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in 1768, after Jonas Monroe, on whose land it originally stood, wanted the town to pay him taxes for keeping it there. (Its former location on the Common is now marked by a boulder and a plaque.) The bell that hung in it summoned locals to worship, reminded them at 9:00 pm to "rake up the fires and
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after it was gifted to them by James S. Monroe. It was destroyed in a gale on June 20, 1909, and was rebuilt by March the following year. It was moved from the back end of Belfry Hill to its present site in 1913, with an iron fence erected around it.
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Isaac Stone donated a new bell to the town of
Lexington in 1761. It weighed 463 pounds. At a town meeting on June 15 of that year, it was decided to "hang ye Bell on ye top of ye Hill upon ye North side of Liet Jonas Munroes house."
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The third incarnation of the structure was built, this time with a steeple to house the bell, in 1794. Three years later, the belfry was moved to the Parker
Homestead in the southern part of town and used as a
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Old belfry, Lexington, Massachusetts. From this belfry was rung out the alarm on the morning of the 19th of April, 1775, calling the Minute Men to assemble on the Common
169:'s shop by the son of John Parker. In 1891, after it had fallen into a much-dilapidated state, it was refurbished and returned to its original location by the
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Between 1:00 am and 2:00 am on April 19, 1775, the bell summoned the local militia to
Lexington Common, just after
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go to bed", warned them of danger, tolled on their deaths, and rang out the initial alarm of what became the
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Today's bell was made in the 19th century, but the original bell tongue is now stored at the
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The belfry was erected at its current location in 1762, but it was moved a few yards away to
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were just over a mile away, the bell was rung for a second time, summoning the 77
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In 1971, the
Katharine Harrington House at the corner of Clarke Street and
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The Old Belfry, pictured in the first half of the 20th century
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1762 establishments in the
Province of Massachusetts Bay
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on April 19, 1775. Today it rings in the beginning of
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Buildings and structures in
Lexington, Massachusetts
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201:had passed through. After a scout arrived to tell
181:was torn down to make way for Belfry Hill Park.
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141:is a historic structure on Clarke Street in
253:A view of the hill on which the belfry sits
145:, United States. It stands on Belfry Hill.
401:Buildings and structures completed in 1762
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406:Massachusetts in the American Revolution
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307:"Lexington belfry has storied history"
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155:Battles of Lexington and Concord
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346:– Visit Lexington Massachusetts
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16:Belfry in Massachusetts, U.S.
333:Lexington Historical Society
171:Lexington Historical Society
123:; 262 years ago
363:– Town of Lexington website
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241:The front of the building
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143:Lexington, Massachusetts
72:Lexington, Massachusetts
265:Steps up to the belfry
161:annually at 5:30 am.
102:42.44822°N 71.23085°W
218:Hancock–Clarke House
179:Massachusetts Avenue
381:Library of Congress
203:Captain John Parker
107:42.44822; -71.23085
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58:Architectural style
43:General information
224:Methodist Church.
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316:, April 11, 2007
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207:British Regulars
150:Lexington Common
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361:Form C – Object
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80:Coordinates
390:Categories
344:The Belfry
271:References
222:Wilmington
139:Old Belfry
93:71°13′51″W
90:42°26′54″N
22:Old Belfry
314:Lexington
211:Minutemen
205:that the
118:Completed
68:Location
62:Colonial
228:Gallery
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52:Belfry
197:and
185:Bell
137:The
128:1762
121:1762
48:Type
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