Eagle Feathers #203 – The French American

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

His father was a Huguenot, born outside Bordeaux, France. He arrived alone in Boston by way of Guernsey, England when he was only 13 years, old with not much more than his name, Apollos Rivoire. The young man worked hard learning the gold and silversmith trades. He changed his name to appease the English vernacular, and subsequently passed it and his shop on to his eldest son, the patriot Paul Revere.

April 19, 1775 was the day that both Middlesex farmers and Boston businessmen put their lives and their holdings on the line in a rebellion against the powerful British Empire. Paul Revere delivered the wind that would ignite the spark of defiance. British Cavalry came dangerously close to capturing him in Somerville at the beginning of his Lexington ride.
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He evaded them by riding up Winter Hill toward Medford. He partially traced the path the British took eight months earlier when they attacked the Powder House. Revere’s original plan was to warn Cambridge, skirting Prospect Hill where eight months later, the first American flag would be flown. January 1, 1776, was Revere’s 40th birthday.
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Over the years, Revere’s tale has been noted:

• Somerville Statesman Edward Everett first brought Revere’s ride to notice in his 1825 speech at Lexington.
• Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow solidified Revere’s fame with his legendary 1860 poem, Paul Revere’s Ride.
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• City Hall concourse once boasted the setting of a rustic fountain. It was constructed of surface rock from the original East Somerville pavement that Revere and his steed had traversed.
• Interestingly, the Boston Marathon’s route was originally designed to pattern Paul Revere’s ride.

In 1777, after American victories at Saratoga and Bennington, over four thousand English and German prisoners were held captive at Prospect Hill and Winter Hill. They were brought here under guard of Colonel Paul Revere.
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Revere was a metal smith and silver engraver by trade. He did much work for Elias Hasket Derby of Somerville, the nation’s first millionaire. He coppered the Massachusetts State House’s dome and the metal work on the ship U.S.S. Constitution and its bell. His foundry made almost 400 bells. Today only 134 are left, and the only one outside of the United States rests in the National Museum of Singapore. It was a gift and symbol of friendship from Maria Revere Balestier, the daughter of Paul Revere and wife of the first American Consul to Singapore.
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Through the years, Revere’s name has adorned some of our city’s parks, apartment buildings, businesses and monuments. A statue of the hero was erected adjacent to the Holiday Inn on Washington Street. Unlike many cities whose interest in the Boston Marathon has eclipsed Patriot’s Day, Somerville is unique. It has a deep root system for this hero.
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Somerville reveres Paul Revere!