Prince Estabrook - Lexington, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 26.950 W 071° 13.797
19T E 316621 N 4702057
A monument honoring of Lexington Minute Man Prince Estabrook is located between the Lexington Battle Green and Buckman Tavern in Lexington, MA.
Waymark Code: WMN089
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 12/01/2014
Views: 5
Prince Estabrook was a slave in the Benjamin Estabrook household who was born in about the year 1741. He enlisted in the Lexington Militia in 1773 and served under the command of Captain John Parker. He was wounded in the first battle of the Revolutionary War on Lexington Green on April 19, 1775. He remained a member of the Continental Army until 1783. Upon completion of the war he was emancipated by Benjamin Estabrook.
A monument honoring Prince Estabrook contains a bronze plaque attached to a granite boulder. On the left side of the plaque is the image of Prince Estabrook in colonial military uniform. He is depicted on a path leaving Buckman Tavern with a musket in his left hand on his way to engage British Regulars.
The plaque is inscribed:
In Honor of
PRINCE ESTABROOK
Prince Estabrook was a slave who lived in Lexington. At dawn on
April 19, 1775, he was one of the Lexington Militia awaiting the
arrival of he British Regulars at the Buckman Tavern. In the battle which followed, Prince Estabrook was wounded on Lexington green. Through circumstances and destiny, he thus became the first black soldier to fight in the American Revolution.
This monument is dedicated to the memory of Prince Estabrook and the thousands of other courageous black patriots long denied the recognition they deserve.
Donated by the Alice M. Hinkle Memorial Fund
April 21, 2008