Powderhouse

According to the First colonial map from 1722 by John Bonner at the top of this hill was gunpowder storage during the Siege of Boston. A brick was found by archaeologists in the remaining foundations of the 1706 Powder House that stood on the central hill of Boston Common. The Powder House held the town's reserve of gunpowder safely away from its residents and buildings. Two men guarded it at night and on holidays. Today, the hill is near the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.

In September of 1774 the colonial spy network of messengers and observers was tested when the British seized the gunpower stored in a similar tower in Somerville. By the time the militias responded it was too late. The Powder Alarm provided a trial run for both sides and showed both the advantages and the deficiencies of the alarm system that Paul Revere helped establish. That failed trial run helped them be better prepared for the next call – which happened on April 18,1775 and worked exactly as expected to protect the supplies in Concord as well as warn Hancock and Adams of imminent arrest.

(For more details on gunpower look up Somerville Powder House Square and Battle of Lexington/Concord)

-Source Links-

https://www.boston.gov/departments/archaeology/boston-common-archaeology

https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/119004

https://bostonarchaeo.omeka.net/collections/show/13

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/paul-reveres-ride-legends-myths-and-realities#:~:text=of%20occupied%20Boston.-,As%20a%20courier,-%2C%20Revere%20realized%20the

Map - https://contrib.pbslearningmedia.org/WGBH/rttt12/rttt12_int_boston1723/index.html

Map - https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/siege-of-boston-map.htm