Lexington 250 Celebration
Continue the Revolution


Welcome! In recognition of the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, First Parish invites you to the installation at 3 Harrington Road to see how, through our shared values and acts of love, we intend to continue working to create a more just, equitable, and sustainable world. We welcome you to spend time here and reflect how you might also “Continue the Revolution” that began in 1775.
Why have we created the “Continue the Revolution” installation?
First Parish has stood on Lexington Green since 1692 and was part of the history we celebrate on April 19. In the open space where the installation is located once stood the home of parishioners Daniel and Anna Harrington. In 1769 Anna invited dozens of Lexington women to join her here in a spinning match, a form of silent protest against British taxation. Daniel was among the men of Captain John Parker’s company who met the British on Lexington Green on April 19, 1775.
We celebrate the ideals for which our forebears fought, and our Unitarian Universalist faith also calls us to remember what remains unfinished. At the time of the battle, Indigenous people and women had no rights. Some of the men who fought that day as well as others in Lexington enslaved African Americans, and no one considered rights such as accessibility, inclusion, and protection from climate change.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, Daniel and Anna Harrington, other members of First Parish, their neighbors, and some whom they enslaved put their values into action and sparked a revolution. Join us as we again put our values into action to continue what they began and work toward a more just, equitable, and sustainable world.

With a revolutionary spirit and our love-based values, we invite you to affirm, protect, sustain, and repair the Interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part and address the causes and effects of climate change.

We fought in the American Revolution (which) to put an end to the rule of Kings on this land, and gave land-owning males the power of the vote. Today, affirming our equity-based values, we declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish.

The American Revolution foretold the promise of our nation becoming one “of, for, and by the people.” Our value of “transformation” calls us to adapt to the changing world. We continue to expand our understanding of “the people,” including all people, so that our nation can live up to this ideal.

Today we celebrate the spirit of the Declaration of Independence by affirming that we are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience and theology. In love, we embrace our differences and commonalities and seek to learn from one another through our free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

The American Revolution called for many acts of selflessness and generosity. Today we are called to freely and compassionately share our presence and resources, and affirm caring relationships, as we evolve toward an inclusive democracy.

The American Revolution ended an oppressive social and economic system for some. Today we work to establish diverse multicultural communities where all can thrive. Through the democratic process, we aim to dismantle racism and other forms of systemic oppression, in the pursuit of liberty and justice for ALL.
This project was created by the 3 Harrington Task Force appointed by the board of the First Parish Church Lexington.