SAUGUS — The Historical Society stepped onto the Freedom Trail virtually with Peggy Belmonte, who portrayed Revolutionary War figure Sybil Ludington as she guided them through different sections of the trail.
Belmonte, now retired, had always dreamed of being a tour guide. At 80 years old, she has been studying to give tours on the Freedom Trail this summer.
Historical Society President Laura Eisener provided photos throughout the meeting that she took while walking the trail.
Belmonte started the tour at Boston Common, telling the audience about William Blackstone (also spelled Blaxton), who arrived with the early pilgrims.
“He saw the peninsula in Boston, the common area, and he said, ‘That is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.’ So he decided that he was going to live there,” she said.
Blackstone planted the first apple trees in the area and lived there for four years. Belmonte noted that Blackstone used to ride around on a white bull and left for Rhode Island when too many people began moving into the area.
“A lot of people don’t know that they had hangings in the Boston Common… And if you go over there and take your grandchildren… to play in the playground, that’s where they had the hangings, so don’t bring any pails and shovels. (You) never know what you’re going to find.” Belmonte joked.
Next on the tour was the State House, which Belmonte explained used to include John Hancock’s old house.
“He built a beautiful mansion there. Now, he was a very rich man, and he did a lot for the revolution. He thought it would be a nice thing if every governor could have that home overlooking the common… But what happened was he never put it in his will, and Massachusetts thought it was too expensive after he died, and the family wanted to sell it… So it was torn down,” she said.
Belmonte also pointed out the main doors to the house, noting that only the president or a foreign head of state is allowed to walk through them.
“The governor can go out those doors when finished with their term,” she said.
The tour then reached Park Street Church, which, for 50 years, stood as the tallest building.
“They were always really, really good to the community… They’ve done that for over 200 years. They had the first Sunday school ever. They had a mission that went to Hawaii, and this is in the 1800s… They helped get prisoners on their feet… And they’re also the first place to sing the song ‘America,'” she said.
Belmonte asked if anyone knew the song, and many more nodded yes when she said the lyrics ‘My country, ’tis of thee.’ The rest of the audience sang along.
Belmonte went through the tour, one landmark at a time, before explaining who Sybil Ludington was, after bringing up Paul Revere.
“She was the girl Paul Revere,” she said.
Belmonte explained that Ludington, at just 16, went on a 40-mile ride to warn the surrounding areas that “the regulars” were coming. She noted that “regulars” was used instead of “British” because, at the time, they were all British, and it would have caused confusion.
“Sybil used to help watch out for spies because they were always after her dad (Colonel Henry Ludington). One time, she actually lit candles in every room… And when the British were coming, they would think it was a whole bunch of Patriots in there, and it kept them away,” she said.
The nearby town of Danbury, Connecticut, was being burned down, and it’s believed that Ludington’s father asked her to go warn his militia. She rode through rain and mud, banging on doors with a stick and sneaking past robbers to gather the militia.
“She got to a place called Carmel… And there (were) about 400 troops there waiting for her because once you bang on one house, somebody’s going to bang on another,” Belmonte said.
Though Danbury had suffered major losses, the troops were able to drive the British back onto their ships.
“Some of this just hits you so hard,” Belmonte said at the end of her presentation. “And that’s why I do it. I want to do this because I love my country, and I know we all do.”
