FYI > Begin forwarded message: > > From: "WBUR | Weekender" <newslett...@email.wbur.org> > Subject: The story behind Evacuation Day > Date: March 15, 2025 at 7:03:49 AM EDT > To: <samat...@gmail.com> > Reply-To: "WBUR Newsletters" > <reply-fece1570706d047f-1105_html-16823431-54600109...@email.wbur.org> > > ❤️ Donate > <https://donate.wbur.org/secure/give?utm_source=newsletter_donate_heart&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekender_newsletter&cid=701UV00000B3uk6> > > View in Browser > <https://view.email.wbur.org/?qs=a5db437184e2659c390974508ed7324252c8a3c3d0d0ead9e8f6781d0e89db2c61e5a8a1bd618088fe8b6d9d0e811664874e8ade87e007a1eef40cc7a2e31b76ef4f90e7b70f87e8c0987479893eede2> > > > > March 15, 2025 > > 🌤️ Saturday is partly sunny, with a high around 60. Sunday is cloudy, with a > high near 67 and a chance of rain in the evening. > Good Morning Boston, > A wave of green is cresting over the city for St. Patrick's Day celebrations > this weekend. But did you know that isn't the holiday Boston actually > recognizes Monday? > March 17 is, officially, observed as Evacuation Day in Boston (plus the three > other communities that make up Massachusetts' Suffolk County: Chelsea, Revere > and Winthrop). Even though St. Patrick's Day falls on the same date, it isn't > the holiday you'll find on city calendars. > Evacuation Day commemorates the day in 1776 that British General William Howe > and his troops evacuated Boston, following the first battles of the > Revolutionary War. > The annual Sunday parade in South Boston - though more popularly associated > with St. Patty's - has honored both holidays since 1901 > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038b3b676ed73d488a25c6b1c95c9338f997cf8176bb6b358014937c924935147f2cc541d5814aa17ac1e6ad510f08e8db1>. > Up until about 15 years ago > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038fb5c72d5742c821f503bd12f78ba317d05cdf0473e8ba0fba4d131f543f2a1fb17cf0e4ae94ae7c1c261b33ed49b4159>, > government offices across Suffolk County closed for the holiday; Boston > Public Schools even got the day off through 2016. And parking meters in > Boston remain free > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a03873db671fc289fde5eb558960192aa120373f11f95af7238f3536aa91e97c4654becd1aeb3939e749e1d6783837d386da> > on March 17. > So, what's Evacuation Day all about? > In the spirit of Massachusetts' 250th anniversary > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038dba04cb235b741fbb2ba72ef830061bacf047944b555521f4530d0bcff88825da0f1ae5a7bf4304819fa1554bedae6a4>, > I spoke to Peter Drummey, the chief historian at the Massachusetts > Historical Society, about this pivotal day in state (and American) history. > What happened on Evacuation Day > You may have learned in history class that the United States declared its > independence on July 4, 1776, and that the Revolutionary War went on until > the Treaty of Paris was signed in September 1783. > However, Evacuation Day marked a major accomplishment in the war's early > stages. > Colonial militias in Boston had already come to blows with the British army a > few notable times. The Battles of Lexington and Concord - commemorated with > their own respective local holiday > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038f4f5a553d60a2b0a258736929e06e9ba2e16acd2ad04dbe38cc7b832ededa3c08d7deff495e977c0fa8f34ce7066c625> > - nearly a year prior added heat to the conflict, although "there wasn't an > idea yet that this was the start of a war," said Drummey. > The 11-month period between those first skirmishes and Evacuation Day was > called the "Siege of Boston. > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038e58c204f9b272eb4288d95d02781cad633db8eaeee03b98a3aff4709f9b6736c7cfac10618e75ebe0330e1abaea4edfc>" > It included the legendary battle of Bunker Hill, a month after which General > George Washington arrived in Boston to lead the newly formed Continental > Army. His goal? Drive the British army out. How they would manage this, > however, was still in the works. > British forces were concentrated on the peninsula that was downtown Boston. > Washington considered waiting until Back Bay froze over to cross over the ice > and attack. But according to Drummey, there wasn't enough cold weather at the > end of 1775 to make such a plan feasible. > Enter Dorchester Heights. > Remember, much of Boston is infilled