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“William Dawes’s Midnight Ride” with William Dawes Schulz
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Description
While Longfellow cast Paul Revere as a lone hero in his 1860 poem “Paul Revere’s Ride,” history lovers have stood up for the other rider who carried news from Boston that night, William Dawes, since at least the 1890s. This talk will explore the life and the Midnight Ride of William Dawes.
Bill Schulz is a former cable news correspondent/co-host, a totally licensed NYC Tour Guide, and longtime contributor for publications including the New York Times, New York magazine, The Daily Beast, Maxim, New York Daily News, and Reader’s Digest. Schulz is also the 7th great-grandson of the Patriot William Dawes. In his words, “Truly, generating publicity for his long-forgotten ancestor/midnight-rider is the ONLY hobby this bitter journalist has.”
This lecture is presented as a part of Paul Revere Memorial Association's 2025 Lowell Lecture series, “Whose Midnight Ride? Reflections on the 250th Anniversary of the Famous Ride.” On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere and William Dawes set out from Boston with information to convey to key Patriot leaders and to local Patriot militiamen. The story of the “Midnight Ride,” on the eve of the Revolutionary War, has been told and retold over the past two and a half centuries, both as a historical event and as a national legend. The 2025 Lowell Lecture Series will share perspectives on the events of April 18, the various participants, and on what it means to people looking back on the ride today.
Lectures take place on Tuesdays, September 16 and 30 and October 21 and 28 at 6:30-7:45 pm. Lectures are free to the public and can be watched online at youtube.com/gbhforumnetwork and in person at Smith Commons (5th floor), Sargent Hall, Suffolk University, 120 Tremont Street. The lectures will be recorded and available after the fact.
Presented in partnership with GBH, the Suffolk University History Department, Old North Illuminated, Lexington History Museums, Evanston History Center at the Charles Gates Dawes House (Evanston, IL), and Made by Us, with funding from the Lowell Institute.
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