THE TAP ROOM, BUCKMAN TAVERN

STATUE OF CAPTAIN JOHN PARKER LEXINGTON COMMON
Henry H. Kitson, Sculptor

CONCORD WINTER

REVOLUTIONARY ROADSIDE

THE OLD MANSE (1769), CONCORD

ON LEXINGTON COMMON

THE MUNROE TAVERN (1695), LEXINGTON,
EARL PERCY’S HEADQUARTERS ON APRIL 19, 1775

The Munroe Tavern

and Detail of the Newly Restored Facade

A CORNER OF THE EARL PERCY ROOM, MUNROE TAVERN

The Munroe Tavern, built in 1695, was occupied by Earl Percy when he reached Lexington with reinforcements on the afternoon of April 19, 1775. The old hostelry was used as a hospital and headquarters for the British while the landlord, Sergeant William Munroe was playing his part with the minutemen, and his wife and children were hiding fearfully in the woods. Sergeant Munroe left the tavern in charge of a crippled neighbor, John Raymond, who was shot.

The room above was originally the dining room, and is now dedicated to Earl Percy and filled with a rich collection of Revolutionary relics. The facade of the tavern was altered when it became a private residence, and it has only recently been restored to its former character, from data revealed in an old etching.

THE BARROOM, MUNROE TAVERN

The barroom of the Munroe Tavern contains, among other relics, the remains of a British bullet hole in the ceiling and the original tavern sign, cut out of one piece of hard white pine, which hung outside the door.

THE WASHINGTON ROOM, MUNROE TAVERN

George Washington dined at the Munroe Tavern on November 5, 1789. The landlord, then Colonel Munroe, cleared this bedchamber and arranged it as a private dining room for the distinguished guest. Washington sat in the chair at the left. The Sheraton table and the hat rack are the same ones used by him. The dishes used for the occasion are also preserved.

A Corner of the Old Bedroom of the Munroe Tavern

The Mason House (Built 1680) Is across the Road from the Munroe Tavern

Springtime Sycamores over an Old East Lexington House

THE FOLLEN CHURCH (1840), EAST LEXINGTON VILLAGE

East Lexington village was reached by the British at early dawn on the 19th of April. It was here that Benjamin Wellington was captured and disarmed by British scouts, the first armed man to be taken in the Revolution. Most of East Lexington’s buildings now date from later periods.

MODERN LEXINGTON—THE CARY MEMORIAL BUILDING

MODERN LEXINGTON—THE RAILWAY STATION

Much of the architecture of modern Lexington reflects its distinguished past. The railway station, for example, is in the chaste Colonial tradition. So is the Cary Memorial Building (1928) which serves as a Town Hall. Among other paintings it contains the famous canvas of the Battle of Lexington, “The Dawn of Liberty,” by Henry Sandham.

STATUE OF CAPTAIN JOHN PARKER, COMMANDER OF THE MINUTEMEN
Henry H. Kitson, Sculptor

THE BATTLE GREEN—LEXINGTON COMMON

On this triangular village green, “Birthplace of American Liberty,” the little group of embattled minutemen under Captain John Parker faced an advance guard of four hundred British regulars in the pale dawn of April 19, 1775.

THE HOUSE OF MARRETT AND NATHAN MUNROE, LEXINGTON COMMON

This house, built in 1729, was a mute witness of the stirring resistance of the minutemen. Nathan Munroe was a member of Captain Parker’s company.

THE BATTLE GREEN IN MID-WINTER

At the left is the first Revolutionary monument to be erected, dedicated to the memory of the men killed at the Battle of Lexington. Their remains are still kept in a tomb at the rear of the granite shaft. Washington and Lafayette both visited this spot.

SPRINGTIME ON THE BATTLE GREEN

The view shows the location of the line where the minutemen made their heroic stand. The First Parish Church, facing the Green, dates from 1847, the previous church having occupied a site on the Common itself.

