Hancock-Clarke House
Encyclopedia
The Hancock-Clarke House is a historic American Revolutionary War
site on Hancock Street in Lexington, Massachusetts
. It played a prominent role in the Battle of Lexington and Concord as both John Hancock
and Samuel Adams
, leaders of the colonials, were staying in the house before the battle. The House is operated as a museum by the Lexington Historical Society
. It is open weekends starting April 16 and daily from May 30–October 30. An admission fee is charged.
The Reverend John Hancock
, grandfather of the American revolutionary leader of the same name, purchased this site in 1699. The house he originally built on the site does not survive. The current house was built in 1737. Rev. Hancock's son, Thomas
, a wealthy Boston merchant, is said to have financed the construction. The front or main portion of the house consists of the 2½-story structure with central chimney, a short center hall, two rooms on each of the two floors, and an attic. The small rear ell, 1½ stories high with gambrel roof contains a kitchen and tiny study downstairs and two low-studded chambers upstairs. As confirmed by tree-ring dating (dendrochronology), both portions of the house were built at the same time. Succeeding Hancock as minister in 1752, the Reverend Jonas Clarke
, who reared 12 children in the parsonage, was an eloquent supporter of the colonial cause.
This house is the only surviving residence associated with John Hancock, famous American patriot, President of the Continental Congress
, first signer of the United States Declaration of Independence
, and the first Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
. It became his boyhood home in 1744 when, upon the death of his father at Quincy, the 7-year-old boy came to live at this house with his grandfather. In 1750 John joined his childless uncle, Thomas Hancock, a wealthy Boston merchant who adopted him.
On the evening of April 18, 1775, John Hancock and Samuel Adams, having attended the Massachusetts Provincial Congress
in Concord and wary of returning to Boston, were guests of Rev. Clarke. Fearing that they might be captured by the British, Dr. Joseph Warren
of Boston dispatched William Dawes
and Paul Revere
to Lexington with news of the advancing British troops. Arriving separately, they stopped to warn Hancock and Adams around midnight, then set off for Concord.
This house contains furnishings and portraits owned by the Hancock and Clarke families and an exhibit area that includes relics of April 19, 1775.
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
site on Hancock Street in Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
. It played a prominent role in the Battle of Lexington and Concord as both John Hancock
John Hancock
John Hancock was a merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
and Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams was an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a politician in colonial Massachusetts, Adams was a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and was one of the architects of the principles of American...
, leaders of the colonials, were staying in the house before the battle. The House is operated as a museum by the Lexington Historical Society
Lexington Historical Society
The Lexington Historical Society, founded in 1886 in Lexington, Massachusetts preserves and celebrates Lexington's history, with a special emphasis on the town's important role in the beginning of the American Revolution. The Society presents entertaining and educational programs year-round in the...
. It is open weekends starting April 16 and daily from May 30–October 30. An admission fee is charged.
The Reverend John Hancock
John Hancock, Sr.
John Hancock, Sr. was a colonial American clergyman and paternal grandfather of American politician John Hancock....
, grandfather of the American revolutionary leader of the same name, purchased this site in 1699. The house he originally built on the site does not survive. The current house was built in 1737. Rev. Hancock's son, Thomas
Thomas Hancock (merchant)
Thomas Hancock was a merchant in colonial Boston. He got his start in the book trade, and expanded into importing and exporting throughout the British Empire. He was also a smuggler, evading the British Navigation Acts by trading with Holland, which was forbidden...
, a wealthy Boston merchant, is said to have financed the construction. The front or main portion of the house consists of the 2½-story structure with central chimney, a short center hall, two rooms on each of the two floors, and an attic. The small rear ell, 1½ stories high with gambrel roof contains a kitchen and tiny study downstairs and two low-studded chambers upstairs. As confirmed by tree-ring dating (dendrochronology), both portions of the house were built at the same time. Succeeding Hancock as minister in 1752, the Reverend Jonas Clarke
Jonas Clarke
Jonas Clarke , sometimes written Jonas Clark, was an American clergyman and political leader who had a role in the American Revolution and in shaping the United States Constitution....
, who reared 12 children in the parsonage, was an eloquent supporter of the colonial cause.
This house is the only surviving residence associated with John Hancock, famous American patriot, President of the Continental Congress
President of the Continental Congress
The President of the Continental Congress was the presiding officer of the Continental Congress, the convention of delegates that emerged as the first national government of the United States during the American Revolution...
, first signer of the United States Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
, and the first Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
. It became his boyhood home in 1744 when, upon the death of his father at Quincy, the 7-year-old boy came to live at this house with his grandfather. In 1750 John joined his childless uncle, Thomas Hancock, a wealthy Boston merchant who adopted him.
On the evening of April 18, 1775, John Hancock and Samuel Adams, having attended the Massachusetts Provincial Congress
Massachusetts Provincial Congress
The Massachusetts Provincial Congress was a provisional government created in the Province of Massachusetts Bay early in the American Revolution....
in Concord and wary of returning to Boston, were guests of Rev. Clarke. Fearing that they might be captured by the British, Dr. Joseph Warren
Joseph Warren
Dr. Joseph Warren was an American doctor who played a leading role in American Patriot organizations in Boston in early days of the American Revolution, eventually serving as president of the revolutionary Massachusetts Provincial Congress...
of Boston dispatched William Dawes
William Dawes
William Dawes, Jr. was one of several men and a woman who alerted colonial minutemen of the approach of British army troops prior to the Battle of Lexington and Concord at the outset of the American Revolution....
and Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
to Lexington with news of the advancing British troops. Arriving separately, they stopped to warn Hancock and Adams around midnight, then set off for Concord.
This house contains furnishings and portraits owned by the Hancock and Clarke families and an exhibit area that includes relics of April 19, 1775.