Learn the Real Story of Paul Revere’s Ride on a Walking Boston Tour
Thanks to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem, we’re all familiar with Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride—but do you know the real story? Longfellow’s version of events has all too often been taken for fact. What really occurred? Beyond that, what did Revere do after his ride? He could not return to Boston for fear of being arrested by the British. What happened to his wife Rachel and their children who were left behind in Boston? Ben Edwards—a relative of Paul Revere—will give you detailed answers to all of these questions during his Walking Boston private tour.
After the events of April 18-19, 1775, in nearby Charlestown, Paul Revere wrote a letter to Rachel asking her and the children to leave Boston and join him. In this letter Revere asked his son, 15-year-old Paul Revere Jr., to stay behind until he was sent for. During your tour, you’ll learn why Paul Revere did this, how that original letter, “lost” for over 100 years, was recently rediscovered, and where it can be found today.
Revere’s eldest son Paul Jr. worked as an apprentice at his father’s silversmith shop and, after serving with his father during the American Revolution, he went on to run the day-to-day operations of that business. On August 22, 1782 Paul Revere Jr. married Sally Edwards, daughter of Dolling (Dolin) Edwards and Rebecca Christie, at the New Brick (Second) Church in the North End of Boston. At the wedding that day was Sally’s younger brother 17-year-old Benjamin Edwards. This Benjamin Edwards is the fourth-great-grandfather of tour guide Ben Edwards.
Paul Revere Jr. and Sally Edwards had 12 children between 1783 and 1803 including Paul Revere—born in 1789. A portion of the Revere/Edwards family records in his hand is shown in the banner at the top of this page. (Ben has the original document in his collection.) The Reveres lived in the North End of Boston at various locations including Fleet Street, Sun Court Street, and Henchman’s Lane.
Private tour guide Ben Edwards honors the memory of his ancestors by serving on the Board of Directors of the Paul Revere Memorial Association—a position he has held since 1999. His children’s book One April in Boston tells their story. It is sold along the Freedom Trail at the Paul Revere House in their on-site and online gift shops. Ben donates up to 500 copies of his book to the Paul Revere House annually and one hundred percent of the $15.00 retail price is used to support educational programs for children at the Revere House. Tour participants receive the print and MP3 audio versions.
“Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Tour participants receive a free MP3 audio of Longfellow’s poem, a sample of which can be heard below.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” first appeared in print in a Boston newspaper on December 18, 1860; later in the January 1861 issue of The Atlantic Monthly; and finally in Tales of a Wayside Inn in the fall of 1863. The text for this recording is The Landlord’s Tale and was taken from a 1915 printing of Tales of a Wayside Inn. “Paul Revere’s Ride” is read by award-winning narrator Phil Rosenthal.
"Paul Revere's Ride" Sample
The First Book to Accurately Illustrate the Key Moments of Paul Revere’s Famous Ride
Paul Revere’s Ride: An Illustrated History is the Culmination of a Multi-Year Project
The Paul Revere House felt the 250th Anniversary of the events of April 18–19, 1775, was the perfect opportunity to dispel the misconceptions and myths about Paul Revere’s ride, created by Longfellow’s beloved poem, once and for all. And they elected to do it in a way that had never been attempted before. Many have illustrated Longfellow’s poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride,” but no one had ever illustrated Revere’s own handwritten accounts of that fateful night and early morning in April 1775. And there is a good reason for it. The time commitment required to ensure historical accuracy was extensive.
The project with illustrator Cortney Skinner began in 2018, and between the research, writing, and production of 13 original pieces of art, it has taken more than six years. The result is a beautiful 48-page, full color book called Paul Revere’s Ride: An Illustrated History. It will be published in May, as we mark the 250th Anniversary of Revere’s famous ride in 2025, and available at the Paul Revere House gift shop. The retail price is $15.
As a Paul Revere Memorial Association board member, Ben Edwards worked extensively on this project over the past six years with an outstanding team of people. Special thanks to the Massachusetts Historical Society for allowing access to Revere’s accounts in their collection. Walking Boston private guided walking tour groups will receive a complimentary copy autographed by Cortney Skinner. Ben’s children’s book One April in Boston has been revised based on new insights and the 25th Anniversary Edition, also illustrated by Cortney Skinner, will be published in April.
You can learn more about the events of April 18-19, 1775 on a Walking Boston private tour. There are three tour options for 2025. Participants taking the 4.5-hour or 5.5-hour versions will tour inside the Paul Revere House complex and view the Midnight Ride exhibit as Ben brings the actual events to life through dramatic storytelling. Ben even shares images of the original letter Paul Revere wrote to Rachel after his ride.