“One if by land, two if by sea”: 250th anniversary of the ride of Paul Revere honored
Published 12:07 am Friday, April 18, 2025
By Elisabeth Strillacci
SPENCER — “The British are coming!”
Well, not again, but this Friday night, April 18, courthouses, town halls, schools, community centers, historic sites, business and households have been invited to participate in the “Two Lights for Tomorrow” event, which honors the 250th anniversary of the famous ride of Paul Revere, who let residents in the U.S. know the British soldiers were on their way. The Transportation Museum of Spencer is one of a number of sites participating.
On the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere and William Dawes rode out from Boston to alert their fellow patriots of the movement of the British regulars. The men had agreed on a signal, one lantern in the tower of the Old North Church if soldiers approached by land, and two lanterns if they were coming by sea, which most know as “one if by land, two if by sea.”
Other riders joined Revere and Dawes in notifying patriots that the British troops were coming in by the Charles River. All the riders created a network across the Massachusetts countryside. These midnight rides preceded the battles at Lexington and Concord, the start of the American Revolution.
The nationwide “Two Lights for Tomorrow” initiative is part of the upcoming America 250 semi-quincentennial observance in 2026. In North Carolina, the event is led by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ America 250 N.C. initiative. The initiative honors the vital role early Americans played in defending liberty and preparing for a better future.
The Transportation Museum of Spencer will place two lights in the Master Mechanic’s Office, which, looking from Salisbury Avenue at the museum, is the top left window. The lights will be a stand-alone display, according to museum Collections Manager Xavier Klonowski,
“The museum is part of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources,” said Klonowski, “and we thought this would be a good way to participate in A250 and to commemorate Paul Revere’s ride.”
“This special display will make for a compelling visual story that unites North Carolinians in reflecting on our shared history, while looking forward to a bright future for our state as we build toward the 250th anniversary of America’s founding next year,”said Allison Eckley, who spoke on behalf of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources/America 250 N.C..
“Our hope for the public who see this display is two-fold,” said Klonowski. “One, we hope that it will generate more interest in A250, and two, we hope people will take a moment to reflect on who they are as Americans.”
“This little town of Spencer is so steeped in history but not a lot of people know the depth of it,” added Tyler Kent, who handles communications for the museum. “We believe in doing our part to continue to share the history of our country, our state and Spencer, and this is one way of doing that.”
The public is also invited to participate by putting two lights, be it actual lamps or lanterns, candles, LED lights or whatever is safest for their homes, in windows or on porches or anywhere visible. Then they are asked to share their display on social media using the hashtag #TwoLightsNC and tag @America250NC.
