Cradle of the Revolution: Boston to Lexington and Concord

A BGES Field University Program

With Rob Orrison and Mark Maloy

September 24-28, 2025; from Boston, MA

Long considered the “Cradle of the Revolution,” Boston, Massachusetts, was home to many of the era’s leading figures—Dr. Joseph Warren, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, John Adams, and many more. Its streets and wharves fostered the revolutionary spirit that would ignite a continent. In December 1773, tensions escalated dramatically when dozens of Bostonians and others boarded three ships at Griffin’s Wharf and dumped East India Company tea into the harbor in defiance of the Tea Act. Parliament soon responded with the punitive “Intolerable Acts,” placing Massachusetts under military control.

The powder keg exploded on April 19, 1775, when British Regulars and American colonists clashed on Lexington Green, spilling the first blood of the American Revolution. That day, a running battle raged from Concord to Cambridge—an opening salvo immortalized as the “shot heard ‘round the world.”

Join us during this 250th anniversary year for a multi-exploration of Boston and the nearby villages of Lexington and Concord. We’ll visit the pivotal sites and relive the moments that launched the Revolution, concluding with the dramatic engagements along the now-famous Battle Road.

Itinerary

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Meet your historians, Rob and Mark, at our host hotel for a one-hour introduction to the sites, context, and events of the tour. Program materials will be distributed (or the next morning for late arrivals).

Dinner is on your own.

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Boston’s revolutionary legacy lives on in its preserved buildings, cemeteries, and museums. Leaving the hotel at 8 a.m., we’ll begin at the Old Statehouse, the former seat of colonial government, and explore the nearby site of the Boston Massacre and historic Faneuil Hall. At the Granary Burying Ground, we’ll visit the final resting places of John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and victims of the massacre. The day concludes with the Boston Tea Party: we’ll visit the Old South Meeting House—where a crucial town meeting was held on the night of December 16, 1773—and the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, an interactive experience that brings this decisive event to life.

We will return to the hotel by 5 p.m. Lunch is provided, but dinner is on your own.

Friday, September 26, 2025

On April 19, 1775, after years of unrest, open warfare began. Leaving the hotel at 8 a.m., our day begins at Buckman Tavern, where Lexington’s militia awaited the British Regulars. On Lexington Green, the first shots of the Revolution were fired, killing eight Americans.

Following the movements of Paul Revere’s famous ride, we’ll visit the Hancock-Clarke House and site of Revere’s capture west of Lexington. We’ll then travel to Concord to explore the North Bridge—where militia and Regulars clashed—and end the day at Meriam’s Corner, where the British retreat began amid a growing flood of American militia.

We will return to the hotel by 5 p.m. Lunch is included, but dinner is on your own.

Saturday, September 27, 2025

No one predicted the violence and bloodshed that occurred on the afternoon of April 19, 1775. As the British withdrew to Boston, they quickly learned that the alarm sent out across the countryside alerted thousands of colonial militia. Farmers, blacksmiths, and shopkeepers—ordinary citizens—took up arms, using every stone wall, hilltop, and tree for cover.

Leaving the hotel at 8 a.m., we’ll visit dramatic sites along the Battle Road, including the Bloody Angle, Parker’s Revenge, Fiske Hill, and the Jason Russell House. The day concludes at the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill (fought on nearby Breed’s Hill), two months after Lexington and Concord. Though an American defeat, the loss of life shocked British leaders and proved that the upstart American army would not go away quietly.

We will be back at the hotel by 5 p.m. Lunch is included, but dinner is on your own.

Sunday, September 28, 2025

Leaving the hotel at 8:30 a.m., our final day takes us to Quincy, Massachusetts, to explore Adams National Historical Park—which preserves and interprets several buildings related to founding father John Adams and John Quincy Adams, both former Presidents. John Adams is considered by many as the most pivotal Patriot during the American Revolution and the founding of the nation.

We will return to the hotel before 5 p.m. Lunch is provided.

About the Faculty

Mark Maloy and Rob Orrison are founding members of Emerging Revolutionary War, a public history platform promoting a broader public understanding of the American Revolution. Both have led hundreds of tours focusing on the American Revolution and have provided consulting to local, state, and national museums, as well as authored numerous articles and books on the American Revolution focusing on Boston, Lexington, Concord, Trenton, Princeton, Camden and Charleston.

Rob Orrison has worked in the history field for more than 25 years. He received his B.A. in Historic Preservation from Longwood University and an M.A. in Public History from George Mason University. Currently, Rob serves as the Division Manager for the Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation and sits on the board of the Frontier Culture Museum. He is also the former president of the Virginia Association of Museums.

His publications include The Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Beginning of the American Revolution, April 19, 1775, and All That Can Be Expected: The Battle of Camden and the British High Tide in the South, August 16, 1780.

Mark Maloy has over 15 years of experience in public history. He holds a B.A. in History from the College of William & Mary and an M.A. in History from George Mason University. He is a regular contributor to the blog Emerging Revolutionary War and has authored two books on the Revolutionary War: Victory or Death: The Battles of Trenton and Princeton and To the Last Extremity: The Battles for Charleston.

Hotel Information

The headquarters hotel is the Fairfield Inn, Tewksbury, Massachusetts. Call 978-640-0700 for reservations and ask for the “Blue and Gray Education” block. The rate is $139 per night, plus tax. The cutoff date for the block rate is Monday, August 25, 2025.