Above: The old Wilkins house at 5 East Street, constructed by Timothy's father in 1739.

​Timothy Wilkins Sr. was one of the chief proponents for the establishment of the First District of Carlisle. In 1756, he deeded a tract of land in the center of town to serve as the location of a meetinghouse and the town common. According to Carlisle Historian Benjamin Franklin Heald, On the morning of April 19th 1775, Timothy Wilkins summoned the minutemen with his Drum. Although there are no primary sources to substantiate it, tradition tells that Wilkins was among the minutemen who participated in the fight at the North Bridge. 

Later in the war, Wilkins was in service at Ticonderoga. In 1777, he served in Captain Thomas Barrett Jr. in Colonel Brooks' regiment. Later, he served as a Corporal in Captain Joshua Walkers' company in Samuel Denny's regiment. In 1779, they joined the Continental Army and were stationed in Claverack, New York for three months. Timothy's final year of service was spent with Captain Abraham Andrew's company in Colonel Cyprian How's Regiment. The regiment disbanded in October of 1780. 

After the war, Timothy remained an active member of the First Parish Church and was one of the first members of the Carlisle Board of Selectmen. In 1963, the Town of Carlisle named the new middle school building in his honor (the Wilkins building). 

One of Timothy's noteworthy descendants was his grandson, James Warren Wilkins (1803-1876). James was a stone mason and was hired by the Town of Concord to sculpt the granite obelisk at the Old North Bridge honoring the minutemen who participated in the Concord Fight. The monument was completed in 1836 and was sculpted using granite from a quarry on Westford Road in Carlisle. 

Timothy Wilkins Sr. is buried in Carlisle's Central Burying Ground. 
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Above: The original deed to the meeting house lot, now in the possession of the Carlisle Historical Society. Timothy's signature and seal are visible in the bottom right corner.

Above: Timothy Wilkins' gravestone