Eighty residents gathered at the Acton Congregational Church on Sunday, June 14, at 2 p.m. for a dramatic reading commemorating the 250th anniversary of Acton’s pivotal Town Meeting vote for independence from Great Britain — a vote cast on that very date in 1776.
The performance, titled “Declaring Independence: Then & Now,” was presented jointly by the Acton 250 Committee, the Acton Congregational Church (ACC), and Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area, and was underwritten by Middlesex Savings Bank.
Written by local historian Mary Fuhrer for the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area, the script wove together transcribed Town Meeting minutes from Acton and neighboring Massachusetts communities – including Townsend, Sudbury, Westford, Littleton, and Warwick — with the full text of the Declaration of Independence itself. Narrator Steve Crosby, a member of the Acton 250 Committee and Acton Minutemen, guided the audience through the historical context. The play explained how the Continental Congress, in the spring of 1776, asked Massachusetts towns to weigh in on the question of independence. Acton’s Town Meeting in 1776 instructed its representative, Mark White, to support a vote for independence “with their lives and fortune”.
Stephen Trimble, chair of the Acton 250 Committee, welcomed the attendees, thanked supporting organizations, and introduced the Acton 250 Committee. Amy Cole provided context with the history of the Acton Meetinghouse. Reverend Karen J. Hodges, in 18th-century clerical robes, discussed the lineage of the ACC.
In the first half of the program, the cast of community readers brought the original 18th-century documents to life, voicing the grievances and resolutions of towns across the colony as they debated separation from the Crown. Community readers were: Pam Gillispie and Ruth Richards from the ACC; Roger Lamson, an Acton Minuteman and 5th great grandson of Captain Samuel Hayward who was a member of the June 14, 1776 Town Meeting; Amy Cole, who led the Acton 250 Committee’s town walks, and Bill Ryan, Lions Club member and former AB School District superintendent.
In the second half of the program, presenters read the Declaration of Independence in full, including its 29 specific grievances against King George III, framed with historical commentary explaining the document’s structure and purpose. The reading closed with reflections on the sacrifices of Acton’s own Revolutionary War dead — Capt. Isaac Davis, James Hayward, and Abner Hosmer — followed by an open discussion led by Acton Town Moderator Jo-Ann Berry, who invited attendees to consider how present-day Americans are living up to the Declaration’s promises of liberty and equality.
Following the performance, guests moved to Hartman Hall for music by Daniel Gay and a reception, capping an afternoon that organizers hope helped connect Acton residents with the town’s direct role in the nation’s founding 250 years ago.
Stephen Trimble is chair of the Acton 250 Committee and an Acton resident.
