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Powder Alarm

1774 in Massachusetts1774 in the Thirteen Colonies1775 in the Thirteen Colonies18th century in BostonAmerican Revolutionary War
Battles and conflicts without fatalitiesBoston campaignHistory of the Thirteen ColoniesMassachusetts in the American Revolution
SomervillePowderhouse1935
SomervillePowderhouse1935

The Powder Alarm was a major popular reaction to the removal of gunpowder from a magazine by British soldiers under orders from General Thomas Gage, royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, on September 1, 1774. In response to this action, amid rumors that blood had been shed, alarm spread through the countryside to Connecticut and beyond, and American Patriots sprang into action, fearing that war was at hand. Thousands of militiamen began streaming toward Boston and Cambridge, and mob action forced Loyalists and some government officials to flee to the protection of the British Army. Although it proved to be a false alarm, the Powder Alarm caused political and military leaders to proceed more carefully in the days ahead, and essentially provided a "dress rehearsal" for the Battles of Lexington and Concord seven and a half months later. Furthermore, actions on both sides to control weaponry, gunpowder, and other military supplies became more contentious, as the British sought to bring military stores more directly under their control, and the Patriot colonists sought to acquire them for their own use.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Powder Alarm (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Powder Alarm
Broadway, Somerville

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Wikipedia: Powder AlarmContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

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N 42.400055555556 ° E -71.116222222222 °
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Address

The Old Powder House

Broadway 838
02144 Somerville
Massachusetts, United States
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SomervillePowderhouse1935
SomervillePowderhouse1935
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Nearby Places

Ball Square
Ball Square

Ball Square is a neighborhood primarily in Somerville, Massachusetts, but also extending into Medford, at the intersection of Boston Avenue and Broadway, located between Powder House Square and Magoun Square. It is primarily a residential area with a handful of shops and restaurants along Broadway. Located on the edge of the neighborhood surrounding Tufts University, Ball Square contains a mix of businesses serving the student and academic populations as well as those reflecting the more blue-collar neighborhoods to the east. These establishments include Kelly's Diner, Sound Bites, and Ball Square Cafe, all popular for breakfast; True Grounds, a coffee shop; Taco Party, Lyndell's Bakery; House of Kebab, an Indian restaurant; and Avenue Kitchen and Bar. The Brown School, opened in 1900, is located on Willow Avenue and serves the neighborhood's children from kindergarten to fifth grade. It's the only K-5 school in the Somerville School District. Ball Square was formerly the site of the storied Willow Jazz Club. In the 1990s, a fire destroyed several commercial businesses on Broadway, and as those businesses were replaced, an economic transformation began that continues today, with long-time businesses such as Lyndell's Bakery, which dates to the 19th century, along the same stretch as Ball Square Fine Wines and Liquor, a high-end wine shop, KenkoDo Clinic, an Acupuncture and wellness clinic, Amal Niccoli Salon, Salon Cu and Lindsay Griffin, hair salons to name a few of many businesses. Ball Square is a planned stop on the Green Line as part of the MBTA's anticipated extension of the surface rail line.