An address at the Prince Hall Cemetery Memorial Day 2002 delivered by
   James Gibbons

Masons, residents, friends and guests present here today, good morning! I am honored to be here speaking to you today, just as I was on the last Memorial Day of the 20th Century and also on the first Memorial Day of the 21 st Century. 
Richard Erickson the immediate past president of the Arlington Historical Society, upon congratulating me on my election as president in 1999, said to me "by the way you have to give a speech to the Prince Hall Masons next week". I said what! I don't give speeches and you never told me about this. It was too late, he said, I was president and that was part of the responsibility of the office. I arrived, with my wife by my side, anxious and nervous, hoping not to make a fool of myself and reflect badly on the Arlington Historical Society. You met me with great courtesy and warmth and made me feel comfortable. I spoke to you that day about the need to study our history, to teach our history and to remember the actions of our lives will also shape history. On the following Memorial Day I spoke of the old men of 
Menotomy and their resistance to the British Regulars on April 19th 1775. Last year I gave more details of the action that took place on that day in Arlington (known then as Menotomy). One detail was how the old men of Menotomy under the leadership of David Lamson, a man of African heritage, captured a wagonload of supplies. I 
remember at that time thinking he must have been a man held in great respect to be elected to such a position by the white, Anglo- Saxon farmers of the town. I thought e was unique, little that I knew. In an article by Alice Hinkle in the Sunday Globe of March 17th she reported that George Quintal Jr. has finished a report for the National Park Service entitled "Patriots of Color at Bunker Hill and Battle Road". He states that 20 African-American Patriots and one Native American fought on Battle Road that day and at least 88 African-Americans and 15 Native Americans fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The report estimates that half of the black 
soldiers were slaves. His study confirms that about 5,000 patriots of color served in the Revolutionary War. Quintal said that some sources he researched told stories of 
individual heroism. One was of Silas Royal of Dracut, a servant of Joseph Varnum. Royal was freed early, well before his unit fought at Bunker Hill. When he was captured he was to be sold as a slave in the South, Varnum assembled a posse and rescued Royal, who was remembered in Varnum's will. The article sites many other stories. Research results will be featured exhibits the park service is developing with the Charlestown Historical Society at the Bunker Hill Museum and in talks and ranger presentations. Copies of the report have just been received at the Minute Man National Historical Park's library. They hope to have it printed and available for sale or perhaps on the Internet. The Arlington Historical Society will elect a new president tomorrow who I expect will be Howard Winkler, whom I believe you know. I will miss making these speeches to the Prince Hall Masons that I once dreaded. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to address you four times in he three years of my presidency. Thank you for these opportunities.