land. But a ridge of hills called > Dorchester Heights in what is now South Boston rose above the water. > "It had a position more than 150 feet high, overlooking Boston and > overlooking where ships came in and anchored in Boston Harbor," Drummey > said, noting that the British left the ridge unfortified since they didn't > want hold a position miles away from their Boston base. > In January 1776, Washington received word that Henry Knox - a 25-year-old > Boston bookseller-turned-artillery colonel - had returned from a six-week > mission to Fort Ticonderoga in New York. Knox brought back more than 119,000 > pounds of firearms and ammunition, including 59 cannons. He and his men > transported the load over 300 miles, through the snowy Berkshires, on 42 > sleds pulled by 160 oxen. > With Knox and his haul back in town, Washington set his sights on fortifying > Dorchester Heights. On March 4, the Continental Army quietly moved all the > artillery from Roxbury to the ridge overnight. Drummey says they brought > barrels filled with gravel and sand as "portable fortifications." > On the morning of March 5, "the British in Boston woke up to see this looming > fort on a hill," he said. "So, they were faced with a choice." > Howe decided to evacuate to Nova Scotia. In total, approximately 120 ships > carrying more than 11,000 people - British soldiers, their dependents and > loyalists - left the city on ships on March 17. > "It was the first large-scale, clear American victory in the war," Drummey > said. > A dual holiday from the start > It wasn't until 1941 that March 17 became a legal holiday in Boston - a > recognition that has been conspicuously tied to St. Patrick's Day from the > start. The original law mentioned neither holiday by name; press reports at > the time referred to it as the "St. Patrick's holiday bill." And as WBUR > later reported > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a0380c0b381dd1ec60d62391e4bd55f1c49e8e091a91b219a520f887e34a66a24a365a84511a8361fb7a87380137b27241ca>, > it was signed by then-Gov. Leverett Saltonstall in green ink. > "I believe it is quite appropriate to use the favorite color of our mutual > ancestry," state Sen. Joseph Murphy, who sent Saltonstall the ink, wrote to > the governor, according to The Boston Globe. > For decades, school kids in Suffolk County knew the holiday was called > Evacuation Day because it meant they got to stay home. But it wasn't until > 2010 > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038fb5c72d5742c821f503bd12f78ba317d05cdf0473e8ba0fba4d131f543f2a1fb17cf0e4ae94ae7c1c261b33ed49b4159> > that the law was changed to officially give March 17 its Revolution Era > moniker. > Drummey says the Continental Army even embraced the coincidence at the time. > (After all, Boston had started celebrating St. Patrick's Day as early as > 1737. > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038b3b676ed73d488a25c6b1c95c9338f997cf8176bb6b358014937c924935147f2cc541d5814aa17ac1e6ad510f08e8db1>) > "Armies at that time required a password and a countersign," he said. "On > Evacuation Day, the Continental Army's password was 'Boston' and the > countersign was 'St. Patrick.' People were aware of it, but they could not > imagine how major American cities would evolve the holiday over time." > P.S.- Some local politicians want South Boston's annual parade to focus more > on Evacuation Day as a way to tame the recent rowdiness. Read more on the > changes to this year's festivities here > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a0389b408b58373dda0c1d4fe5790491b5a78e973abc3223640b0f0e511c0c56f702c8e09c7f0d1e9d2e032efa67c7f12659>. > > Hanna Ali > Associate Producer, Newsletters > > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a03821cb524df7fd53e6a3900c51d266c083a9e0df7875475872c8c44fb4eb830df2c96ed03cde5c44cd882650b72d211a67> > This Week's Must Reads > > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038a973d58734c12246aed97dda993cf7ce54299f6d1feb61922ff7614916fa16d33123311d869554c724763d3207470eb9> > 'Uncharted waters': Boston finds itself in the Trump administration's > crosshairs > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038a973d58734c12246aed97dda993cf7ce54299f6d1feb61922ff7614916fa16d33123311d869554c724763d3207470eb9> > Trump is not the first president to wield federal funds as a weapon. But some > analysts say the current attacks on