The enduring fame of the Old North began on the evening of April 18, 1775, when the church sexton, Robert Newman, and Vestryman Capt. John Pulling, Jr. climbed the steeple and held high two lanterns as a signal from Paul Revere that the British were marching to Lexington and Concord by sea across the Charles River and not by land. This fateful event ignited the American Revolution. Built in 1723, Christ Church in the City of Boston, known to all as the Old North Church, is Boston’s oldest surviving church building and most visited historical site. In 1775, on the eve of Revolution, the majority of the congregation were loyal to the British King and many held official positions in the royal government, including the Royal Governor of Massachusetts, making Robert Newman’s loyalty to the Patriot cause even more extraordinary. The King gave the Old North its silver that was used at services and a bible. The Third Lantern Garden, located outside the crypt on the north side of the church walls, was recently renovated, providing a brand new brick wall and sturdier stairs. With its abundant shade and commemorative fountain (currently not functioning), the garden provides an oasis to visitors on a hot summer day or a contemplative spot on a colorful fall day.​ Two centuries after the original signal lanterns on April 18, 1975, President Gerald Ford began the nation’s bicentennial celebration by lighting the “Third Lantern,” burning brightly inside the church on the right aisle in the Newman Window, as a signal to guide our country with hope and fortitude into our third century. ​In 2006, Old North Church and its neighbors created the nation’s first public memorial honoring American lives lost during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Originally, wooden “popcicle stick” crosses and stars of David marked with soldiers’ names were glued to trellaces. With the surge in deaths in 2006 and 2007 and many of the crosses being damaged during the New England winter, a more durable and less labor intensive symbol was sought. A committee of church members and neighbors conceived a design of blank dog-tags (representing the number of fallen Americans) hung on chains strung between fenceposts. The posts would form a semi-circle with a small garden within the circle, and a walkway and meditation bench along the perimeter. Ground was broken mid-May of 2007 with the setting of the fence posts and walk way. During the weekend prior to Memorial Day, a table was set up and about 3,500 dog-tags were strung with the assistance of visitors recruited as they walked through the courtyard. On Memorial Day, the Old North Memorial Garden was dedicated. During the reading of native Massachusetts deaths there was a light breeze and the wind chime effect came alive for the first time.