Paul Revere's Foundry and Mill
Entrepreneurship and Craftsmanship in the American Republic
The Revere We Remember
Paul Revere is most famous today for his Midnight Ride on April 18, 1775, that informed Massachusetts colonists of incoming British regular forces and Samuel Adams and John Hancock of their potential arrest. Revere was active in the cause of colonial freedom, and was a vocal proponent of American self-government as a republic. Despite his revolutionary activities, his story and legend would not become popularized until Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned his 1860 poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride.”
Creamer, ca. 1755-1765, marked “P.REVERE” Photo © Jim Smalley
Revere is also celebrated for his work as a silversmith and for his skills as an artisan. His silver continues to be widely collected and exhibited, while his political engravings are still seen as powerful (if not always accurate) representations that drove the cause of independence.
The mental image that many have of Paul Revere today is that of a skilled craftsman and as an example of middle-class leadership in the American Revolution. Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to visit Revere’s house each year to see the famous Patriot’s home and to view his artistic accomplishments in silverwork.
Beyond his revolutionary activities and silver practice, Paul Revere’s business career after the American Revolution is often overlooked. For many Bostonians during his life, however, Revere would have been most recognized for his businesses or his Masonic activities. Following the Revolutionary War’s conclusion, Revere ascended the Masonic ranks, becoming Grand Master of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge. He also opened a series of businesses that transformed him from an artisan to an early American industrialist and entrepreneur.
Revere & Son Foundry
As a silversmith, Revere was part of an informal economic class called the mechanics. Rather than our current understanding of people who work on complex machines, mechanics at that time were middle to lower-middle class artisans who were skilled in a particular craft. Using the money he obtained from his silversmith shop and other odd jobs, Revere was one of several mechanics who evolved from a craftsman to an entrepreneur during the early republic.
Diorama of Paul Revere's silver shop at the Paul Revere House Education and Visitors Center
Of the myriad projects Revere worked on through his life, his iron foundry and copper mill were instrumental in his ascent to an early American industrialist. The foundry acquainted him with the basic metallurgical principles that would become crucial to his even greater successes in copper rolling.
Originally based in the North End (highlighted in red), Revere’s foundry began by producing materials for shipbuilding, such as nails and fittings, before developing the ability to produce more recognizable items like bells and canons.
The foundry was originally located at No. 13 Lynn Street, right across from the wharves at the top of the North End.
Revere & Son Bells
"I have made the most improvements in that Branch of Metallurgy of any man in this State, if not in the United States” (Paul Revere to Harrison Gray Otis, March 1800).
Bells were a central aspect of colonial life carried over from England, and were especially important for churches and government buildings. Before the colonies had the technical skill to produce bells on a large-scale, they were often imported from England or created in small numbers. Several important buildings in Boston, including Christ Church and King’s Chapel, possessed large bells that Revere studied for potential re-creation. Bells were expected to have particular qualities, especially tonality, that were difficult to recreate and master. While Revere’s first bells may not have met the highest of standards, his foundry eventually became adept in the techniques needed to make high-quality bells. Revere produced various types and sizes of bells, from large bells for churches and government buildings to smaller bells that could be used on ships.
1807 advertisement in the Massachusetts Spy.
Revere’s foundry produced bells for many churches throughout New England during his life, and his family continued his legacy by maintaining production after his death. Many of these bells are held by the same churches that purchased them in the late 1700s and early 1800s, and others have remained in their original town following church mergers and new communities being formed.
This map, compiled from original research by Edward and Evelyn Stickney, shows the location of over 80 Revere & Son bells as of 1976. While the bells may have moved as individual churches merged or changed location, many remain in the towns that have housed them for nearly 200 years.
