Hancock-Clarke House - Lexington

The Hancock-Clarke House is located on Hancock Street in Lexington, Massachusetts. It was the childhood home of John Hancock. The two-story timber-frame home was built in 1738 by the Reverend John Hancock, the second pastor of the Church of Christ. The reverend’s son, John Hancock Jr., was the father of the American patriot John Hancock. Hancock Jr. died in 1744 and his seven year old son moved into this home with his grandfather. He lived here until 1750, when he was adopted by his uncle, Thomas Hancock. The reverend died in 1752 and Jonas Clarke succeeded him as minister. On April 18, 1775 John Hancock and Samuel Adams attended the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in nearby Concord and spent the night here, as guests of Clarke (Clarke’s wife, Lucy, was Hancock’s cousin). Both were reluctant to return to Boston for fear of being captured by the British. Around midnight they were awakened by Paul Revere who had brought word from Dr. Joseph Warren in Boston that the British had landed and were on the march. The two patriots fled to safety in Burlington. Jonas Clarke died in 1805 and the house remained in the Clarke family until 1844. In 1896 the house was threatened with demolition. It was purchased by the Lexington Historical Society and moved across the street. The home was moved back to its original location in 1974 after the society purchased the original site. In 1971 the house was declared a National Historic Landmark and added to the National Register of Historic Places.  The Hancock-Clarke House has the distinction of being the only residence of John Hancock's which still stands.

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