Although the nation is gearing up for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, events leading up to the Revolutionary War began several years before the Declaration, especially in Massachusetts. Cambridge’s first significant Revolutionary anniversary comes in just a few weeks. On Sept. 1, 1774, Cambridge residents responded to the news that Gen. Thomas Gage, royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, had ordered the removal of gunpowder from a magazine (a powder storage house) in what is now Somerville by the British troops stationed in Boston. The resentment that area residents felt in the wake of the Coercive Acts – a controversial series of laws intended to punish the rebellious Bostonians for the Boston Tea Party of 1773 – caused them to channel their anger at Gage and his soldiers. Because these 1774 Coercive Acts effectively closed the Port of Boston and dissolved the colonial government, replacing it with a royally appointed governing body, Cambridge residents and their neighbors feared a loss of autonomy and what they considered their essential rights as subjects of the British Crown.
By the following morning (Sept. 2, 1774), approximately two and a half times the population of Cambridge – 4,000 people – had gathered on Cambridge Common. Patriot leaders used the power of the assembled crowd to protest their grievances. They marched down Brattle Street and surrounded Lt. Gov. Thomas Oliver’s house, demanding his resignation. He stepped down, saying: “My house in Cambridge being surrounded by about four thousand people, and in compliance with their commands, I sign my name.” In the months following the Powder Alarm, many of the Loyalists (or Tories) of Cambridge left, first moving to Boston, which was much less volatile because of a larger British military presence.
There are a number of houses still standing on Brattle Street that bore witness to the events of the Powder Alarm and its aftermath, including those that affected women and people of color in Revolutionary Cambridge. Today 159 Brattle St. is home to the offices of History Cambridge, but during the American Revolution it was the home of Rebecca Phips Lee, daughter of Lt. Gov. Spencer Phips. Rebecca married Joseph Lee in 1755 and, in 1758, the Lees bought the home and undertook renovations; for example, there is a record of their updating an upstairs bedroom by plastering over the faux paneling and adding figured wallpaper. Rebecca would have overseen the changes as part of her housekeeping duties. She attended services at Christ Church and socialized with the other Brattle Street families, including her sister, Mary Lechmere, who lived at 149 Brattle before the Sewalls bought it.
Joseph was selected in 1774 to serve on the Mandamus Council. During the Powder Alarm that year, the mob demanded Joseph’s resignation and he complied. The Lee family left Cambridge following the Powder Alarm to live in British-held Boston, later moving to Philadelphia and New Jersey. In 1777, they traveled to Cambridge to reclaim the house. They were successful and moved back to Cambridge, but many of Rebecca’s friends and family would never return; her sister Mary relocated to Bristol, England, like many other Massachusetts Loyalists. Rebecca stayed in the house for the rest of her life and passed away around 1800.
Upon Judge Lee’s death in 1802, he left an annuity to Caesar, an enslaved man whom he inherited from his father. Lee also appears to have owned a man named Mark Lee, also known as Mark Lewis, who may have been freed when slavery was abolished in 1783. Joseph Lee was one of three previous owners of 159 Brattle St. whom we know enslaved people, either at this property or at one of their other estates in nearby towns. Although many details of the lives and experiences of these enslaved people have not been preserved in the historical record, History Cambridge is committed to telling their stories to the best of our ability, and to restoring their presence to the Brattle Street area.
The house at 105 Brattle St., now known as The Longfellow House and Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, was built by John Vassall Jr. in 1759 as his “country estate” when he was just 21 years old. Vassall was very wealthy due to his sugar plantations in Jamaica. As such, he was an enslaver; his wealth came directly from enslaved labor and he was served by enslaved people here at the house. His land here consisted of almost 100 acres, from Sparks Street to Garden Street. Vassall and his family fled Cambridge in 1774 in the wake of the Powder Alarm. Vassall intended to return and left the enslaved people to maintain the property while he was gone. Shortly thereafter, in April 1775, the Revolutionary War broke out and he never saw the house again (and later moved to England).
The Vassall House was confiscated by the General Court (the Massachusetts Legislature) and used for the new Continental Army, becoming the headquarters of its commander in chief, Gen. George Washington, in July 1775 through April 1776, when it was then sold to private owners. We don’t know what happened to all of the enslaved people left behind by the Vassalls, but Cuba and two of her children (probably Darby and Cyrus), lived in a small “tenement” dwelling on the far side of the estate, still legally enslaved. Tony (1713-1811, age 98), a coachman who was Cuba’s husband, was freed by his owner Penelope Vassall across the street and came to live with them. They were still there in 1777, working on 1.5 acres next to their dwelling, “no rent or bondage.” Tony worked on the Vassall property and Royall Estate in Medford where his wife had come from, and also set himself up as a farrier to make a living.
The Somerville Museum will mark the 250th anniversary of the Powder Alarm on Sept. 1 with a historical reenactment and living history fair at Nathan Tufts Park. “Spark of the Revolution” will include docent tours of the Powder House, activity tables and a scavenger hunt of the park, and is free and accessible to all. On Sept. 4, the Cambridge Public Library hosts a panel discussion of the Powder Alarm and its impact on many sectors of the Cambridge population. These events mark the kickoff to the 250th Revolutionary anniversary commemorations, and History Cambridge is eager to hear your ideas about the people, events and ideas that should be included in our Revolutionary programming. Share your thoughts with us by taking our survey, and sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date on all of our upcoming events and programs.
About History Cambridge
History Cambridge started in 1905 as the Cambridge Historical Society. Today we have a new name and a new mission. We engage with our city to explore how the past influences the present to shape a better future. We recognize that every person in our city knows something about Cambridge’s history, and their knowledge matters. We listen to our community and we live by the ideal that history belongs to everyone. Throughout 2024, we are focusing on the history of North Cambridge. Make history with us at historycambridge.org.
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Beth Folsom is programs manager for History Cambridge.
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