William Dawes, (sculpture).

William Dawes, (sculpture).

McGeer, W., sculptor.

Mason and Frey, landscape architect.

T. F. McGann & Sons Company, founder.

William Dawes, (sculpture).

Route of William Dawes, (sculpture).

Dedicated April 19, 1975.

Digital Reference:

Relief plaque: bronze; Base: granite; Sidewalk: concrete and bronze.

Relief plaque: approx. 3/4 x 24 x 24 in.; Base: approx. 41 x 24 x 24 in.; Sidewalk: approx. W. 48 in. x L. 112 ft.

(On relief plaque:) ROUTE OF WILLIAM DAWES/PAST THIS PLACE AT MIDNIGHT, APRIL 18-19, 1775,/RODE AT THE GALLOP WILLIAM DAWES, MEMBER OF/THE ANCIENT & HONORABLE ARTILLERY COMPANY/AND FIRST RIDER TO ALERT THE MINUTEMEN THAT/THE BRITISH WERE MARCHING ON LEXINGTON AND/CONCORD./SPONSORED BY THE DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM DAWES/ROUTE OF/WILLIAM DAWES/HANOVER STREET,/BOSTON,/TO LEXINGTON (On lower left side of relief plaque:) W. McGeer (Sidewalk is embedded with bronze letters:) ROUTE OF WILLIAM DAWES TO LEXINGTON, APRIL 18-19, 1776 signed

The route that patriot William Dawes took from Boston to Lexington on April 18-19, 1775 to warn of the advancing British troops is symbolized with a concrete sidewalk embedded with twenty-seven bronze horse shoes. A nearby granite marker contains is bronze relief plaque with a topographical map illustrating the route Dawes took to warn that the British were marching on Lexington and Concord.

History -- United States -- Revolution

Object -- Written Matter -- Map

Homage -- Dawes, William

Outdoor Sculpture -- Massachusetts -- Cambridge

Administered by City of Cambridge, Public Works Department, 147 Hampshire Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139

Located Cambridge Common, Corner of Massachusetts Avenue & Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts

On April 18, 1775, both Paul Revere and William Dawes were sent on different routes to warn of the advancing British. Dawes was to saunter past the British sentries in Boston and then ride to Roxbury, and on to Cambridge, where he removed planks of the Great Bridge in order to slow the progress of the British. From Cambridge he continued to Menotomy (now known as Arlington), and on to Lexington and Concord. The memorial was erected by members of the Dawes family who contributed $10,000 in funding. The relief plaque was created by W. McGeer and the bronze horseshoes were cast at T. F. McGann & Sons Company. For additional information see also the Cambridge Chronicle, April 17, 1975 and April 24, 1975.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Massachusetts survey, 1997.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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