April 19 marks 250 years since the first moment of the american revolution

April 19, 2025 is the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the first skirmish of what would be many years of fighting before the colonies could finally operate as a free country.

Tensions had been building throughout the colonies for several years and had been the sources of protests like the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. But on April 18, 1775, those tensions rose to a head when British soldiers marched to Concord to seize Colonists' guns. Paul Revere and William Dawes rode throughout the night discretely notifying neighbors that the British army was on the way.

On the morning of April 19, the British troops arrived at the Lexington Green and were met by 73 militiamen. No one knows who shot first, but by the end of the day eight of the colonial militia were dead as was one British soldier. Known as "the shot heard 'round the world,' this small battle was the beginning of a revolution that would change not only the Massachusetts Colony, but the world.

Learn more at the Lexington History Museums' website - (scroll down for a really well-done 15 minute video).

Also see the Lexington, MA town website.

For commemorations closer to home this week-end, check out:

Hopewell's Matt Skic, curator of the Museum of the American Revolution, will speak at Moorestown Library on Monday, April 21. Click here for more info.

On Friday, April 18, lanterns will shine from the cupola of the William Trent House in Trenton. All are welcome to come at 7:30 pm for a welcoming reception and to watch as the lanterns are lit. Click here for more info.

Thanks to Jackson Rhodes of Lexington History Museums for the background information.