City Manager Fidel Maltez has placed an emphasis on communicating with residents since he took office last year. Earlier this week, Maltez recorded the latest in his series of public outreach videos to air on Chelsea Community TV. The text of his May video, which focuses on events commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Chelsea Creek, is below:
Hello Residents of Chelsea, welcome to Our Community! My name is Fidel Maltez, and it is my honor to serve as your City Manager.
May is an important month as we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Chelsea Creek. We are honored to take part in this important celebration of Chelsea’s role in the founding of our nation. Taking place from May 25 to May 27 in 1775, the Battle of Chelsea Creek was an important, yet often overlooked event in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War.
The Battles of Lexington and Concord, ignited the spirit of resistance across the thirteen colonies. In response, colonial assemblies rallied to support Massachusetts, and many began sending troops north to aid the Massachusetts Committee of Safety in its efforts to surround and isolate British forces. The British army, now occupying Boston, found itself encircled by an ever-growing army of citizen soldiers. These forces, soon to be known as the Continental Army, fortified positions in nearby towns and villages: Chelsea, Medford, Winthrop, Charlestown, Cambridge, and Roxbury.
By May 1775, General Thomas Gage, commander of the British army in Boston, faced a serious logistical crisis. Cut off from the farms of Middlesex, Suffolk, and Norfolk Counties, his garrison of thousands was quickly running out of food. These surrounding farms had long served as Boston’s breadbasket, and now they were out of reach.
To sustain the troops, the British turned to a new strategy: using the islands of Boston Harbor, especially Noddle’s Island and Hog Island, to raise cattle and gather hay. But the American colonists had a strategy of their own: deny the British any food at all.
It was this strategy, to sever British access to livestock and forage on Noddle’s Island, that set the stage for the Battle of Chelsea Creek, which took place exactly one month after the alarm at Lexington and Concord.
After sunset on May 26, 1775, soldiers under Colonel John Stark and Colonel John Nixon marched out of Cambridge, crossed the Mystic River into Malden, and made their way through Chelsea. They were joined by a company of local militia from Chelsea itself. Before daybreak on May 27, the troops crossed the creek to Hog Island, located in what is now Orient Heights in East Boston. Working quickly, the Americans drove off all the horses and livestock they could find. Then, at low tide, they crossed a narrow inlet to Noddle’s Island, dragging the animals through the shallow water between the two islands.
Around 2:00 p.m., Vice Admiral Samuel Graves, commander of the British North American fleet, was alerted to the presence of Colonial troops. In addition to the food stores, Graves was concerned about naval supplies, masts, ropes, sails, lumber, and equipment critical to maintaining his ships that were stockpiled on the island. Without waiting for orders from General Gage, he took action. Graves ordered the schooner Diana and 400 Royal Marines up Chelsea Creek to engage the American forces.
The Diana was a 120-ton vessel built in America and purchased by the British to expand their fleet. It was likely armed with six 4-pounder cannons and twelve swivel guns. As the schooner advanced, she came under heavy fire from both sides of the Creek. Between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m., British Marines began rowing ashore, but American troops pushed them back. Stark’s men dug into a shallow trench near the creek and opened fire, halting the British advance and inflicting significant casualties.
As night fell, Lieutenant Thomas Graves, commander of the Diana, found himself in a precarious position. The tide turned, the wind died, and the schooner was left stranded in the upper reaches of the creek. In an attempt to escape, he ordered the Marines in barges to tow the Diana downstream. But the tide worked against them. The Americans peppered the towing parties with musket fire, and reinforcements began arriving by the hour.
That evening, General Israel Putnam arrived in Chelsea with over two thousand men and two field cannons from Cambridge. As the Diana was slowly towed past what is now the Eastern Minerals salt dock and the Meridian Street Bridge, American forces kept up a constant barrage from muskets and artillery. Near the Winnisimmet Ferry landing, the schooner ran firmly aground in the mud.
At around 3:00 a.m., the Diana listed onto her side. Her crew escaped into waiting barges and abandoned the vessel. American forces quickly boarded, stripping the ship of every valuable item—cannons, powder, ammunition, and rigging. As dawn broke, Samuel Pratt, a local farmer from Chelsea, brought hay from his farm and stacked it beneath the ship’s stern. The militia lit the hay, and the Diana was soon a smoldering wreck, blazing in the creek’s soft mud.
It marked the first planned offensive by the provincial forces against British troops and represented the beginning of intercolonial military cooperation in the fight for constitutional rights.
The battle also holds distinction as the first naval engagement of the Revolutionary War, and as the first instance in which American forces captured a British warship—the HMS Diana.
This battle marked the initial use of artillery by colonial forces and introduced a military strategy that would prove critical throughout the conflict – disrupting British supply lines to weaken their occupation of Boston.
In recognition of this historic event, the City invites all community members to join in commemorating this significant milestone in American history by participating in the rich programming the City is making available to residents and visitors of Chelsea.
Programming is already underway, beginning with the Open House and Historical Talks series at the Governor Bellingham-Cary House Museum—the oldest building in the City that remains after over 350 years. You can catch these throughout the month of May. Get to know the history of the Battle of Chelsea Creek and the Governor Bellingham Cary House at the museum during this unique and interesting open house/historical talks series.
As we lead up to the main festivities on Memorial Day weekend, a family-friendly celebration will take place on Tuesday, May 13th at the Williams School, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., featuring pony rides, a petting zoo, and 18th-century games.
On Saturday, May 24, 2025, we will host a city-wide festival from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Port Park. We are proud to host the schooner Ernestina-Morrissey, built in 1894 and part of the
Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s permanent fleet, which will help illustrate the type of vessel destroyed during the Battle of Chelsea Creek. Ernestina is returning to Chelsea after over 20 years. Residents and visitors will have the opportunity to get on the schooner’s deck, explore the vessel, and meet the Mass Maritime Academy crew.
This major event will also feature an American militia parade along Marginal Street, between the Eastern Minerals headquarters and the park, ending with a musket firing drill. At the park, everyone will have the chance to interact with reenactors and explore the encampment—step back in time and see how camps were set up in the 18th century. Redcoats will be there, and we’ve planned several interactive activities for families with children. A historical cannon display from Groton, including cannon salutes at noon and 2 p.m. Delicious offerings from local restaurants such as Bella Isla, Chelsea Station, Antojitos Latinos, Tawakal Halal Food, Boba Tea, and more—plus a beer garden hosted by Bent Water Brewery.
The Governor Bellingham Cary House Museum will open its doors that same day from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for visitors to explore the house. The City has been working with the East Boston Historical Society, which will also host events on the other side of the Chelsea Creek that weekend. The East Boston locations will be on the Urban Wild site off of Condor Street in East Boston, as well as across the street at the American Legion Playground (also known as the City Yards).
On Memorial Day, we are proud to partner with Boston Harbor Now, the National Park Service, GreenRoots, and the Mystic Watershed Association for a special boat tour through Chelsea Creek. Complete event details and programming information are available at chelseaprospers.org.
All celebrations are made possible through a Massachusetts tourism grant, as part of the Massachusetts 250 statewide initiative. We want to thank everyone who played a role in planning and supporting the event with special recognition to our community partners at Eastern Minerals.
The 250th anniversary of the Battle of Chelsea Creek is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for celebration and we encourage all residents to take part in this interactive, historical experience.
See you next time on Our Community. Thank you and May god bless the City of Chelsea.