From Telegraph Towns: Knox Trail walk spurs examination of town's role in American Revolution
The passage of two magazine editors from New York through Leicester as part of their recent walk along the Knox Trail from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston has caused local historians to do some serious thinking about Leicester’s part in the American Revolution.
J. Donald Lennerton Jr., chairman of the Leicester Historical Commission, said that Leicester residents had a major part in the fight to drive the British out of what became the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and that many of those residents are buried in Rawson Brook Cemetery, on Main Street just east of the Castle Restaurant.
“Some historians say there may be as many as 600 people buried there,” Mr. Lennerton said, “but I think it’s more likely 200 or 300 people.”
He said, however, that it will never be known who most of these people were.
“In those days, if you found a good-looking rock somewhere on your property, you saved it thinking it would make a good headstone or footstone some day, and when people were buried, the stones were placed at each end of the body, but with no indication of who was buried there,” he said.
Among the people he knows are buried there is William Henshaw, one of the leaders of Leicester’s Minutemen chapter. A member of that chapter came up with the phrase by which the group became known. “He said every community should have a group of men ready to leave at a minute’s notice to drive the British out of Boston,” Mr. Lennerton said.
Also among those buried in Rawson Brook Cemetery is Stukey Watson, who wrote a book about what life was like for women in the early 1800s. Mr. Lennerton said the book wasn’t very popular at the time she wrote it, but recent historians have begun to appreciate it.
The Knox Trail is remembered today as the route the Minutemen used to bring cannon and other weapons from New York state to the Boston area, which was occupied by the British at the time. The Minutemen had reached the hills of Dorchester Heights above Boston, but were waiting until the weapons arrived before attacking.
Interestingly enough, they never had to attack. When the Earl in charge of the British forces in Boston discovered that the cannon had arrived, he knew his army would be destroyed, so he ordered them to leave Boston. Boston was evacuated without a shot fired. This took place on March 17, which has been called Evacuation Day.
“There are lots of people who say that since that was also St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish politicians in Boston just found a way to get the day off by calling it Evacuation Day, which is a legal holiday in Suffolk County,” Mr. Lennerton said. That is not an unusual situation in Massachusetts, which is the only state in the country that recognizes Patriot’s Day as a holiday.
“Also interesting is that many people believe they couldn’t have attacked the British army with their cannons because they hadn’t brought any ammunition.”
Now that we’ve taken care of Evacuation Day and Patriot’s Day, let’s move to the next holiday down the line — Memorial Day.
Bruce Swett, chairman of the Leicester Memorial Day Committee, sent along an invitation for any group or organization that would like to participate in the annual Memorial Day Committee observances, May 28.
The parade will form at 10 a.m. at Memorial School, which is just off Pleasant Street. The parade will start at 10:30 a.m. and proceed up Pleasant Street to the Common, where services will be held.
If you wish to participate, contact Mr. Swett at (508) 892-9238 or the Cherry Valley American Legion Post at (508) 892-9029.
The Leicester Senior Center has a new organization for women who like knitting and crocheting, but aren’t interested in the spinning and weaving activities in which the Fiber Group is involved.
The new group is called Golden Needles and meets at 11:30 a.m. every Wednesday at the Senior Center, 40 Winslow Ave. Group members are urged to spend a half-hour in the fun activity of knitting and crocheting, then stay for lunch and remain afterward for some of the other activities the center offers.
You don’t have to have a reservation for the Golden Needles Group, but if you wish to stay for lunch, you must call a day ahead at (508) 892-7204. The cost of the luncheon is $2. All you have to bring for the Golden Needles Group is yarn, needles and crochet hooks.
