Tate House Museum is commemorating the Semiquincentennial of the events of 1775 that marked the beginning of the American Revolution 250 years ago with a free program open to the public in collaboration with the Stroudwater Neighborhood Association and Maine Ulster-Scots Project.

 The program will feature the hanging of two lit lanterns on the flagpole at the Means House to remember the two lanterns placed in the belfry of the Old North Church as a signal that the British were moving to Lexington-Concord by sea (the Charles River). This action aligns with a nationwide call for all statehouses in the U.S. to hang “Two Lights for Tomorrow” (see america250.org/event/two-lights-for-tomorrow) on the evening of April 18.

 Our program includes a colonial-dressed portrayal of a member of the Tate family, youngest son Robert Tate, who trained as a minuteman of Portland (then Falmouth) and was called up at the Lexington alarm. The program will feature a reading of the Longfellow poem “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” and a brief account of James Means and fellow Ulster-Scots who served in the American Revolution.

Mustering begins at 7:00 pm and the historical program will commence at 7:30 pm. Refreshments provided by the team of collaborators.