Site of the Old Belfry Marker

Lexington was one of the first towns to receive word on April 19, 1775 that British regulars were headed to Concord to seize munitions and armaments believed to be stored there. Ringing out alongside urgent shouts and musket shots fired into the night sky, the bell of Lexington’s Old Belfry did its part to carry the alarm to the townsfolk.

The belfry was originally built on Belfry Hill behind Lieutenant Jonas Munroe’s in 1761. In 1768, it was relocated to the town green, where it stood until it was sold to the Parker family (descendants of John Parker, captain of the Lexington militia) in 1797. The family moved it to their homestead on Spring Street where it was used as a wheelwright shop. Five years after its founding, the Lexington Historical Society purchased the building and moved it back to Belfry Hill in 1891. It was destroyed by a gale wind in 1909, but a reproduction was installed within a year. It was moved to its current position on the hill in 1913.

Today, an historical marker marks its American Revolution era placement on the Battle Green. The marker was placed by the Lexington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1910. Its inscription reads:

THE SITE
OF
THE OLD BELFRY
FROM WHICH THE ALARM
WAS RUNG APRIL 19 1775

This Tablet was erected by the
LEXINGTON CHAPTER
Daughters of the American Revolution
1910