By Elaine Grublin

A recent news story has resulted in renewed interest in Paul Revere’s famous ride to Lexington, Massachusetts on the night of 18 April 1775.  Within our collections the MHS holds three accounts of the evening’s events, all written by Revere.  Two of the accounts are a draft and fair copy of a deposition likely prepared for the Provisional Congress in 1775, shortly after the events occurred. The third document is a letter written by Revere to Jeremy Belknap, founder of the MHS, circa 1798, in which Revere offers a detailed description and some reflection on the evening’s events. 

Paul Revere’s deposition, draft, circa 1775

Paul Revere’s deposition, fair copy, circa 1775

Letter from Paul Revere to Jeremy Belknap, circa 1798 

In addition to the documents listed above the MHS holds a large collection of Revere family papers – spanning several generations – which is available to researchers in our reading room.  A guide to the collection is available here.