Patriots' Day was established as a legal holiday in Massachusetts in the year 1894. Governor Frederic T. Greenhalge signed the observance into law, designating April 19th as the date to commemorate the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War in 1775.
The creation of this holiday replaced Fast Day, a traditional day of fasting and prayer that had been observed in the region since colonial times. The new observance shifted the focus from a religious custom to a secular, patriotic commemoration of a pivotal moment in American history. Initially fixed on April 19th, the date of the holiday was later changed. In 1969, Massachusetts law moved the observance to the third Monday in April to create a three-day weekend, a change that remains in effect today. Maine, having been part of Massachusetts until 1820, also officially recognizes the holiday on the same day.
Therefore, while the events it honors occurred in 1775, the formal naming and legal establishment of the holiday itself did not happen until over a century later. The decision in 1894 codified the cultural and historical importance of the first military engagements of the Revolution into the state's official civic calendar, ensuring a dedicated day for remembrance and celebration.
