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On Sunday, April 27, 1975, over twenty members of the Company marched, beginning at 5:00 a.m., over twenty miles to Arlington, following and commemorating the original route that the Danvers companies had marched on April 19, 1775. In the afternoon, four members of the company participated in the reenacted battle around the Jason Russell House in Arlington. Though the Company's feet were sore, their spirits were high.
At the Company's first family outing on July 4, 1975, at N. Peter Lundgren's house, those who had made the march to Arlington were presented with large engraved metal plaques, with the three men over forty years of age being given bronze plaques. The plaques were thought up, worked out, and kept secret by David Butler. Also that day, Richard Trask was presented by the company with a fine reproduction flintlock pistol in a handsome presentation box, made by Peter Haynes. Also presented was a large oil-painted caricature of the Sergeant, executed by Don Perry.
A group of men in the Company, including Thomas Lotito, Brony Majauckas, Edward Pappamechail, George Briggs, and William Clemens, became the nucleus for smooth-bore musket competition shooting, and began taking prizes to the credit of the Company, including Pappamechail winning the individual musket competition at the 1975 Thunder Bridge muster.
On July 6, 1975, the Company participated in its first living history program at the Minuteman National Park in Concord, by recreating a small colonial encampment. According to the duty ranger, the Danvers Alarm List Company had the best program he had seen in the three years of demonstrations.
To commemorate the Benedict Arnold army's encampment at Danvers on September 14, 1775, on their way to Quebec, the Danvers Company recreated a Revolutionary period encampment, complete with six tents, numerous crafts and chores being performed, including cooking, mending, musket-ball making, guard duty, manual practice, leather working, flint chipping, and game-playing. Besides camping out on the night of the thirteenth with all men and officers drawing guard duty, the Company put on a number of demonstrations on the fourteenth.
Officers for 1975-76 were elected in September 1975 as follows: George Meehan, Captain; Richard Trask, Lieutenant; David Butler, Second Lieutenant; David McKenna, Ensign; William Clemens, Clerk, Peter Haynes and David Roberts, Sergeants; and N. Peter Lundgren, Corporal. The Company was incorporated as a non-profit educational organization in August 1975. |
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