DOORWAY OF THE JONATHAN HARRINGTON HOUSE

THE HOUSE OF JONATHAN HARRINGTON, LEXINGTON COMMON

Jonathan Harrington, one of the minutemen wounded by British bullets, dragged himself to the doorway of his house facing the Battle Green and died there at his wife’s feet.

THE BOULDER ON LEXINGTON COMMON

Marking the line established by the minutemen on the morning of April 19, 1775. On it are inscribed the words of Captain Parker’s immortal command: “Stand your ground. Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war let it begin here.”

THE OLD BELFRY

To hold the town bell, a little wooden building was erected on a hill overlooking the Common in 1761. A few years later it was moved to the Common, where it sounded the alarm to the minutemen on the morning of April 19th. An exact reproduction of the old belfry has now been erected on the original site. The bell has long since vanished, but its tongue is still preserved.

A WINTRY DETAIL OF THE BUCKMAN TAVERN

THE BUCKMAN TAVERN (1690), MEETING PLACE OF THE MINUTEMEN, Lexington Common

This old tavern was the scene of great activity on that memorable morning. Around the great fireplace in the tap room the minutemen gathered to await word of the British advance. Paul Revere witnessed the arrival of the British from a chamber window. In the afternoon of April 19th two wounded British soldiers were given first aid here. One of them died shortly after, and was buried in the old cemetery. The Buckman Tavern, which was the oldest of Lexington’s twelve inns, still contains scars of British bullets. The first village store was located here, and later, in 1812 it held Lexington’s first Post Office. The building contains many noteworthy exhibits besides the famous tap room, and is now in the care of the Lexington Historical Society.

THE BUCKMAN TAVERN IN CONTRASTING SEASONS

Bar in the Tap Room of the Buckman Tavern

The Tap Room of the Buckman Tavern

and an Adjoining Fireplace

THE FIRST NORMAL SCHOOL IN AMERICA

Standing at the end of Lexington Common is this large frame building, originally constructed for the short-lived Lexington Academy. In 1839 the first Normal School in America was opened here with an enrollment of three pupils. The building now serves as the Masonic Temple.

A Corner of the Old Burial Ground, Lexington

The Original Wing (1698) of the Hancock-Clarke House—Lexington

A wintry view of the gambrel-roofed ell of Lexington’s most celebrated dwelling. It was built as a parsonage in 1698 by the Reverend John Hancock, grandfather of the governor. In its tiny rooms the parson’s five children were raised to maturity.

THE HANCOCK-CLARKE HOUSE IN A SNOWY SETTING

The frame of the original wing is of hand hewn oak, still in fine condition. Thomas Hancock, second son of the parson, who became a prosperous Boston merchant, added the front portion to the house in 1734. John Hancock, the future Governor and signer of the Declaration of Independence, spent several of his boyhood years with his grandparents. The third pastor of the village was a much respected man, Reverend Jonas Clarke. He occupied the house in 1755 and was still its host on April 18, 1775 when John Hancock and Samuel Adams, facing imprisonment if they were caught by the British, took refuge there. John Hancock’s aunt and his fiancee, Dorothy Quincy, were also staying in the house. During the night the two patriots were roused from their sleep by Paul Revere, and were conducted to Burlington for their safety. Dorothy Quincy followed the party, bringing along a fine salmon which had been sent in for their dinner.

THE HANCOCK-CLARKE HOUSE

The Lexington Historical Society purchased the house in 1896, moved it across the street from its original site and restored it to its original condition. The larger part of the Society’s extraordinary collection of historic relics is exhibited in this house and in a fireproof wing.

The Newer Part of the Hancock-Clarke House (1734) Is Rich in Fine Panelling, Fireplaces and Revolutionary Relics

Attic Atmosphere under the Low Gambrel of the Hancock-Clarke House

AUTUMN AT THE HARTWELL FARM

ALONG THE BATTLE ROAD—THE HARTWELL FARM IN LINCOLN

The route of the British from Lexington to Concord led through the town of Lincoln along a wooded highway. It was at a bend in this road, about two o’clock in the morning, that the midnight ride of Paul Revere ended. In company with William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott, Paul Revere was halted by a British patrol. Dawes escaped, as did Dr. Prescott, who went on to give the alarm at Concord, but Revere was arrested and taken back to Lexington. There he was released, and later joined John Hancock and Samuel Adams.