Map of bells produced by Revere & Son
Revere & Son bell housed in the courtyard of the Paul Revere House
The 900-pound bronze bell that now resides in the Revere House courtyard was cast in 1804 by Paul Revere and Son. It was sold in 1805 to the East Parish Church in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. It is one of only 25 bells known to exist which were cast during Revere’s personal involvement at the foundry. In 1811 at the age of 76, Revere ended his active partnership in his family businesses, passing the day-to-day operations on to his son and grandson. Still he remained an interested participant. Regarding a bell cast in 1816 that still rings each Sunday in Boston’s King’s Chapel, Revere wrote it was “the sweetest bell we ever made.” Between 1792 and 1843, the Revere foundry cast over 900 bells of all sizes.
The charts below utilize the same data as the map above. The first chart displays the year that each bell in the dataset was sold, and the second shows the state where each bell was located at the time. While much of the bell production occurred after Revere’s retirement, this highlights the earlier production that allowed the foundry to perfect its techniques prior to 1811. The second chart highlights the spread of these bells throughout New England, with the vast majority existing in Massachusetts (which included Maine until 1820), Vermont, and New Hampshire.
1805 advertisement for Revere & Son Foundry
Advertisements like this highlight the developments that were made while Revere was still overseeing his operations. As the foundry started producing bolts and other shipbuilding materials, it evolved to compete with imported European goods. Beyond bells, the foundry’s mortar production gave Revere experience in another major market in the United States. In the early 1800s, the United States undertook the construction of warships that would constitute the U.S. Navy. Revere provided numerous materials for these projects and other shipbuilding activities in the Boston area.
The Copper Rolling Mill
Revere's presence in the copper industry led to his final entrepreneurial project, opening the first copper rolling mill in the United States. This project was perhaps even more central to the Navy’s creation and sustainability, as ships needed sheets of rolled copper to plate their hulls. While Revere was not the first person in the United States to attempt this industrial process, he was the first to succeed. The metallurgical knowledge Revere needed to produce copper sheets was developed through his other businesses, especially via his iron foundry.
Sources
The data for this project was taken from the list of Revere & Son bells created by Paul and Evelyn Stuckney in 1976. The list they created was uploaded into Microsoft Excel, and location data (Latitude and Longitude) for each city was obtained from Google Maps.
“Church Bells.” Massachusetts Spy. October 28, 1807.
Martello, Robert. “Paul Revere’s Last Ride: The Road to Rolling Copper.” Journal of the Early Republic 20, no. 2 (2000): 219–239. https://doi.org/10.2307/3124702 .
“Paul Revere & Son.” Columbian Centinel. April 3, 1805.
“Paul Revere & Sons.” Columbian Centinel & Massachusetts Federalist. February 21, 1801.
Paul Revere Memorial Association. Paul Revere-Artisan, Businessman, and Patriot: The Man Behind the Myth. Boston, Mass.: Paul Revere Memorial Association, 1988.
Stickney, Edward; Stickney, Evelyn. "Paul Revere Bells - 1793-1828" . Unitarian Universalist Church of Kennebunk. Kennebunk, Maine.
Images
Midnight Ride: https://www.paulreverehouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/ride-own-words-1.jpg
Creamer: https://www.paulreverehouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/three-creamer.jpg
Copley Portrait of Revere: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:J_S_Copley_-_Paul_Revere.jpg
1801 Revere & Son Advertisement: https://www.paulreverehouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Revere-Ad-1801.jpg
1805 Revere & Son Advertisement: https://www.paulreverehouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Revere-Ad-1805.jpg
1807 Church Bells Advertisement: https://www.paulreverehouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Revere-Ad-1807.jpg
Saint-Mémin Portrait of Revere: https://www.paulreverehouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PaulRevereImageOurs.jpeg
Silver shop diorama: https://www.paulreverehouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/SilversmithDioramaFullBW.jpg
Carleton, Osgood. A plan of Boston: from actual survey. [Boston?: s.n., ?, 1805] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2011589290/.
Paul Revere House Bell: https://www.paulreverehouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Bell.jpg
