In recounting his famous Midnight Ride to warn the American militia of the advance of British troops toward Lexington and Concord, Paul Revere refers to a particular location just past Charlestown Neck (in present-day Somerville) “where Mark was hung in chains.” Revere’s ride itself took place in 1775, but this account was not written until 1798, when the Massachusetts Historical Society’s Jeremy Belknap requested that Revere provide a more formal, polished version to be included in the Society’s records.
Revere felt sure that readers would be familiar enough with Mark’s fate that he felt he did not have to explain or contextualize the reference, either in his original accounts of that night in 1775 or more than two decades later, when he replied to Belknap. Just who was Mark, then, and why would residents in and around 18th century Boston have known about him?
Mark (sometimes known as Mark Codman) was a Black man born in Barbados who was enslaved by captain John Codman in 1750s Charlestown. In 1755 he, along with Phillis and Phebe, two enslaved women, were arrested and tried for the murder of Codman by means of poisoning. According to the trial transcript, Mark was literate and a devout Christian, and he searched for a way to kill his enslaver that would not be a sin. He decided on poison because it did not shed blood and was therefore exempt from the Biblical mandate. He is accused of conspiring with Phillis and Phebe to poison Codman. Mark was convicted of murder, hanged, and his body left in an iron gibbet along the public road – a fate most often reserved for pirates. Phillis was also convicted of murder, and was ordered to be burned alive. These executions took place in Cambridge on what was known as Gallows Hill (now Avon Hill). Phebe was not convicted, but she was sold away from her home as part of Codman’s estate after his death.
Revere would have known the story of Mark’s trial and execution, and he would have seen his body many times during the 20 years before his famed ride. We don’t know when Mark’s remains were removed from public display, but Revere seems to feel confident that, in 1798 when he is writing to Belknap, Mark’s case would still be well-known in the Boston area. What did Revere think of Mark’s fate? Did it occur to him that, as he was riding to warn the colonial militia about the arrival of British troops to “steal their liberty,” he passed the body of an enslaved man who was killed for trying to seize his own freedom?
On June 13, the Somerville Museum and the Royall House and Slave Quarters will hold Land/Mark: A Symposium on Enslavement, Enrichment and the Revolution. This program, presented in partnership with the Cambridge Public Library, History Cambridge, the Cambridge Black History Project, Old North Church and the Somerville Department of Racial and Social Justice, will explore how we remember the cases of Mark, Phillis and Phebe, and the role of enslavement and resistance in the Revolution. Panel discussions will include historians, artists and activists such as Aabid Allibhai, Jaimie Crumley, Dan Breen, Ifé Franklin, Dell M. Hamilton, Angela M. Counts, Kendra Field and Kyera Singleton. The program will also feature a keynote address by Kellie Carter Jackson, professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College and author of “We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance.”
Why, as we mark the nation’s 250th anniversary, is it crucial to examine cases such as those of Mark, Phillis and Phebe? What can their experiences tell us about liberty, equality and opportunity in this period, and how can learning their stories – and the many others like them – enrich our understanding of the complexities of the Revolutionary struggle? How can we balance reverence for and celebration of the nation’s founding ideals with a recognition of how these ideals have fallen short for many Americans? Register for the Land/Mark Symposium for a chance to discuss these and other questions with the Cambridge community as we grapple with the complicated commemoration of the Revolution and its aftermath.
History Cambridge started in 1905 as the Cambridge Historical Society. Today we have a new name and a new mission. We engage with our city to explore how the past influences the present to shape a better future. We recognize that every person in our city knows something about Cambridge’s history, and their knowledge matters. We listen to our community and we live by the ideal that history belongs to everyone. Throughout 2026, we are focusing on the history of West Cambridge. Make history with us at historycambridge.org.
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