Patriot’s Day is only really celebrated in New England – though it has nothing to do with football, and a Queens historian wants to change that.
April 19 is the date in 1775 when local Massachusetts militiamen confronted British Army regulars in the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War.
St. John’s University’s historian Timothy Milford will discuss the history of Patriot’s Day at the Queens Historical Society in Flushing on Sunday, April 25.
“History is contested within the press and media,” Milford said of the reports of the time. “I’d like to talk about the things in Patriot’s Day – known and unknown to many who celebrate the holiday,” he added.
In Massachusetts and Maine, it’s a public holiday. Schools and offices are closed, allowing residents to take part in activities associated with the holiday, especially the re-enactment of the battle of Lexington and Concord.
Other events are concerts, road races and an annual marathon held in Boston, where it’s called Marathon Monday.
Although other states do not recognize Patriots’ Day as a public holiday, schools in Wisconsin observe the day, teaching about the people and events surrounding the outset of the Revolutionary War.
The lecture begins at 2:30 p.m. at the Society’s headquarters in Weeping Beech Park, 143-35 37th Avenue in Flushing. It’s free with admission to the Kingsland Homestead Museum.
For more information, call 718-939-0647 or visit www.queenshistoricalsociety.org.
