~ Revere History ~ President George Washington’s Little Known Brief Journey Through Revere in 1789

By John J. Henry

Two hundred and thirty-six years ago, in 1789, the Town of Chelsea (now Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop) had a total population of 472 residents, with a majority of the population living in the Revere section of the town near the current Revere City Hall. At that time the Revere section of Chelsea was predominantly a farming community consisting of approximately 30 homesteads. Also, in those days, the northernmost section of Revere was known as the “Pan Handle,” due to the peculiar geographical shape of the land extending from current North Revere along a long narrow half-mile-wide corridor extending four miles in length all the way to South Reading (now Wakefield). It consisted of one thousand acres with only five homesteads.

In 1789, following his inauguration as the first President of the United States, George Washington, “The Father of Our Country,” decided to take a road trip traveling to the then 13 colonies, in an effort to unify the new states into a new nation. Historian Nathaniel Philbrick describes Washington’s long journey, by the former commander in chief of the Continental Army as using his prominence, prestige and leadership to convince newly minted Americans to put aside their parochial colonial past and move forward as citizens of a new nation.

To achieve his objective Washington used his star power to reassure the citizens of the new nation that they were on the right path. Washington took his show on the road, traveling on horseback and by carriage along rutted dirt roads and across rising rivers to bring his message directly to the citizens in every village and town that he visited along the way. Washington often dressed in his most impressive Continental Army uniform and rode on his favorite white stallion into the villages and towns that he visited — always greeted by cheering citizens. During his journey, Washington spoke of his hopes for the new nation and how he needed the support of every citizen to make the new nation a reality.

President Washington arrived in Boston on October 24, 1789, and for five long days and nights of orations, receptions and parades, received the cheers, admiration and devotion of the citizens of Boston. The president departed the Town of Boston on October 29, 1789, and moved on, escorted by a detachment of the Boston Corps of Horse, traveling through Charlestown and Medford and then proceeding into the Town of Malden, traveling along Salem Street with his entourage.

During the early days of the Colonial era, the boundaries between each town were not clearly delineated, so on October 29, 1789, unbeknownst to the President of the United States, he departed from the Town of Malden and entered the North Revere section of the Town of Chelsea, at the present location of the combined Malden/Revere fire station on Salem Street. Like President Washington, the then residents of the “Pan Handle” were also totally unaware that the President of the United States was briefly passing along Salem Street, via the “Pan Handle,” through their sparsely populated neighborhood and into Lynn (now Saugus) on his journey to Salem and Marblehead.

Although history does not record Washington’s passage through North Revere, based upon the unusual length and width of the “Pan Handle,” in direct proximity to the Town of Lynn (now Saugus), President Washington could not have entered the Town of Lynn, (now Saugus) without first passing through the North Revere section of the Town of Chelsea. From there, according to Saugus historians, Washington then made a brief stop at the “Rising Sun Tavern,” then located at the intersection of what is now Lincoln Avenue and Ballard Street, Saugus, before moving on to Salem and Marblehead.

And that’s the way it was.

  (John J. Henry served as City Clerk of the City of Revere for 32 years, from 1977 to 2009. He has written numerous articles about Revere and its people.)