In 1775, this was the home of Jonathan Harrington, a member of the Lexington militia, his wife Ruth, and their son Jonathan. The senior Jonathan Harrington was one of the militiamen assembled on the Lexington Green on the morning of April 19. In the ensuing confrontation with the British troops, he was mortally wounded. According to local tradition, Jonathan Harrington crawled back to the doorstep of his home, where he died in the arms of his wife. In the 1820s, this was the home of John Augustus, a shoemaker who later became well-known for his efforts to reform Boston’s criminal justice system and establishing the system of probation as an alternative to imprisonment.
The structure of the house was significantly altered in the 20th century and is privately owned today. Nearby, visitors can explore the Lexington Battle Green, Buckman Tavern, and the Hancock-Clarke House.
Stories from Harrington House
Captain Isaac Davis, a Massachusetts Minuteman leader, was the first American officer killed in the Revolutionary War at the Battle of Concord on April 19, 1775.
At dawn on April 19, 1775, an unknown shot shattered the silence in Lexington. British Redcoats and colonial militia clashed, leaving blood on the field. In Concord, the patriots struck back, and as the British retreated, gunfire hounded them to Boston, thus sparking the American Revolution
Waiting on British troops to arrive on the morning of April 19, militia members used this tavern to wait for their arrival before assembling on the field of battle and sparking the American Revolution