"Spies and Military Intelligence" with John Bell
2025-03-31 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Acton Town Hall, 472 Main Street, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Acton Town Hall, Room 204 from 7-8:30 PM
Spies and Military Intelligence with John Bell Book Cover
Noted author and historian J. L. Bell will discuss the key role of military intelligence and spies before the momentous battle at Concord and how the Colonials also effectively disseminated news of the outcome. Besides his writing, John maintains the Boston 1775 blog, boston1775.blogspot.com/ which offers daily helpings of history, analysis, and unabashed gossip about Revolutionary New England.

"A Sculpture Speaks for Her Statues" with Meredith Bergmann
2025-03-06 19:00 - 20:30
Acton Town Hall, Room 204 from 7-8:30 PM
A sculpture speaks for her statues image
Nationally renowned sculptor and Acton resident Meredith Bergmann produced inspiring monuments to many great Americans. Her artistic process includes learning about each figure as she creates the bronze statue. Phillis Wheatley (c. 1753 – December 5, 1784), whose bronze statue appears in the Boston Women’s Memorial in Boston, is one such monument. She is considered the first African American author of a published book of poetry. Come learn about Phillis and Meredith’s other subjects.

Bullet Strikes from the First Day of the American Revolution
2025-01-29 19:00 - 20:30
The Acton 250 Committee presents Joel Bohy, a historic arms & militaria specialist at Blackstone Valley Auctions and Estates. Joel will discuss the arms and ammunition used by both British and provincial forces on April 19, 1775, as well as the battle damage that remain. Using modern shooting incident reconstruction, archaeology, live fire studies, and new research, we can shed new light on the heavy fighting along the route of the British retreat back to Boston.
Joel Bohy is a historic arms & militaria specialist at Blackstone Valley Auctions and Estates and a frequent appraiser of arms & militaria on the PBS series Antiques Roadshow. He is an active member of the American Society of Arms Collectors, the Company of Military Historians, The Colonial Society of Massachusetts, an instructor for Advanced Metal Detecting for the Archaeologist, and an advisory board member of American Veterans Archaeological Recovery.
Remote Participation: You can watch live at Acton TV http://tinyurl.com/Acton-TV. Recordings will be available at Acton TV https://actontv.org/ and on our website https://www.actonma.gov/250 where you’ll find all programming information and a link to our commemorative store.
Sponsored by the Acton Lions Club

Public Contracting Event
2024-06-25 16:00 - 18:00
State Representative Dan Sena, the Town of Acton, 495MW Partnership, the Operational Services Division, and the MA Supplier Diversity Office are hosting an event for local businesses to learn about working with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This networking event, supported by the Middlesex West Chamber of Commerce, will include light refreshments.
Attending the event provides an opportunity to meet with an OSD Strategic Sourcing Manager to discuss upcoming Statewide Contract opportunities. You can also speak with representatives from the state’s Supplier Diversity Office to learn about expanding your business opportunities as a certified diverse and/or small business. Additionally, there will be representatives from the Chamber of Commerce available to discuss programs and strategies to market your business effectively.

The Acton 250 Lecture Series presents: The Empire Strikes Back, and Resistance Becomes Revolution with Prof. Robert Allison
2024-05-29 19:00 - 20:30
Last September Professor Bob Allison inaugurated the Acton 250 Lectures Series with an account of the Boston Tea Party of 1773 and the pivotal events that sparked the American Revolution. He returns to explain the critical changes occurring in the year 1774 when the Crown’s response solidified the colonial opposition. Register at https://tinyurl.com/AllisonMay29. Remote Participation: You can participate in the Q&A using ZOOM http://tinyurl.com/Acton250-ZOOM or watch live at Acton TV http://tinyurl.com/Acton-TV. This is the fifth lecture in the Acton 250 Series.
Prof. Allison is renowned for his expertise in American colonial history, and the political, social, and economic factors that converged in the 18th century, leading to Massachusetts’ significant role in the creation of the American nation. He has taught history at Suffolk University since 1992 upon receiving his doctorate at Harvard University. He chairs Revolution 250, a consortium of organizations planning commemorations of the Revolution’s 250th anniversary and is a life-trustee of the USS Constitution Museum.
Please see https://www.actonma.gov/250 for more programming information and don’t forget our Acton250 store at https://tinyurl.com/ACTON250STORE. Recordings will be on our website and ActonTV (http://tinyurl.com/Acton-TV) shortly after. Generously supported by the Acton Lions Club.

Countdown to April 19th, 1775: The Gathering Storm
2024-04-02 19:00 - 21:00
Noted historian and author J. L. Bell will be speaking on Tuesday, April 2 at 7:00 PM in
Room 204, Acton Town Hall, 472 Main Street, Acton, MA. Please register for the talk at:
http://tinyurl.com/APR-02-Bell, or use the QR code above. Remote Participation: You
can participate in the Q&A using ZOOM http://tinyurl.com/Acton250-ZOOM or watch
live at Acton TV http://tinyurl.com/Acton-TV.
Context: As the year 1774 began, Massachusetts politicians worried about how the
royal government in London would respond to the Boston Tea Party. The force of that
reaction became clear in the return of troops to Boston, the Coercive Acts, and the
Massachusetts Government Act. In late summer the province’s people rebelled by
shutting down government functions in rural counties, seizing weapons in ports, and
electing their own legislature. The engine of that resistance was a little-understood
institution: the colonial militia. By fall, it was clear that the new royal governor had no
leverage outside Boston. This talk traces the end of British power in most of
Massachusetts even before the war began.
J. L. Bell has explored the end of British royal government in Massachusetts by
following the contest for artillery pieces in his acclaimed book, The Road to Concord:
How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War. He also maintains the Boston
1775 blog, which offers daily helpings of history, analysis, and unabashed gossip about
Revolutionary New England.
We will post a recording shortly after on the Acton 250 website. This is the fourth
lecture in a series commissioned by the Acton 250 Committee. Please visit the Acton 250 website
https://www.actonma.gov/250 for all event programming.
Generously supported by the Acton Lions Club.
