Photo: Arlington Historical Society
ARLINGTON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Actor Kurt Russell is celebrating the Fourth of July in Arlington where one of his ancestors helped carry out the insurrection against Great Britain.
"That day, that moment, the world changed," said Russell.
The actor toured the home of his eighth-generation ancestor, Jason Russell, on Friday. The house was the site of one of the bloodiest days of the battle.
"What's interesting is that when you get to understanding some of it, it leads you to where, who these people were and why they had the attitude that they had, on both sides."
Known as the Jason Russell House, the historic property is where Russell was shot and bayoneted to death on April 19, 1775, fighting British troops retreating from Lexington and Concord. Russell along with eleven colonials and two British soldiers died during the confrontation.
"This has never been anything in our family's history that we have talked about, discussed, or even knew about. And finding out what we're finding out here, it's a bit of a shocker," said Russell.
Now listed as a national historic site, the homestead is one of the few remaining properties from that fateful first day of the battle. 300 years after the revolution, the actor is considering what the event would look like on the big screen.
"That movie is the one that I would want to see, and I wouldn't mind playing Jason Russell."
WBZ NewsRadio's Mike Macklin reports.