April 19, 1775, is a date that will forever hold a place of supreme importance in American history and lore. The first shots on Lexington Green, the brave stand at Concord’s North Bridge and the redcoat’s bloody retreat towards Boston are all memories of that day; however, there is more to the story. In fact, the bloodiest and fiercest fighting occurred late in the day centered around a private home in Menotomy (Arlington), Massachusetts: the Jason Russell House.
History
Jason Russell was a successful farmer in Menotomy when he built his home in the early 1740s. History would have likely never heard of this house (and it probably would not be standing to this day) if it weren’t for the events that unfolded on the afternoon of April 19, 1775.
Following the initial fight on Lexington Green and the somewhat unsuccessful raid on the town of Concord, the British regulars struggled through an exhausting and deadly retreat towards the safety of Boston. Thousands of colonial militiamen from surrounding towns answered the alarm (following the first shots of the war that morning) and had been following and harassing the British regulars.
The return march to Boston brought the British force through Menotomy and right by the Jason Russell House just as hundreds of angry militiamen descended upon the town.
A swift and violent warfare against the populace continued across the Massachusetts countryside, as British General Hugh Percy ordered the houses along the way cleared of potential snipers, raided and burned.
Around 5pm, the colonial militia began to muster at the house of Jason Russell where they took a defensive position behind stone walls on the property and prepared to assault the King’s troops. Jason Russell, at 59 years old and considered lame, had brought his wife and children to the safety of a nearby house. When he returned, he was undoubtedly surprised by the growing chaos; however, he prepared to defend his home in the impending onslaught. As the British troops barreled down the Bay Road, a group of attacking militia were flanked and quickly retreated towards the Jason Russell House- the desperate fight at Menotomy had begun.
The furious and well-trained British regulars quickly routed the colonial militia and used their deadly bayonet to clear out the houses. Jason Russell would be killed that day- he was shot twice and stabbed by bayonet 11 times at the doorway of his home. The regulars raided the home and killed everyone they found- only eight militiamen survived. These men retreated to the basement of the Russell house, pointed their guns up the stairs and after a brief firefight, were left alone.
After the smoke cleared and the regulars marched out of town, 12 men lay dead in the Jason Russell House. When Elizabeth Russell returned home, she found her husband and the 11 others dead- they were laid side-by-side in the kitchen in “ankle-deep blood.” The farmer’s hearth and home had been spattered with blood and the American Revolution had begun.
Interesting Facts
- The blood stains were said to have visible on the house’s wooden floors until 1863, when they were replaced
- The Russell family lived in the house until 1896
- The Arlington Historical Society acquired the house in 1923. In 1974, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places
Our Visit & Recommendations
We visited the Jason Russell House (7 Jason Street, Arlington, MA) on a cool and sunny October weekend and were thrilled to explore the historic residence. Before you visit, be sure to check the operating hours. The house is open for tours daily (except Mondays and Fridays) from 1-4pm, but only from mid-April to October. Additionally, there is a $5 entrance fee for adults and a $2 entrance fee for children (we recommend bringing cash).
The attached Smith Museum, which has many artifacts and exhibits devoted to Arlington’s history, can be viewed before or after the house tour. When you’re ready, let the friendly staff know and they will take you on the brief, though informative Jason Russell House tour.
The tour begins in the kitchen, which is perhaps the most famous room of the house. It was in this room that Elizabeth Russell came home to find her husband and 11 others laid out after being killed by British soldiers. Today, it is furnished with period tables, chairs, and everyday household tools. The bare wood and simplicity of the room reveals the lifestyle of the times.
While you are in this space, be sure to catch a glimpse of the entrance to the basement. Here you can see original bullet holes from April 19, 1775 (you will also get a chance to see these from the staircase that leads to the second floor).
The second floor is included with the tour along with a few stories and experiences of neighboring houses and families that were also attacked on April 19. One such house, that is no longer standing, was the home of Deacon Joseph Adams (a distant relative of Samuel and John Adams).
The house of Deacon Adams was not immune from the British raid. In front of his wife and six children (the Deacon had fled), British regulars stole the valuable communion silver that the Deacon had stored in a dresser, despite protestations from some of the children. Furthermore, the troops stole the valuable inner workings and facing from a grandfather clock that was in the Adams’ household. Both of these pieces are now on display in the Russell house.
When you’re done with the house tour, I highly recommend heading over to Arlington’s Old Burying Ground, located two blocks away at 670 Peg Spengler Way. This burying ground was established in 1732 and is the final resting place for many patriots of Arlington (formerly Menotomy). This includes the gravesites for Jason Russell, his wife, and other patriots who died on April 19, 1775 (to include Jason Winship and Jabez Wyman).
Adjacent to Jason Russell and his wife’s original headstones is a small obelisk monument, which was erected in 1941 in honor of the men who lost their lives on April 19th and other soldiers from the American Revolution who are buried there. If you walk around the monument, you will find Jason and Elizabeth Russell’s headstones.
Against the low stone wall at the back of the cemetery, you will also notice one or two British flags planted in the ground. Although there is no grave marker, this is believed to be the general location where two British soldiers, who were killed nearby on April 19, 1775, are buried. It is wild to think that Jason Russell (killed by British soldiers) is buried a stones throw from two of those soldiers.
After taking the tour and visiting the cemetery, we headed over to the Menotomy Grill & Tavern for lunch. While not a historic tavern, they offer an awesome menu of lunch and dinner items and a great drink menu. I tried the Vietnamese pork sausage bahn mi, which was remarkably good (they’re dog friendly on their patio too!).
Legacy
The Jason Russell House tour really expanded my understanding of what happened on the first day of the American Revolution. While the events that unfolded in Lexington and Concord are (rightfully) very well known and studied, it is equally important to know, understand and learn about the events that took place in and around Menotomy (today’s Arlington), Massachusetts.
Hanging on the wall of the upstairs bedroom in the Jason Russell House is a poem written by James G. Keenan. This poem encapsulates the spirit of that day in 1775.
Menotomy, 1775
It was not only at Concord Bridge, nor yet at Lexington Green, that heroes showed on that April day, when Patriots stood between a monarch’s greed and the freemen’s rights, devised from the sire to the son; Menotomy, too, had part in the fray and grief when the day was done.
Menotomy’s plain was a field of war, when the British came in retreat; and the red-coat toll which her townsmen took had a place in a King’s defeat. And the lives which her townsmen gave that day were theirs to withhold or give; they craved no praise, but to us it falls, to see that their fame shall live.
We pluck no leaf from another’s wreath, deduct no word from his due; but our own are our own and we ask that they shall share in the honor, too. When the battlefields of that day are name- remember that there are three: Lexington Green, and Concord Bridge, and the Plain of Menotomy.”
James G. Keenan