Free Hybrid Lecture
Location: Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Speaker: Joe Bagley, City Archaeologist and Director of Archaeology, Boston Archaeology Program
Join Boston City Archaeologist Joe Bagley for a presentation on archaeological research that is deepening our understanding of Boston’s role in the American Revolution. Bagley will share new findings on the impact of the Siege of Boston and the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill—the first major battle of the war—on the people of Boston. Although named for Bunker Hill, the highest hill in Charlestown, north of Boston, the battle actually took place on Breed’s Hill, located closer to the Charles River. Bagley will outline plans to pinpoint the exact location of the Breed’s Hill redoubt and to search for more than 200 unmarked graves of fallen soldiers. He will also discuss forthcoming investigations of the “lost forts” of Roxbury, once positioned on a hill overlooking Roxbury Neck, the only land route out of Boston in the late eighteenth century. Explore the hidden Revolutionary War landscape beneath modern Boston and Charlestown with the city’s lead archaeologist as your guide.
Advance registration recommended for online and in-person attendance.
Free admission. Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage starting at 5:00 pm. Presented by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture. This lecture is presented to mark the 250th Anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.
About the Speaker
Joe Bagley joined the City Archaeology Program in 2011 as the fourth City Archaeologist since the program started in 1983. He manages a team of archaeologists working on collections housed at the City Archaeology Laboratory in West Roxbury, regulates archaeological sites in Boston, manages Rainsford Island, and conducts community archaeology projects throughout the city with a focus on highlighting underrepresented histories. Joe holds a BA in Archaeology from Boston University and an MA in Historical Archaeology from UMass Boston. He has published three books: A History of Boston in 50 Artifacts (2016), Boston’s Oldest Buildings and Where to Find Them (2021), and coauthored The Historical Archaeology of Massachusetts (2026). He specializes in historical archaeology and ancient Native American archaeology of New England. In 2026, Joe will be leading a team of archaeologists seeking to uncover more information about Boston’s role in the American Revolution.
