importance of this event.

The Powder Alarm commemoration is one of many “semiquincentennial” events taking place, including the next Patriot’s Day celebration. For Somerville residents interested in the revolutionary war era, the next major event (also organized by the Somerville Museum) is the Ghosts of Somerville tour of the Milk Row Cemetery in Union Square during the SomerStreets Monster Mash on October 20.