• Concord's
Old North Bridge, where the
Battle of Concord began on April 19, 1775. This was the second battle of the day, after the brief fight at dawn on Lexington Common.
Ralph Waldo Emerson immortalized the North Bridge Fight as "the shot heard round the world" in his 1837 poem "
Concord Hymn". :At this site also stands
Daniel Chester French's well-known
The Minute Man statue of 1874. The Obelisk Monument stands across the North Bridge, opposite
The Minute Man statue. Close by is the grave of the two regular army soldiers killed at the bridge and the
Old Manse. • The five-mile (8 km) "
Battle Road Trail" between Lexington and Concord includes a restored colonial landscape approximating the path of the running skirmishes between British regulars and American militia. It includes a monument at the site where
Paul Revere was captured during his midnight ride, the
Captain William Smith House, and the
Hartwell Tavern, a restored 18th-century inn and house on the Battle Road where living history programs are presented from May through October. The Battle Road Trail winds through fields and forests and is accessible from several different parking areas. •
The Wayside, a National Historic Landmark, was home to Concord muster-master Samuel Whitney on April 19, 1775. In later years it became home to authors
Amos Bronson Alcott and his daughter
Louisa May Alcott,
Nathaniel Hawthorne, and
Margaret Sidney. The Alcotts called the home "Hillside"; Hawthorne renamed it "Wayside". The house is also part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. •
Barrett's Farm was the home of Colonel James Barrett, about 1.5 miles west of North Bridge on Barrett's Farm Road; it is the newest addition to Minute Man National Historical Park. It was the destination of British regulars who crossed North Bridge intent on searching the farm for artillery and ammunition that they thought was hidden there. The house and 3.4 acres of land were purchased and restored by Save Our Heritage, a Concord non-profit organization which transferred ownership to the National Park Service in 2012. •
Lexington Battle Green, formerly known as Lexington Common, is the site of the first action on April 19, 1775. The Town of Lexington owns and maintains it. The Green is also where the Captain Parker Statue by
Henry Hudson Kitson is located. Park visitor centers are located at the hill overlooking the North Bridge and along Battle Road. The main visitor center on Route 2A/Battle Road features the 25-minute multi-media show "Road to Revolution", which gives a good introduction to the Lexington-Concord events. An eight-minute film at the North Bridge Visitor Center provides a comprehensive account of events leading to the encounter at North Bridge. The park's lead interpreter is
Jim Hollister, who joined its ranks in 2002. ==Gallery==