Panel & Progressive Event
Paul Revere: A Man of Many Occupations
Speakers: Patrick Leehey, Rob Martello, Nan Wolverton
Co-sponsored by the Paul Revere House
Today Paul Revere is a household name. He is heralded as the ultimate patriot, the blue-collar hero who rose above his station to serve as messenger of the Revolution, most famously on the night preceding the first battle of the War for Independence by arranging for the signal lanterns displayed in Old North Church. Most Americans attribute the same level of importance to him as to George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. But how many know how multi-talented and complex Revere actually was? This one man personifies the transformation of the working world in America through his various occupations. These included silversmith, engraver, dentist, hardware merchant, bell and cannon founder, and sheet-copper manufacturer. Our panelists will discuss Revere as patriot, craftsman, metallurgist, and early American industrialist in order to place him in context with his colonial compatriots and to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his death.
After the panel and discussion, join us for a short walk to the Paul Revere House for a reception in their new Visitor Center. Enjoy a glass of wine while you explore the new exhibit on Paul Revere’s working life.
Patrick M. Leehey is Research Director at the Paul Revere House, where he has been on the professional staff for over thirty years. Pat attended the University of Massachusetts at Boston, where he received a B.A. in history, and Northeastern University, where he received an M.A. in history and a Certificate in Museum Studies. From 1986 to 1988, Pat served as co-curator of the award-winning exhibition Paul Revere -- Artisan, Businessman and Patriot: The Man Behind the Myth, installed at the Museum of Our National Heritage in Lexington, Massachusetts in 1988-89. Leehey has written numerous articles and publications and has lectured widely on topics related to Paul Revere, the Colonial and Revolutionary War eras, and the history of Boston in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Dr. Robert Martello is a Professor of the History of Science and Technology and the Associate Dean for Curriculum and Academic Programs at Olin College. A graduate of MIT’s program in the History and Social Study of Science and Technology, he is the author of Midnight Ride, Industrial Dawn: Paul Revere and the Growth of American Enterprise, a study of Revere’s multifaceted manufacturing career and of his many national impacts in pioneering America’s transition into the industrial age. He is now researching Benjamin Franklin's printing and business endeavors, and he regularly lectures on Revere and Franklin, our “Founding Makers,” for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Professor Martello’s NSF-sponsored research, engineering education publications, and faculty development workshops explore connections between interdisciplinary integration, faculty teaming, student motivation, and project-based learning.
Nan Wolverton is the Director of Fellowships at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, MA, where she also serves as Director of the Center for Historic American Visual Culture. Nan earned her PhD in American Studies from the University of Iowa. She has published and lectured widely on material and visual culture topics, including on Revere’s prints. Nan has served as a Lecturer in American Studies and Art History at Smith College. She is a former Curator of Decorative Arts at Old Sturbridge Village, and she has served as collections consultant to many museums in New England including the Emily Dickinson Museum, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum, and the Nichols House Museum on Beacon Hill. She is currently co-curating with her AAS colleague Lauren Hewes a traveling exhibition to open in 2019 on Paul Revere as an artisan in Revolutionary Boston.
