A two-year community effort culminates at City Hall as Medford honors one of America’s most overlooked founding-era figures — on the holiday she helped make possible.
At 10:15 AM this morning, a full-size bronze statue of Medford’s own Sarah Bradlee Fulton was dedicated outside City Hall at 85 George P. Hassett Drive. The sculpture, created by artist Robert Shure, was funded entirely through community donations and led by historian and playwright Laura Duggan, who founded the nonprofit Looking Back at Medford History in 2024 to make it happen.
Fulton, who lived from 1740 to 1835 and is buried in Medford’s Salem Street Cemetery, is credited with inspiring Patriots to disguise themselves as Native Americans for the Boston Tea Party in 1773. During the Siege of Boston, she made nighttime spy missions from Medford to Charlestown — rowing through British-occupied waters to deliver dispatches from General George Washington. After the war, both Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette visited Medford specifically to meet her.
Fulton’s monument is one of only a handful of statues in America honoring a woman connected to the Revolution. Her story was nearly lost to history — this statue ensures Medford remembers. “A statue would be something with some lasting power,” Duggan said. “She’s a symbol to inspire you to contribute to your community and fight for freedom.”
Around 11:30 AM today, a mounted reenactor in colonial costume traces Paul Revere’s original 1775 route through Medford as part of the annual Revere’s Ride — Medford Pride celebration. The ride passes through Somerville and Medford before continuing to Arlington and Lexington.
In Medford, Revere stops at 43 High Street — the former home of Captain Isaac Hall and now the Islamic Cultural Center of Medford — before continuing to the Paul Revere Restaurant at 447 High Street. Festivities for all ages begin in Medford Square at 10:30 AM, before Revere arrives.
The ride commemorates the night of April 18–19, 1775, when Revere and William Dawes rode from Boston to warn colonial militias that British troops were marching toward Lexington and Concord. Medford was a key stop on that original ride 251 years ago.
Marathon Monday returns for its 130th running, with thousands of competitors from around the world taking on the 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Boston’s Boylston Street. For Medford residents heading into the city, expect significant MBTA and road delays. The marathon does not pass through Medford, but the regional transit and traffic impact is substantial.
The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon, dating to 1897. It draws approximately 30,000 registered runners and more than 500,000 spectators each year. Today’s race is part of the Boston Major, one of six Abbott World Marathon Majors.
Dozens of Medford residents ran the 130th Boston Marathon today. The BAA publishes full results — searchable by name and city — at results.baa.org. The full Medford finisher list will appear there once all runners have crossed.