04/18/2026
Remembering Ebenezer Locke: A Piece of Deering’s Revolutionary Story
Today we’re highlighting Ebenezer Locke (1735–1816)—a name woven deeply into both Deering’s history and the early story of American independence.
Born in Woburn, Massachusetts, Locke later settled in what is now East Deering. He fought at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, and for generations a local tradition held that he may have been the one who “fired the first gun” at Lexington—the shot that Ralph Waldo Emerson later immortalized as “the shot heard round the world.”
While historians still debate who truly fired first, there’s no question that Ebenezer Locke stood among the earliest patriots to answer the alarm that morning. A deposition from his cousin Amos Locke recounts that Ebenezer returned fire after seeing a fellow militiaman shot—placing him at the very heart of the opening moments of the Revolution.
Ebenezer eventually made his home here in Deering, where he lived out the rest of his life. His grave in the Old Revolutionary War Cemetery on Goodale Road has long been a place of local remembrance. For decades, Deering residents marched there each Fourth of July to honor him—his was the only grave consistently decorated with a flag.
As we reflect on our town’s history, Ebenezer Locke reminds us that the American story isn’t just found in textbooks—it’s right here in our back roads, our old cemeteries, and the lives of the people who came before us.
If you’ve visited the cemetery or have stories passed down about Ebenezer Locke, feel free to share them below!
