A special thanks to Stacey Fraser at the Lexington Historical Society for the update on the new exhibit described below.

If one asked what a buzzword for 21st century communication would be today, what would be your answer?

Text? Tweet? Snap?

What if the follow up question was that some of the same buzzwords of the 21st century could describe the 18th century? Thanks to the Lexington Historical Society at Buckman Tavern, you can see the similarities yourself.

Opening on April 8th, the interactive exhibit is part of the admission ticket to the tavern. Titled #Alarmed! 18th Century Social Media “explores how news went viral  250 years ago” in addition to letting “visitors  imagine how colonials might have made use of modern media tools to kick start a revolution.

Hosting the exhibit at Buckman Tavern is the logical choice, as taverns were usually the focal point of the town for news, gossip, and in Lexington, where the militia would congregate in the morning hours of April 19, 1775.

Historian J.L. Bell, who manages and authors the popular Boston1775 blog was consulted in the project by Mass Humanities. The Massachusetts Society for Cincinnati also provided funding for the exhibit.

The exhibit though also promoted local involvement, as Boy Scout Pierce Warburton earned an Eagle Scout badge by building “a replica colonial bar for #Alarmed!”

For more information on the exhibit, how to visit, and also enjoy the other sites of the Lexington Historical Society, click here.