The Church of Christ, long known as the Old North, has deep roots in North Boston. Although the history of the Old North is now considered a symbol of patriotic challenge, it reflects the deep divisions between the "Friends of Government" and the "Sons of Liberty" in revolutionary Boston.
The Old North, built in 1723, was more of an Anglican or official church of England than a confessional or puritan church. Although the Charter of 1692 required greater religious tolerance in Massachusetts, many Bostonians still feared the influence of the official Church of England. However, many wealthy merchants, officers, and skilled craftsmen were attracted to the "Old North". Stained glass windows, expensive benches and Georgian architecture formed a striking contrast to the simplicity of parish churches such as the Old South Meeting House.
Although the "Old North"is an Anglican church, it differs from other parishes of the Church of England in New England. While many Anglican churches were considered to be "conservative"or "loyal"the Church of Christ was divided. Political and financial conflicts tormented the Church to such an extent that on April 18, 1775, the Church’s pastor and faithful singer, Reverend Mather Byles Jr., entered the sanctuary the same night the Church’s Catholic, Robert Newman, and an ecclesiastical horseman (lay leader), John Pulling, to help the patriotic cause.
According to a report by Paul Revere, on the evening of April 18, 1775, he called a friend and asked him to give him the signs. This friend was John Pulling, and Pulling, with Robert Newman’s help, secretly answered Revere’s request. The signal had been given a few days earlier: one when regular British troops marched over land from Boston, two when they left by boat on the river. The Reverend wasn’t waiting for this signal. He repaired the signal because it would be the fastest and most reliable way to send a warning from Boston. After consultation with Pulling, Revere had to stop at his house, get on a boat and carefully row in front of a British warship to Charlestown. There were many occasions when Revere could be arrested or detained before getting on a horse.
After the lanterns were briefly hung, Pulling escaped from Boston to avoid arrest. Newman, who lived with his mother, had British soldiers as guests in his house. Newman had to leave through his bedroom window in order not to be discovered. The next day Newman was arrested and interrogated, but he was finally released. At the end of the same day, on 19 April 1775, there was a 20 mile long land battle in Massachusetts. The revolutionary war had begun partly because of the signs at the top of Christ’s church.
