Hancock-Clark Parsonage, Lexington, MA

Hancock-Clarke Parsonage

The Hancock-Clark House is located in Lexington, Massachusetts, and is the boyhood home of John Hancock. Many of you will know that he and Samuel Adams were at this home from April 18th until April 19, 177,5 when the American Revolution began. History books record that they were warned by Paul Revere around midnight that the British were coming and should leave. Then, in a standard history class, we learn that Hancock and Adams leave around 4 am to get back to Philadelphia and avoid capture. But is this really the entire story?

Yes and no!

John Hancock and Samuel Adams were indeed at the house on the night of April 18th until the morning of April 19th. It is correct that Paul Revere arrived sometime around midnight to warn them that the British were coming and they needed to leave right away. They indeed stayed until nearly 4 am before they left for Philadelphia to evade capture. But that is such a boring rendition of what is really an exciting and drama-filled episode. As Paul Harvey would say, here is the rest of the story:

In April of 1775, he moved his Aunt Lydia and his now fiancée, Dorothy, known as Dolly, to his childhood home in Lexington. The home was now owned by the Reverend Clark, who was the husband of his paternal cousin Lucy Bowes. Lucy was the daughter of his Aunt Lucy, who had married Reverend Nicholas Bowes.[1] 

On the night of April 18, the house was full of people and chaotic. His fiancée and Aunt are staying in the upstairs bedroom right above the parlor bedroom where Hancock was staying and meeting with Samuel Adams. His aunt was also running around the house screaming about the British coming. There are also about 10 children running around the house that evening.[2] 

Paul Revere came to the house a little after midnight on April 19, 1775, to warn Adams and Hancock that the British were coming. Hancock refuses to leave and instead wants to stand his ground. According to his wife (then fiancée), Hancock paced the floor and polished his sword and pistol for the next three hours because he wanted to fight the British. Adams kept trying to convince him that they needed to leave to join the Congress in Philadelphia.

Paul Revere comes to the house a second time just before dawn and urges Hancock to leave. Hancock does so reluctantly, and they flee to Woburn, Massachusetts, through the fields. According to Dolly Hancock, they were leaving out the back door as the British were coming in the front door. We do know that they could hear the battle that was raging on the Green in Lexington.

Before his departure, he told Dolly to leave as well and return to her father’s home. Dolly replied that she was not yet his wife and could not tell her what to do. Dolly was known for her large ego, and while the story is most likely true, it is presumed that her timeline is off. Hancock and Adams likely left before the British started coming up from the Green.[3]

Having that additional information makes the events of April 19th a little more exciting, and it is easier to relate to our Founding Fathers knowing they, too, had to deal with screaming kids, dramatic relatives, and general chaos as we do. Take a trip to see this amazing house, hear additional stories about the Hancock Family, and see the beautifully restored home that has been moved twice and sits in its original location.

For more information on visiting the home: Hancock-Clarke House — Lexington History Museums

[1] "Historic Structure Report, The Hancock - Clarke House" Http://www.lexingtonhistory.org. May 1, 2007. Accessed July 21, 2014. http://www.lexingtonhistory.org/uploads/6/5/2/1/6521332/hsr_full.pdf.

[2] Per the tour guides at the Hancock-Clarke House.

[3] Tour Guides, Hancock-Clarke House Museum, Lexington, MA