The Old North Church : Boston, MA

The midnight ride of Paul Revere. The incredible story told over and over to us as children. But if you haven’t been so lucky to know or remember, it all began at the Old North Church in April of 1775. At the time the British Army occupied the city of Boston. The leader at the time, General Thomas Gage, made secret plans to send soldiers out to Lexington and Concord and seize the munitions that the colonists held. They were also planning to arrest John Hancock and Sam Adams, two of the leading members of the Sons of Liberty (the “rebels”). Two colonists, Paul Revere and Joseph Warren learned of the plan, but not the date or time it would take place. Worried of not having enough time to prepare, the group created a plan to execute when the time was right. Paul Revere and William Dawes would leave Boston during the cover of nightfall and travel both my land and sea to warn the militiamen of the incoming attack. But to ensure nothing would go wrong, they also came up with the idea of using lanterns. The militia from Charlestown would keep an eye on the Old North Church for lanterns: One lantern meant the troops were crossing by land, while two meant they would be ferried across the Charles River by boat.

A week before the attack would occur, Revere put two men, Robert Newman and Captain John Pulling (although there is debate) in charge of hanging the lanterns. On the night of April 18th, the two men ran to the church, keeping in mind the night curfew, opened the church up and locked the door behind them. It’s believed that they also brought along a few others to keep an eye outside the church. The men ran up to the steeple, lit two lanterns using flint and steel and held them for a little less and a minute. Paul made his midnight ride via horse after he crossed the river himself and arrived to the colonists. By the time he arrived the soldiers told him that they had already seen the signal and were preparing. The rest is legend…

Other notable items at the church include a pew which was visited by Theodore Roosevelt in December of 1912 as well as a bust of George Washington’s head which is said to be an identical interpretation of him.

Now although the history of the church is not as grim as other counterparts, it is in fact haunted. In fact there is a crypt below the church which contains 37 tombs (they say over 1,100 bodies). With these 37 tombs holding the dead, it’s not doubt that there are some restless spirits. Items are know to move, doors open and unlock by themselves and strange voices can be heard. Many of the tour guides speak of a strange cold spots that passes through them, especially when they close up the church at night. Some claim that it’s the spirit of Paul Revere come back to the church where his family went. Customers who are in the church while it’s not busy complain about seeing things in the corner of their eye, but when they turn there is nobody there. Workers also talk about moving bibles. Before closing, they clean the church, picking up bibles and books, but when they return in the morning it’s not uncommon to see them move and be on the floor. This historical church has more than just a great story.