Downtown in Boston in Suffolk County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
Victims of the Boston Massacre
Samuel Gray
Samuel Maverick
James Caldwell
Crispus Attucks
and
Patrick Carr
Victims of the Boston Massacre,
March 5th, 1770,
were here interred by order of the
Town of Boston.
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Here also lies buried the body of
Christopher Snider
Aged 12 years,
Killed February 22nd, 1770
The innocent victim of the
struggles between the Colonists and
the Crown, which resulted in
Independence.
Erected 1906 by Daughters of the American Revolution, Boston Chapter.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Colonial Era • Notable Events. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Revolution series list. A significant historical date for this entry is February 22, 1770.
Location. 42° 21.442′ N, 71° 3.677′ W. Marker is in Boston, Massachusetts, in Suffolk County. It is in Downtown. Marker is on Tremont Street, on the left when traveling north. Marker is along the walking trail in Granary Burying Ground, in the front of the cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Boston MA 02108, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Samuel Adams (here, next to this marker); John Smibert (a few steps from this marker); John Phillips (a few steps from this marker); Granary Burial Ground (a few steps from this marker); Granary Burying Ground (a few steps from this marker); Paul Revere Buried in this Ground (a few steps from this marker); Josiah and Abiah Franklin (within shouting distance of this marker); Tremont Temple (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Boston.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Take a tour of the markers found along the walking trail in Boston’s Granary Burying Ground.
Also see . . .
1. Boston Massacre. Excerpt:
The mob taunted the soldiers, daring them to fire, while remaining somewhat secure in the widely held knowledge that the soldiers could not discharge their weapons within the city without prior authorization from a civil magistrate. At this juncture, someone in the crowd hurled a wooden club at the redcoats. Private Hugh Montgomery was struck and fell to the ground. As he regained his footing, someone — Montgomery, another soldier, or someone in the jeering mob — yelled, “Fire!” The redcoats did so. [Captain Thomas] Preston, who clearly had not given the order, ended the firing and tried to restore order. By that time, however, three colonists lay dead and two others mortally wounded; six others would later recover from their wounds.(Submitted on May 23, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
The Boston Massacre was, of course, not a “massacre,” in the classic sense. Samuel Adams and other propagandists, however, immediately capitalized on this incident, using it to fan colonial passions.
2. Christopher Snider, Murdered by a Loyalist. This page begins as excerpted below and continues with a reprint of the article in the February 26, 1770, edition of the Boston Evening Post
On February 22, 1770, a mob surrounded the home of a Loyalist informer, and threw stones that shattered his windows and struck his wife. He eventually fired a weapon from his window into the crowd, and 10-year old Christopher Snider was killed. Tensions in Boston were high preceding the Revolution, and after Snider's murder, the situation further erupted into violence on March 5th with the Boston Massacre event.(Submitted on February 12, 2022, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)
Ebenezer Richardson, the Loyalist, was eventually convicted of murder, but was pardoned by the King only two years later.
Engraving by Paul Revere (CC0 1.0) Public Domain, 1770
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 23, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 4,056 times since then and 91 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week February 13, 2022. Photos: 1. submitted on May 23, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 2. submitted on July 11, 2021, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 23, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 6. submitted on February 12, 2022, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 7. submitted on May 23, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.