MA, USA

Timothy Paine House Site

Landmark

Marker for the former home of Judge Timothy Paine, the Crown-appointed councilor who was forced to resign by the assembled crowd on September 6, 1774. Paine recanted his loyalty to the Crown under pressure from approximately 4,700 armed citizens — a confrontation that demonstrated the collapse of royal authority in interior Massachusetts.

What Happened Here

Paine was one of several "mandamus councillors" appointed under the Massachusetts Government Act. His forced resignation was part of a coordinated campaign across the colony to prevent the new governance structure from functioning.