Minute Man National Historical Park commemorates the opening battles of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775 and is located 22 miles outside of Boston within the towns of Lexington, Lincoln and Concord, Massachusetts. The park covers over 900 acres of lands that winds along the original battle road and is home to several battle sites including Concord and Lexington, Paul Revere’s capture site, Concord’s North Bridge, Hartwell Tavern and other houses from the time period.

The visitor center is a good place to start a visit to the park by experiencing a multi-media theater program on the revolution, review the exhibits and talk with the park rangers about the places to visit within the park.

Paul Revere capture site

The legendary midnight ride of Paul Revere is known by all. Lantern were to be hung in the old north church to let Paul Revere know if the British were coming from land or by sea (actual by river). He would ride from Boston through the countryside to Concord letting Massachusetts militia and minute men know which direction the British soldiers would be coming from.

Actually there were three riders, Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samual Prescott. As they alerted the countryside, Paul Revere was captured, William Dawes escaped to Lexington and Samual Prescott was the only rider that actually reached Concord.

Paul Revere became famous because Henry Longfellow wrote the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride”. The poem begins with the verse:

“Listen, my children, and you shall hear

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere”,

Later in the poem another famous verse doesn’t quite get the history correct when it states,

“One, if by land, and two, if by sea;

And I on the opposite shore will be,”

One lantern meant that the British soldiers were marching by land from Boston and two meant that they were crossing the Charles River to Cambridge.

The spot where Paul Revere was captured is marked with a circular stone memorial along with a plaque and two information panels that tells the story of his capture

Concord’s North Bridge

The Concord’s North Bridge that crosses the Concord River is the site of the first victorious battle of the American Revolution that was actually won by the American militias. This is the battle that became known as:

“the shot heard ‘round the world”

In 1875, on the 100^th anniversary of the battle at Concord, the minuteman statue was dedicated and is now the symbol of today’s National Guard. Today’s National Guard is the direct descendent of those militia and Minute Men who stood their ground to protect their homes and freedoms.

Hartwell Tavern

Hartwell Tavern was the home of Ephraim and Elizabeth Hartwell and was a regular stopping point for travelers to and from Boston. The current building is a restored 18^th century tavern on Battle Road which provides a view of the living conditions of the revolutionary period.

Park rangers staff the tavern in period costumes and twice a day they conduct a program that provides information on what it meant to be a minute man in 1775, how they trained and armed, the motivations and realities faced by those who volunteered to be ready at a minute’s warning.

Musket firing demonstration

At the end of the program at Hartwell Tavern the park rangers perform a musket firing demonstration. The rangers shoot two rounds with a musket, the lead photo of this post and the photo below are both of the shots fired at the program I attended.

Battleground Trail

Battleground Trail is a five mile road/trail that winds through restored colonial landscape that helps to imagine the terrain of the area during the revolutionary time period.

The Dust on My Shoes

I really enjoyed visiting Minute Man National Historical Park. Many times there isn’t much to see at places where historical events happened but the parks services have done a good job of providing three interesting places for visitors to have a good experience while learning about events leading to the American Revolution.

Learning about the story of Paul Revers capture and seeing the site where the American militias won their first battle makes me see the history of those events differently.

The presentation at Hartwell Tavern was really interesting. Learning about the life of the American colonists and the training that the minute men went through prior to the revolution gave me a different perspective of the colonists than I previously knew.

I always enjoy learning about historical events during my travels. Seeing real places where events took place is much more memorable than reading about them in a book or seeing exhibits in a museum.

I travel because I enjoy seeing unusual places, experience different cultures and see beautiful nature but when I return home I always return with new knowledge of the places that I have visited.

Enjoy your travels but don’t underestimate the knowledge gained from traveling.

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