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Health & Fitness

St. John School Learns About Evacuation Day from South Boston Historical Society

St. John School students received a lesson in local history, after the South Boston Historical Society stopped by the school to reenact the events of Evacuation Day.

Led by Suffolk University’s History Chair, Professor Bob Allison, the troupe of re-enactors were all dressed in period clothing, and included a fife and a drummer, which played the sounds of the time period, as well as Henry Knox, Phillis Wheatley, Prince Hall, and John Rowe who all told their stories.

Evacuation Day is celebrated each year on March 17 and remembers the history of the British Evacuation of Boston on March 17, 1776 which was General George Washington’s first victory forcing the British Army out of Boston during the Revolutionary War.

"It was great to visit the students and teachers at St. John School. what an engaged and interested audience we had, with great questions for each of the re-enactors," said Professor Bob Allison.  We could have stayed for hours talking with them about history and about this great city."

“The students had a great time learning about Evacuation Day,” said Karen McLaughlin, principal of St. John School. “We would like to thank Professor Allison and his troupe for coming to our school and sharing the snippets of the events with our students.  They will certainly remember that March 17th is about more than shamrocks and leprechauns but also about General George Washington’s first victory and the great morale boast to the colonists."

The Evacuation Day program was sponsored by Mt. Washington Bank and the troupe visited five schools on Friday to get kids excited about history.

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