Boston is occupied, Portsmouth blockaded. A wild rumor flies that Ipswich has been attacked by sea and her inhabitants killed. A British scouting party sneaks into Newburyport Harbor under the cover of night. In the face of constant threat, Newburyport’s harbor became a safe haven for vessels of all kinds on the eve of Revolution, thanks to an elaborate web of defenses including sunken piers, floating batteries, and artillery at Salisbury Point.

Join Graham McKay, executive director of Lowell’s Boat Shop, and Bethany Groff Dorau as we explore how Newburyport prevented attack by sea and became a refuge for rebels at sea.

Funded, in part, by the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism