Evacuation Day: Massachusetts
Celebrating the departure of British forces
by Liz Olson
A state holiday celebrated in Suffolk
County, Massachusetts, on March 17 each
year, Evacuation Day commemorates the day British forces were forced out of
Boston during the Revolutionary War. March 17, 1776, marked General
Washington’s first major victory in the Revolutionary War, and the end
of an 11-month siege on Boston by the British military. The victory was a
much-needed morale boost for the American Continental Army.
In 1901,
on the 125th anniversary of Washington’s victory, the Mayor of Boston
proclaimed Evacuation Day an official state holiday. Schools and
government offices close each year on March 17, or the following Monday if
the holidays falls on a weekend.
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