South Boston’s 250th Evacuation Day Observance

The South Boston Citizens’ Association (the SBCA) is planning a truly memorable Evacuation Day observance on March 17 – the 250th Anniversary of that historic Day.

In this year of 2026, March 17 occurs on a Tuesday, two days after our annual St. Patrick’s/Evacuation Day Parade here in South Boston on Sunday, the15th. March 17 could well be the most important single day of the entire year. Please recall that South Boston played a key part – a truly heroic part – on the first Evacuation Day, all the way back in 1776!

This South Boston Online article has only one purpose: To recommend – strongly recommend (!) – that on Tuesday, March 17, you attend the Evacuation Day ceremonies taking place from 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Monument on Dorchester Heights. Bring yourself, your family, and your friends. It will be an unforgettable celebration, just like the 200th was back in 1976. Since Tuesday the 17th is a school day, perhaps our local history teachers should arrange an outing to this event for their students,

As we all know, St. Patrick’s Day is the same day as Evacuation Day, so you are entitled to ask why Evacuation Day by itself is so important to South Boston. On March 17, 1776, (the original Evacuation Day), the entire British army and naval contingent voluntarily left Boston, which they had occupied for eight years. The Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party had taken place during those years. The most important reasons the British military evacuated were the colonial cannons emplaced on Dorchester Heights, which could have destroyed the British Navy’s ships below in Boston Harbor. Those cannons were secretly (and heroically) brought here from Fort Ticonderoga by Boston’s Henry Knox. The British departure was General George Washington’s first victory, earning him a gold medal! And the Evacuation of Boston was a major step towards our Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, because it clearly showed that colonial American militias could beat the British.

On Tuesday the 17th, a formal procession to the Heights (in which all can take part) will begin at approximately 10:30 a.m. It will start immediately after the 9 a.m. Mass to be said by Fr. Joe White in St. Augustine Chapel and followed by a brief rededication of key graves in St. Augustine Cemetery. For your information, the historic Chapel is now the oldest active church in America.

A procession will then form up and step off from Dorchester Street and West Sixth, proceed along Mercer to Telegraph Street, and turn up to the Heights where the Monument sits. A diverse and memorable 250th Evacuation Day program is planned, which will conclude around 1:30 p.m. Also, we’ve heard that the U.S. National Park Service will open the newly renovated Monument for guided tours afterward which, if nothing else, will give you and your kids unmatched views of Boston and its Harbor. Once again for your information, Dorchester Heights is the highest natural point in Boston.

The SBCA deserves much credit for all this. Led by its President Thomas McGrath, the SBCA has annually celebrated Evacuation Day with many kinds of activities leading up to the Day itself, including banquets, breakfasts, and “Unsung Hero” awards to worthy South Boston residents. These end with yearly patriotic observances on Dorchester Heights where the towering Evacuation Day Monument stands.

Given the importance of 2026 – the 250th year after the Evacuation of Boston – Tom has chosen John Mitchell to arrange this year’s observances. He appointed John to be the SBCA’s Executive Assistant responsible for the entire 2026 Commemoration Programming here in South Boston on the 2026 Evacuation Day.

John brings an astonishing public record to this task that includes significant charitable fundraising and direction of large-scale commemorative programs. Some of his more notable efforts were as a Board Member of the Mayflower’s 400th Anniversary, the Chair of the Grand Lodge of Masons’ 250th in Massachusetts, and the Chair of the Ancient & Honorable Artillery’s 250th in Boston. Right now, John is busily organizing a magnificent SBCA event to celebrate South Boston’s 250th Evacuation Day.

At this point, it’s too soon to list every single component of the upcoming Evacuation Day event – it’s still about two weeks away. But the roster will definitely include eight cannons, four of which can actually be fired. These will come from Fort Ticonderoga drawn by oxen. On the Heights at the foot of the Monument, spaces and sound systems are going to be set up for an outstanding program, which includes many of our elected officials as well as some of Boston’s best-known historians. A large number of uniformed, musket-bearing marching units will also take part. As of this writing, expected units include the Sudbury Ancient Fyfe & Drum, the Bunker Hill Pipe Band, both of Boston’s Police and Fire Departments’ color guards, the Acton Minutemen, the British Officers’ Club of New England, the Lexington Minutemen (and the Lexington ladies), Prince Hall Freemasons, Daughters of the American Revolution, South Boston Citizens’ Association, the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, and many, many more.

During the so-called “RUN OF SHOW” – on Dorchester Heights itself – selected units will receive, control entry, guide, emplace in seats, render salutes, and play a final musical piece. At every point, the 250th Evacuation Day celebration will be lively, eye-catching, and forever memorable. We have much more to report to you. More details to follow.