Celebrate Quock Walker Day aka Massachusetts Emancipation Day with ABCL! Celebrate the 243rd Anniversary of Massachusetts Emancipation Day and hear how the Revolutionary War and the Black Patriots of Lexington and Massachusetts set the stage for Quock Walker’s judicial victories. His 1781 civil lawsuit for battery led to the 1783 criminal case that ended slavery...
We are looking forward to celebrating Quock Walker's Hike for Freedom on what is forecast to be a mild Saturday morning. Please note that onsite registration begins at 8 am.
Date: Saturday, July 11, 2026
Venue: Lexington Visitors Center Lawn, 1875 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA
What: Family-friendly hike on the ACROSS Lexington Route E(mancipation) Loop to commemorate Quock Walker’s journey from enslavement to employment in Barre, MA in April 1781.
Who: Quock (Kwaku) Walker was born on a Wednesday in 1753 to Mingo and Dinah. He self-emancipated and declared himself a yeoman in 1781. He bought property in Barre and got married in 1786.
Why: Quock Walker's legal victories in 1781 led to the 1783 Supreme Judicial Court case that abolished slavery in Massachusetts over 70 years before Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
During your journey across Route E(mancipation) you will pass by the foot of Belfry Hill where Venuse Roe was enslaved in the home of Jonas Roe. At about three years old, she was gifted to Smitheren Reed of Woburn District. And you will pass by Lexington Green where Prince Estabrook was injured during the Battle of Lexington at dawn of April 19, 1775. Private Prince Estabrook enlisted for several three year terms as an enslaved soldier of the Continental Army.
Venus Roe and Prince Estabrook were emancipated in 1783 in the wake of the third Quock Walker case, Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Nathaniel Jennison.
Come here the tribute to the small mare of 13 hands that accompanied Paul Revere on that fateful night of April 19, 1775 presented by Mitch Lapin. Mitch is an amateur historian and is currently concluding a review of the 402 church bells cast by Paul Revere and his son Joseph Warren Revere. This work...
On Saturday, May 16, the Lexington Visitors Center will host four separate tours as follows:
Tour 1: 9:00am – Features six Witness Houses and a visit to Hancock-Clarke House
Tour 2: 11:00am – Features seven Witness Houses and a visit to Munroe Tavern
Tour 3: 2:30pm – Features seven Witness Houses and a visit to Munroe Tavern
Tour 4: 4:00pm – Features six Witness Houses and a visit to the Hancock-Clarke House
Walking Tour Details:
All tours are Free of Charge.
All tours are 2.5 hours long.
Each tour includes a 30-minute visit to a Lexington History Museum.
Tours begin and end at the Lexington Visitors Center, 1875 Massachusetts Avenue.
Tours will start promptly at the appointed time. Arrive early!
Tours will be held rain or shine.
Space is Limited. Attendance is first-come, first-served.
Lexington Lunar New Year Lantern Festival returns on Sunday, March 1, 2026, bringing the community together for an afternoon and evening of light, creativity, and connection. The free, public event takes place at Cary Hall and marks both the seasonal transition from winter to spring and Lexington’s 250th anniversary. From 1:00–4:00 PM, families can enjoy...
Through a grant with the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, come celebrate and learn about Prince Estabrook, Eli Burdoo, and Pompey Fiske through newly released animated videos playing at the Lexington Visitors Center! On Monday, September 22 at 9:30 a.m. join Town of Lexington staff and historian Sean D. Osborne for an unveiling to celebrate the untold stories of important patriots.
