Bruce Leader didn't know his face was plastered across Boston until a friend texted him a photo.

Giant banners showing the Lexington resident atop his horse Nikko, dressed as Paul Revere mid-ride, now hang in Boston's Seaport District and inside the neighborhood's Silver Line station. The display is part of the Massachusetts 250th anniversary celebration, and Leader found out only after a fellow Lexington Minute Men member spotted the blown-up images and snapped a picture.

"I feel really grateful and proud, not just as an individual, but as a member of the Lexington Minute Men, that I had the opportunity to represent Lexington and that historical era," Leader told the Lexington Observer. "We try to keep the memory of these historical figures alive and do justice to the men that we are portraying."

The banner photo was taken at Fenway Park on April 23 during a pregame ceremony marking the nation's 250th birthday before a Red Sox-Yankees matchup. Leader rode onto the field as Paul Revere while fellow Minute Man Bob Allegretto portrayed George Washington. Additional images from that evening have appeared in a montage shown before Red Sox games throughout the season.

Leader grew up in Lexington and raised his children in town. He joined the Lexington Minute Men in 2003 after years of World War II reenactments in the 1990s. He has served as commissary sergeant, treasury sergeant and adjutant lieutenant, and for roughly 10 to 11 years has portrayed Thaddeus Bowman, the scout who galloped back to warn Capt. John Parker's militia that British Regulars were less than half an hour away on the morning of April 19, 1775.

Leader got the Bowman role for a practical reason: he owns a horse.

He also portrays Paul Revere for the annual Paul Revere's Ride event, organized jointly by the Lexington History Museums and the Lexington Minute Men. His entire reenactment kit, from wig to hand-sewn period clothing to saddle and bridle, is handmade and historically authentic.

The Minute Men's broader role in the 250th anniversary has been visible all year. Thousands gathered in Lexington in April for the 250th anniversary Battle of Lexington reenactment, where the group portrayed the events of April 19, 1775, including Bowman's horseback warning. Capt. Commanding Stephen Cole said at the April reenactment that the Minute Men are honored to continue their tradition of preserving history through events like the annual battle.

For Leader, the Seaport banners carry a meaning beyond personal recognition. He said the display is less about him than about ensuring the historical figures he portrays are remembered and appreciated. They were ordinary townspeople who did something extraordinary, he said, and they deserve not to be forgotten.

The banners remain on display in the Seaport District and Silver Line station. No end date has been announced.