Two Lectures in Cambridge This Week

The Longfellow National Historic Site, which served as Gen. George Washington’s headquarters from July 1775 to April 1776, will host two Revolution-related events this week:

• Sunday, 15 March, 2:00 to 4:00 P.M.: The Charlestown Militia recreates Col. Thomas Gardner’s regiment at the outset of the war, and Prof. Michael Bonislawski speaks on the history of this unit. What role did they play in the Battle of Bunker Hill? This event is organized with the Cambridge Historical Society.
  
• Thursday, 19 March, at 6:30 P.M.: I’ll speak on “Why John Vassall Left His House.” John Vassall had that mansion built in 1759 and raised his family there. He wasn’t politically active, and the crowds of the Powder Alarm of September 1774 left him alone as they demanded that some of his neighbors resign their royal appointments. So why did Vassall feel an urgent need to leave Cambridge that month?

Both events are FREE.