The Samuel Hartwell house, now known as the Hartwell Farm, is one of the survivors along the Battle Road. Past its front door the red-coated Grenadiers matched with smart precision on the morning of April 19th. They returned in the afternoon, with broken ranks and no semblance of military order, harassed by the minutemen. One Grenadier pushed his broken musket through a window of the house and left it there, and several fired bullets into its boarded facade.

Farmhouse along the Battle Road

The Farm at Meriam’s Corner

MERIAM’S CORNER, CONCORD

The first point of interest encountered in Concord marks, not the British approach but their retreat, after the rout at North Bridge. Here, at Meriam’s Corner, the minutemen who had fought at the bridge were joined by embattled farmers from Sudbury, Framingham and other neighboring towns. From all sides they poured fire on the retreating Regulars, finally driving them all the way to Boston.

THE FERTILE FIELDS OF CONCORD, SCENE OF THE BRITISH RETREAT

GRAPEVINE COTTAGE, CONCORD

Along Lexington Road in Concord begins a succession of interesting buildings, the first of which is this cottage, the home of Captain Ephraim Wales Bull, who bred and developed the Concord grape here in the 1840’s. A shoot from the root of the original Concord grapevine still prospers under the trellis.

“THE WAYSIDE,” HOME OF THREE AUTHORS, CONCORD

A wintry view of the first of Concord’s literary shrines along Lexington Road. Bronson Alcott gave the house the name of “Hillside” during his stay from 1845 to 1848. Louisa and her sisters spent a few impressionable years of their girlhood here, and gave their plays in the barn. Nathaniel Hawthorne bought the house from the Alcotts in 1852, renamed it “The Wayside” and lived here until his death in 1864. As a refuge from visitors, Hawthorne built a tower, or “sky parlor,” where he wrote “Tanglewood Tales” and “The Marble Faun.” A later owner was Mrs. Daniel Lothrop who, under the name of “Margaret Sidney,” wrote many volumes of the “Five Little Peppers” during her forty years’ residence here. The house dates from the early 18th century.

SIDE VIEW OF “THE WAYSIDE,” SHOWING HAWTHORNE’S “SKY PARLOR”

ORCHARD HOUSE, THE HOME OF THE ALCOTTS, CONCORD

After leaving “The Wayside” the Alcott family moved into this old house, at the time considered unfit to live in, and repaired and painted it themselves. Louisa May Alcott affectionately referred to it as “Apple Slump,” and it was here that she wrote the first part of “Little Women.” Much of the Alcott furniture and many books, pictures, and personal memorials are still to be seen in the house, among them the sketches May drew on the walls of her room.

ORCHARD HOUSE AND ITS GIGANTIC ELM, IN EARLY SPRING

The School of Philosophy, Gathering Place of American Philosophers, Concord

On the grounds of Orchard House stands this small unpainted, wooden-Gothic building, once known as Hillside Chapel, which served as Bronson Alcott’s summer school of philosophy for almost a decade. Many notable men of letters came to this chapel, which occupies an important place in the history of American thought.

ANTIQUARIAN HOUSE, CONCORD

This building incorporates a noteworthy collection of period rooms, beautifully furnished. The next four pages give glimpses of this significant museum of early American decoration.

