Paul Revere House

Remembered first and foremost for his midnight ride through Massachusetts to warn of the British troops' march on Concord, Paul Revere was also a prominent businessman, silversmith and politician. Today, you can walk through Revere's two-story house to observe a rare example of early colonial urban architecture.

Exhibits and Points of Interest
You enter through the home's downstairs eating and cooking area, where iron kettles, cooking utensils and examples of early American furniture are on view. The self-guided tour leads into what would today be considered a "living room" and then upstairs to two bedrooms. Throughout these rooms are hand-carved wooden objects, colonial furniture, exhibits of Paul Revere's silver work and preserved documents.

Although the Paul Revere Memorial Association does not run structured tours of the house, the staff is eager to answer your questions and provide you with interesting tidbits of information. You will also find signs near most items throughout the house that explain the historical significance of each object.

Chances are, you will pick up some interesting details about Revere's life during your visit. For example, we learned that Paul Revere was the father of 16 children -- eight by each of two wives. Since the children were born over a span of 29 years and only 11 of the 16 survived to adulthood, no more than seven children lived in the house at any one time. Still, as you can imagine, a family of nine had some difficulty squeezing into two bedrooms, so we were not surprised to find out that a third story was added to the house while the Reveres lived here.

While you are in the area, you may also want to tour the Pierce/Hichborn House next door, another historical Boston home operated by the Paul Revere Memorial Association. This house was built in 1711 by Moses Pierce and exemplifies early Georgian architecture. It was owned by Paul Revere's cousin, Nathaniel Hichborn.

Insider Tips
Ask about discounted rates if you are touring with a group. The Pierce/Hichborn House charges a separate admission, although combination packages are available.

Since the Paul Revere house is toward the end of the Freedom Trail, you may be tempted to skip the site. If you have spent a significant amount of time exploring other historical attractions (such as the Old State House or the USS Constitution), bypassing the house will allow you to save a little time without missing a critical element of the Trail. If you have an exceptionally strong interest in American Revolutionary history or if you want to know more about how colonists in Boston lived, you probably won't want to forgo a visit to the house. We recommend that you plan to spend from 30 minutes to an hour checking out the furniture and colonial artifacts.

Special Events
The staff of the Paul Revere Memorial Association runs a series of special events on Saturdays from May through October. Admission to these events is included with the cost of touring the house; members of the Association and residents of Boston's North End are admitted free. Examples of programs that have been offered include: "The Tailor's Craft," a demonstration of 1700s clothing construction; and "Songs Of And About Old New England," a performance of traditional ballads, dance tunes, work songs and children's songs.

The Paul Revere House also offers a variety of educational programs for schools, youth organizations and other community groups. If you are interested in such activities, contact the Paul Revere House Education Coordinator at (617) 523-2338.

Hours, Fees and Tour Information
For updated information about hours, admission fees and museum events, visit the Paul Revere House web site.

Getting There
The Paul Revere House is the twelfth site on the Freedom Trail and can be found between the Faneuil Hall and the Old North Church stops on the trail. The trail's red path guides visitors through the small and busy streets of the North End and is the easiest way to find the house. When leaving from Faneuil Hall, walk through Haymarket (an open-air produce and fish market on weekends) and pass through a small pedestrian tunnel running underneath the expressway, which opens across from Salem and Hanover Streets. Follow Hanover toward the Waterfront, make a right onto Richmond Street and then a left to North Square. The Paul Revere House is located at 19 North Square.

By subway, the Paul Revere House is closest to the Haymarket and North Station MBTA stops on the Orange and Green lines, but is no more than a ten-minute walk from the Government Center stop on the Blue line. (See the related article for more information about finding your way around on "the T.")

We have found that navigating a car through the North End can be particularly difficult since many of the streets are one-way and quite narrow and because most on-street parking spots are for North End residents only. We therefore recommend that you take the subway when you visit this area. If you must drive, however, there are parking garages located throughout the city that offer reduced weekend rates.

By Allyson Krieger

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