Dartmouth’s Revolutionary Past: A 4th of July Story Closer Than You Think

As we light the grills, watch the fireworks, and take a moment to celebrate Independence Day, it’s easy to forget that the American Revolution didn’t just happen in textbooks or battlefields far from home. It happened here too, right along our South Coast shorelines.

One of the lesser-known but deeply important chapters of the Revolution took place right in Dartmouth, including the little village I call home: Padanaram.

Back in September 1778, Dartmouth found itself directly in the path of conflict when approximately 4,000 British troops landed in New Bedford, Fairhaven, and Padanaram Village. That’s right. At the time, it was the largest number of British forces to land in North America.

Why Padanaram? A big part of the reason was a man named Elihu Akin.

A shipbuilder, coastal trader, and outspoken revolutionary, Elihu Akin was a leader of the Sons of Liberty in Old Dartmouth. His work rallying the community against British rule made him a major target. In fact, it was because of his influence that the British attacked Padanaram so fiercely. Loyalists who had been expelled from Dartmouth by Akin himself led the British directly to his property. They pointed out his shipyard, warehouses, and multiple family homes, and most of them were burned to the ground.

Only one Akin home survived, and it became the family’s refuge. Elihu relocated his wife and children to their 18-acre farmstead near Clark’s Cove, where he lived until his death in 1795. That house, now known as the Akin House, still stands today. It’s not just a structure. It’s a tangible piece of the past, a symbol of resistance, resilience, and the real price of independence.

And the war didn’t stop there for the Akins. Just two months later, in November 1778, Elihu’s son Jonathan was captured at sea by the British, then again by the French. He eventually escaped and wrote to Benjamin Franklin from a French prison. With some help from John Adams, Jonathan and other American prisoners were released by order of the King of France.

Stories like these don’t often make the history books, but they’re part of the fabric of our town and they deserve to be remembered.

So what does this mean for us today?

For me, it’s a reminder that the place we live has deep roots. That the streets we drive down and the harbors we walk past were once at the heart of something much bigger. And that even in a quiet village like Padanaram, people made bold, dangerous choices to fight for something better.

So today, while we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy, I’m also thinking about Elihu Akin and his family. About the fires they watched burn, the risks they took, and the legacy they left behind right here in Dartmouth.

If you want to read more about the Akin House and its role in our town’s Revolutionary past, I highly recommend checking out the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust’s work. It's a real gift to have these stories preserved and shared.

Wishing you and your family a safe and meaningful 4th of July and a little extra appreciation for the local history that lives all around us.

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