Boston is unlike anything in recent > memory. Read more. > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038a973d58734c12246aed97dda993cf7ce54299f6d1feb61922ff7614916fa16d33123311d869554c724763d3207470eb9> > > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a0388282e6583dca3a9ddfd66062ec2e40307692b7f7c34d7490930ad3a0e38506caa4ccf107ddef031cdee4d76ea95d0ef5> > Five years after COVID, what school workers recall best - and what problems > linger > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a0388282e6583dca3a9ddfd66062ec2e40307692b7f7c34d7490930ad3a0e38506caa4ccf107ddef031cdee4d76ea95d0ef5> > In 2020, the pandemic closed classrooms and banished hundreds of thousands of > children to learn over screens at home. Here's what some local school workers > say they saw then - and what challenges they see students face now. Read > more. > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a0388282e6583dca3a9ddfd66062ec2e40307692b7f7c34d7490930ad3a0e38506caa4ccf107ddef031cdee4d76ea95d0ef5> > > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038d6ab88965d0caf5ea082311ee0240084c6a4eb191cea7c986aba1f6e648587a458e4e4471f8ddd9479cba01e6ab5cbf7> > How Boston-area cinemas snagged 'No Other Land' > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038d6ab88965d0caf5ea082311ee0240084c6a4eb191cea7c986aba1f6e648587a458e4e4471f8ddd9479cba01e6ab5cbf7> > The Oscar-winning documentary has no U.S. distributor and is showing at only > a handful of movie houses in the U.S. Read more. > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038d6ab88965d0caf5ea082311ee0240084c6a4eb191cea7c986aba1f6e648587a458e4e4471f8ddd9479cba01e6ab5cbf7> > > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038eb3e6e6c47ead284a9ca8e153ab264a835259a7d575611c14ba5d49560237e26840850e71d09e069d75c8e1cce0bab4d> > 'Have you no decency?': Keating calls out GOP lawmaker for misgendering trans > colleague > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038eb3e6e6c47ead284a9ca8e153ab264a835259a7d575611c14ba5d49560237e26840850e71d09e069d75c8e1cce0bab4d> > Rep. Bill Keating, of Massachusetts, called Republican Chairman Keith Self > "out of order" and questioned Self's sense of decency after the chair > repeatedly misgendered the first openly transgender member of the House. Read > more. > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038eb3e6e6c47ead284a9ca8e153ab264a835259a7d575611c14ba5d49560237e26840850e71d09e069d75c8e1cce0bab4d> > > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a0388e1eb6ea9139ee3c50a2e6978f4a7ad91ab7453ab596b8e0113ae1be7a88fe90a45a6384acd8b637d23102e99abb0e28> > 'Sufficient evidence' found to bring charges against 12 men in first > Cambridge sex ring hearing > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a0388e1eb6ea9139ee3c50a2e6978f4a7ad91ab7453ab596b8e0113ae1be7a88fe90a45a6384acd8b637d23102e99abb0e28> > The hearings are held to determine if criminal complaints will be issued > against the alleged customers of the commercial sex ring law enforcement shut > down in 2023. Read more. > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a0388e1eb6ea9139ee3c50a2e6978f4a7ad91ab7453ab596b8e0113ae1be7a88fe90a45a6384acd8b637d23102e99abb0e28> > Time For A Break > 🧠 Test your knowledge: Which team did the Boston Bruins trade captain Brad > Marchand to? Take our Boston News Quiz > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038b189393357746131c83c7e3a1c15483ae68205bda4dfe3fe140b5b0fc96ad40e761c84da6370fdabd7f4c9e26856cf16> > and see if you know the answer! > 🗺 5 things to do: You've still got time to catch the Wayland Winter Farmer's > Market this weekend. Or, make your way over to Boylston for the delightful > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a03892d9b823068930d035e2604465641a084d7a43ab7b1c868a63239181e93df6d553f6dd9c4f2bafe906c3143f4d3ce032> > "Pixels + Petals" exhibit, which will sunset next week. Click here > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038085e53339065d9d48babe82d88838d7a6e98685a282a8ba8bcbb539be97ea022e45d2444e68147ba7875c7fbce8f29c1>for > more fun weekend recommendations. > > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038dd2280fdca51353133cca3c5f066aa8252486aa6e74d8ce00f606c2cfc58c48445b33aeb37a1cc29e257874f40f93c4e> > JustBook-ish is a bookstore and creative gathering space in Fields Corner, > Boston. