Concord, Minuteman National Historic Park

Donnie & Patriot friend
















Minuteman Monument
















Lowell Cotton Mill

It was very cold (55) and misty raining today. We got an earlier start and went to Minuteman National Historic Park. It's amazing how much of your history classes you've forgotten. The Historic Park runs along "Battle Road" where the patriots fought the British army regulars on April 19, 1775. This runs from Charlestown near Boston to Concord. There was an interesting movie about the events of that day. There are several houses and an the old Hartwell tavern that were along the road the day of the battle. They have people in period costume in the old tavern.

Just outside of Concord are the North bridge where the patriots actually shot some of the British soldiers for the first time. It was very interesting to hear about Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott who all rode out with the message that the "Regulars are coming". They wouldn't have said that the British were coming because they were all British at the time. :-) Along the Historic park is the spot where Paul Revere was captured. It was actually Prescott and Dawes that made it all the way to Concord to warn them. Revere just had better publicity.

That area was so interesting. Along with all of the Revolutionary War sites there are all of the literary sites. The Old Manse which was built by William Emerson a minister in Concord. Ralph Waldo Emerson lived and wrote there. Just a few miles down the road is "The Wayside". It was the only home that Nathaniel Hawthorne owned. Louisa May Alcott lived her childhood in the house which inspired the house in Little Women. Margaret Sidney the author of The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew" preserved the house. Also down the road is Walden Pond. The area has roads will names like Thoreau, Alcott etc.

In the afternoon we went on to Lowell Historic Park in Lowell, Massachusetts. This town was one of the first "planned communities" but it was planned around huge cotton mills. The owners of the mills built these huge mills and boarding houses for the young single women that they planned to employ. There were also of course many immigrant workers and children. We didn't have enough time there so we may go back another day if we have time. They actually had working looms in one of the museum buildings.

Then we finished the day off with the 2 for$20 lobster special. Good day !