Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts

Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts
ActiveMarch 13, 1638—present[1]
Country United States
Allegiance Massachusetts
TypeVolunteer militia company
RoleHonor guard
State militia
Garrison/HQFaneuil Hall
Boston, Massachusetts
Nickname(s)"Grand Old Company"[2]
Motto(s)Facta Non Verba[3]
("Deeds Not Words")
Websitehttp://www.ahac.us.com
Commanders
Commander-in-ChiefGovernor of Massachusetts
Captain CommandingMaj. Michael Fish[4]
Insignia
Coat of Arms
AbbreviationAHAC
Faneuil Hall in 1776. The Artillery Company is headquartered on the fourth floor of Faneuil Hall.

The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts is the oldest chartered military organization in North America[5] and the third oldest chartered military organization in the world.[6] A volunteer militia of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, it is not part of the U.S. Armed Forces, but includes veterans and serving military members within its ranks.[7][8]

Its charter was granted in March 1638 by the Great and General Court of Massachusetts Bay and signed by Governor John Winthrop as a volunteer militia company to train officers enrolled in the local militia companies across Massachusetts. With the professionalization[9] of the U.S. armed forces preceding World War I including the creation of the National Guard of the United States and the federalization of officer training, the company's mission changed to a supportive role in preserving the historic and patriotic traditions of Boston, Massachusetts, and the nation. Today the Company serves as Honor Guard to the Governor of Massachusetts who is also its Commander-in-Chief,[10] and its status as a military unit is preserved under Massachusetts state law.[8]

The headquarters is located on the 4th floor of Faneuil Hall[7] and consists of an armory, library, offices, quartermaster department, commissary, and military museum with free admission.

  1. ^ The Two Hundred and Fifty-Ninth Annual Record of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. Boston: A. Mudge & Son, Printers. 1898. p. 71.
  2. ^ "AHAC-about us". www.ahac.us.com. Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  3. ^ "AHAC-about us". www.ahac.us.com. Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  4. ^ "AHAC-about us". www.ahac.us.com. Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  5. ^ "Boston Military Group Honors American Airlines for Its Long-Standing Support of U.S. Armed Forces". Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2009. Alt URL
  6. ^ "Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts: Museum, Library & Armory". Archived from the original on 25 April 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  7. ^ a b "AHAC-about us". www.ahac.us.com. Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  8. ^ a b "General Law - Part I, Title V, Chapter 33, Section 132: Ancient and honorable artillery company; rights preserved". malegislature.gov. The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  9. ^ "National Defense Act of 1916" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  10. ^ "AHAC - Committees". www.ahac.us.com. Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved 2024-05-31.