Town Meeting will revisit Colonial times
The year is 1774, and there is great unrest among the Colonists living in Acton. King George III has ordered the port of Boston closed until Colonists pay for the Boston Tea Party.
The residents must decide whether to stand up to the crown and move toward independence, or push for a reconciliation. That is the issue up for debate when Acton calls a special Town Meeting for Oct. 3, 1774.
Today, 233 years later, residents will have an opportunity to experience firsthand some of the growing pains that Colonists faced during their quest for independence. As part of Acton's annual Crown Resistance Day, the Acton Historical Society is reenacting the 18th-century Town Meeting.
Residents and actors will step back in time and participate in a meeting that will feature debate on major issues, such as the future of the Colonies. Residents, however, also will tackle local problems that are still at the heart of town meetings today, said Linda Greene, a member of the Acton Historical Society's board of directors.
"We wanted to bring into it the historical aspect of the day but also give people an idea of what else was going on."
The meeting, for example, will take up a request by resident Titus Law for a tax abatement on his property because his house burned down. Residents also will discuss a dispute between Acton and Stow over town boundaries and plans to move a schoolhouse.
Reenactors will be staged in the audience as town residents and officials to lead the discussion and engage the meeting, Greene said. Mike Ryan, a historical interpreter who performs reenactments of Concord and Lincoln town meetings at the Minute Man National Historical Park, will serve as the moderator. He will play the role of Captain Samuel Hayward.
Ryan said he runs 20 different programs a season at the national park and the Town Meeting reenactment is among the most popular because the audience gets to participate. "Having a program that can get people involved goes a long way in reviving some of these events," Ryan said.
While the actors in the audience will get the meeting started, Ryan said it doesn't take long for the audience to get drawn in and take sides in the debate. All those who attend the Town Meeting will vote.
The entire meeting will last 40 minutes, considerably shorter than today's typical Town Meeting.
Ryan will supply the costumes of Colonists, including those for farmers, shopkeepers, and a minister.
Selectwoman Paulina Knibbe will be in the audience playing a widow. Widows or spinsters were the only women who were allowed to participate in local government back then, she said. "I love history, so for me it is absolutely perfect. It's going to be a lot of fun."
The reenactment will be part of the society's open house, which will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. today at the Hosmer House at 300 Main St.
Colonial-life reenactments and activities will go on throughout the afternoon. Entertainment also will include performances from the Colonial Spirit Chorus.
The town has celebrated Crown Resistance Day for 40 years, but interest in the event has faded over the last decade. Greene said she came up with the idea for the reenactment as a way to attract residents to the celebration.
Alan St. Lawrence, commander of the Acton Minutemen, said the interactive program may be just what it takes to get more residents involved.
"This would be a chance to do something interactive and give spectators an opportunity to participate a little bit," he said. "The more involved they are, the more they will remember and learn."
The Minutemen will have six people participating in the Town Meeting, some of whom will portray town officials and others playing residents. St. Lawrence will play Ephraim Hapgood, a resident who was elected to represent the town as a delegate to the Provincial Congress.
Jennifer Fenn Lefferts can be reached at jflefferts@yahoo.com. 