Celebrity Graveland

January 23, 1737 – October 8, 1793

The first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, president of the Second Continental Congress and an important figure in the American Revolutionary War, John Hancock could be remembered for a number of things. But, it is, of course, his giant signature on the Declaration of Independence (he was the first to sign it) for which is is most closely associated. So much so, that the term “John Hancock” is nearly synonymous with “signature” in the U.S. even today. Continue reading →

September 27, 1722 – October 2, 1803

Politician. Statesman. Founding Father. Future Beer Magnate? Well, the first three, anyway. Samuel Adams was a key figure in the lead up to the American Revolutionary War. A failed businessman, Adams turned his attention to politics (naturally) where he became involved in local Boston tax collecting. Ironically, it would be taxes imposed from Great Britain that would spur Adams – and many others – to begin the long and bloody process of gaining independence. He was a prominent player in the famous “Boston Tea Party” of 1773. He also participated in both the First and Second Continental Congress meetings that led to the Declaration of Independence. Continue reading →

December 21, 1734 – May 10, 1818

“The Midnight Ride” of Paul Revere is one of the most famous moments in American history. Revere, a Boston silversmith, alerted the colonial militias – along with fellow-Patriot, William Dawes – that the British army was mobilizing toward the caches of weapons in Concord. His warning prefaced the first skirmishes in the American Revolutionary War. It was immortalized by poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and has become nothing short of legend in the States. Continue reading →