Watson's Corner

Following the Battle of Lexington and Concord, as the British marched in full retreat toward Boston, John Hicks, Moses Richardson, and Isaac Gardner hid behind a pile of barrels at Watson’s corner located in what is now North Cambridge. Hicks and Richardson were the only known Cantabridgians who participated in the Boston Tea Party two years prior. Like many other colonists, the three sought to attack the vulnerable Red Coats. These three men were not young. In fact, due to their age, they had been exempted from military service, but that did not stop them from participating.

Shots were exchanged between the passing British soldiers and the patriots. Ultimately, Hicks, Richardson, and Gardner were killed at Watson’s Corner. That evening, after Hicks had failed to return home, his wife sent out their son to find him. He was the one who discovered the three bodies lying on the side of the road. Hicks and Richardson were buried in the Old Burying Ground. A tower was later erected in honor of the six Cantabridgians who gave their lives to the Revolutionary Cause on April 19, 1775, fighting the British soldiers in their retreat to Boston.

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