Rev 250: The Story of Isaac Hastings & the Man Who Brings Him Back to Life
Last Friday afternoon I was in the Old Burying Ground in Lexington looking at the colonial era grave markers carved, in some cases, over three hundred years ago. The stones have been a long time fascination of mine (they’ll appear here from time to time). I was engrossed in photographing the simple beauty of these carvings and was startled when someone came up behind me. I turned to find a reenactor in full colonial attire as a Lexington Minute Man. His name is Ken Shine and he portrays Isaac Hastings who mustered on the Lexington Green that day in April 1775 to face the “Regulars” on their way to Concord. We talked briefly about the stones and Isaac Hastings, his character. He pointed me to the marker where Isaac rests in the Old Burying Ground.
The Lexington Minute Men as an organization pride themselves with the effort they put into researching the men and women they play in the reenactment. They take pride in the saying “We know their names”, and they each work diligently to further the research and understanding of the historical figures they represent.
Isaac Hastings (1755–1830) was a nineteen-year-old Lexington farmer who stood with his father Samuel Sr. and brother Samuel Jr. among Captain John Parker's company on the Battle Green at dawn on April 19, 1775. As British regulars advanced, the Hastings men faced the first volleys of the Revolutionary War; like most of their comrades, they escaped unharmed amid the chaos that left eight Lexington men dead. Isaac later signed one of the key joint depositions testifying that the colonists had not fired first, helping establish the Patriot narrative of that fateful morning.
In the months and years that followed, Hastings answered the call repeatedly. He served in the siege of Boston under Parker, assisted in fortifying Dorchester Heights with the cannons dragged from Fort Ticonderoga, and in 1777 marched with Colonel Jonathan Reed’s regiment to support the Northern Army during the Saratoga campaign. His service exemplified the citizen-soldier ideal—ordinary men leaving homes and fields to defend liberty, then returning to civilian life once the immediate threat passed.
Isaac lived out his days in Lexington as a respected community member, eventually earning the title “Esq.” He is buried in the town’s Old Burying Ground, and his name is permanently inscribed on the Lexington Minute Men Monument. His story embodies the quiet endurance and repeated sacrifice that sustained the Revolution from its first shots to final victory.
Ken Shine, a longtime Lexington resident and dedicated local historian, has served the town in multiple capacities, including as a member of the Town Board. He is widely recognized for his meticulous research into Lexington’s Revolutionary-era families, particularly through his work with the Lexington Minute Men, Inc. Shine co-authored the definitive brief biography of Isaac Hastings (with Bill Poole), drawing on primary sources such as depositions, muster rolls, and town records to illuminate the human stories behind the 1775 events. His scholarship supports the group’s living-history mission, public education efforts, and the 251st anniversary commemorations, helping bridge archival accuracy with the modern reenactment community.
Link to the Shine/Poole Biography - https://lexingtonminutemen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/hastings_isaac_biography.pdf
The Lexington 2026 Reenactment Gallery is now live! -https://www.tmusantephotography.com/rev-250-lexington-patriots-day-2026-gallery