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR) > 📚 Field Guide to Boston: On the hunt for a "third space"? Your search is > over. The Common paid a visit to an inviting new bookstore in Dorchester > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038dd2280fdca51353133cca3c5f066aa8252486aa6e74d8ce00f606c2cfc58c48445b33aeb37a1cc29e257874f40f93c4e>, > co-founded by a former Boston Poet Laureate. > 🎬 Movie review: The new film "Eephus" follows the final game between two > amateur league baseball teams in Massachusetts. As critic Sean Burns writes > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a0381e60e163ebac082001287c0b1122aa40e5c46e79e37e3360248e63c4451d755504a0bdd7096ed1d1215b84897e6b79e7>, > the "breezy, funny movie" is also sneaky powerful, and perhaps the best > baseball movie in decades. > 🎨 'Tis the season: Our arts and culture team has been working diligently to > round up this coming spring's best local art events, fromclassical music > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038c93169e69cf168b23522961c877f1f4f876663fdbd4489739617ed35975540ea52105c803792f90d1e24a2375f2e9099> > to dance > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038d8991513ae5885796275a551daa4dc09ff75b5827aa2234cd031c438465222af518762b24066cc0cab112ce02fdf49ca> > to film > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038531775b3521c9e26836e05f030d84a58b25e4e759273feef7b6d3afd43a5fc17d255d49e360e9a6f9552b4275bd4a5a7>. > Find all of our spring arts guides here. > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038c01533b12db144512d0dbc2ed4be48d22d49d66d60710b77d55342631cc4f3dde9380cfbc1eedede791dc8dd5631310e> > > > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038e8eb621e841a933d9939bbc51dcbff2ba35ed3cc67c757d0a4ae0055d4f9153c0678f875ae9d36aaf6fc09148e541975> > Save The Date > > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038c36f0f04d293ef7a4e0e1b05769e1336a2182c277dfcf29eb03e591424a30652c59c346e680192ebd26cab717c77a032> > 3/19 @ 7 p.m. | Ones to Watch Short Film Festival > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038c36f0f04d293ef7a4e0e1b05769e1336a2182c277dfcf29eb03e591424a30652c59c346e680192ebd26cab717c77a032> > Join us for an evening of screenings of short films created by local > filmmakers: Shaun Clarke, Maria Servellón, Brittany Severance, Sarah Wisner > and Sean Temple. Following the films, WBUR film critic Sean Burns moderates a > conversation about their craft, the challenges of making and financing movies > and how to build an audience. Read more. > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038c36f0f04d293ef7a4e0e1b05769e1336a2182c277dfcf29eb03e591424a30652c59c346e680192ebd26cab717c77a032> > Play: WBUR's daily mini crossword. > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a03875cf0bf021ef9a750e5c2809565be7c80c5134e3986a4181052f3d61a0bf589c0b493877bf4cfbc3336bde6c5ec52ad1> > Can you keep your streak going? > Before you go: Sorry I'm late, the militiamen were passing through. > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a03851162c247a298b56987d8ce344933fe8190eff3242225aa42ebfc98047bfa85bc4bdb998a9e34ce938d8489545d057bd> > 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up here > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038b50dd1f04733345317d57c1160a504c6449be4d77cb5fe5da723745504ec3fa892ff7d687a0ddeac59d09a689854fa63>. > 🔎 Explore WBUR's Field Guide > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038c8568da8bf4e43da1eab42bb98a9975e5a616b3a7bf7e6bc7de349cf6be05fc76dea7db79aac34b6293453711a83b527> > stories, events and more. > 📣 Give us your feedback: newslett...@wbur.org <mailto:newslett...@wbur.org> > 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. 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Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial > newsletters here > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038d11940bf5cd2b1da2b5dd4790db24901932bc764e51f4dd6638a844ca0b7f8f92c4af89bafddfcdc2bc377bad169110a5770fbc79746342d>. > > > Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? Click here > <https://click.email.wbur.org/?qs=b26de89251e4a038ee61f9da13b26a16f71a4e040bc4896c43a3f1ba5e8f059e00d7fd2db310ac3744cd80a1457fde129b923ec2b45206c4>. > Trustees of Boston University on behalf of WBUR, 890 Commonwealth Ave Boston, > MA, 02215, US Copyright 2025 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.
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