A Typical New England Living Room, Late 17th Century

The Pine-ceiled Room, a Rare Survivor from the Early 18th Century

The Green Room Has Irregular Panelling Typical of the Early 18th Century

The Queen Anne Room Portrays a More Formal Mode of Living, Middle 18th Century

The Chippendale Room Reflects the Comfortable Days before the Revolution

Fireplace Detail from the Reeded Room (period of 1800)

A Glimpse through the Front Hallway into the Reeded Room

THE EMERSON HOUSE, CONCORD

Ralph Waldo Emerson, who built this square white house and planted the pines around it, lived here from 1835 until his death in 1882. During his European tour, Thoreau lived in the house. Emerson was a strong influence in drawing other writers to Concord, and a long succession of visitors to his doorstep. His study has been moved intact, with its books and pictures and furniture, to the fireproof quarters of the Antiquarian House across the way. The other rooms remain much as they were in Emerson’s day.

CONCORD SNOWSCAPE

THE REUBEN BROWN HOUSE, CONCORD

Home of the minuteman and saddler who brought back the news of the firing in Lexington. This is now the Old Mill Dam Inn.

THE CONCORD SUMMER SCHOOL OF MUSIC

A four-chimneyed “brick-ender,” an architectural style rare outside of Concord.

The Concord Art Association Occupies a Noble Old White Clapboard House

LEXINGTON ROAD, CONCORD

A glance backward at the houses just passed on the preceding pages.

The Victorian Gothic Era Left Concord with This Unusual Stone House

In the distance is the Old Chapter House of the D. A. R.

FIRST PARISH CHURCH, CONCORD

Built in 1901 on the site of the old church where the first and second Provincial Congresses sat, with John Hancock presiding.

FIRST PARISH CHURCH, CONCORD, IN A SUMMER SETTING

The tree in the foreground went down in the hurricane of September, 1938. Concord was a heavy sufferer in the catastrophe.

ENTRANCE TO THE HILL BURYING GROUND

Across the street is Wright’s Tavern (built in 1747), the British headquarters on April 19, 1775 where Colonel Smith boasted that he would stir the blood of the Yankee rebels.

SPRINGTIME ON THE CROSSROADS

The focal point in Concord where the Mill Dam, Concord Square and Lexington Road meet.

Wright’s Tavern, the oldest existing tavern in Concord, is still run as a hostelry.

THE COLONIAL INN, CONCORD

At the end of Monument Square is this historic inn, dating from 1770 and still thriving. It is composed of three old houses joined together. The building on the extreme left was a Revolutionary store-house, while the wing in the foreground was once a Thoreau residence. The old tap room is still intact, and many relics of the Revolution are still in evidence.

A TEMPLE OF COMMERCE ON THE MILL DAM

The business heart of Concord received the name of the “Mill Dam” due to the fact that it was the site of a dam for almost two centuries. Some of its buildings still retain a fine old Colonial character.

MODERN CONCORD

The Colonial tradition is reflected in many newer buildings, such as the bank on the previous page.

CONCORD ACADEMY IN MIDWINTER

SLEEPY HOLLOW CEMETERY

On this far ridge in Concord’s burial ground are found the graves of the literary great, Emerson, Hawthorne, the Alcotts, Thoreau, and their respective families.

THE BULLET-HOLE HOUSE, HOME OF MINUTEMAN ELISHA JONES

The oldest portion of this house, overlooking North Bridge, dates from 1644, making it probably the oldest house in Concord. Elisha Jones, Concord minuteman, was guarding military supplies in his house when the British began their retreat. He imprudently showed himself at the door of the left wing, and was promptly fired upon. The bullet missed him, and the hole it made is still preserved under a pane of glass.

THE OLD MANSE (view from the northwest)

This large gambrel-roofed homestead was built in 1769 by the Reverend William Emerson, Concord’s fighting minister. Its grounds border the Concord River, and the minister is said to have viewed the battle at North Bridge from the window of his study. His grandson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, spent much time in the old house as a schoolboy, and later lived here for a year, writing “Nature” during that period. Nathaniel Hawthorne rented the house in 1842, and brought his bride there, to occupy it for some four years. It was Hawthorne who named it “The Old Manse,” and it was his “Mosses from an Old Manse” that made it known to the world. The house has undergone astonishingly little change since it was built 170 years ago.

EARLY SPRING AT THE OLD MANSE

THE BATTLEGROUND, CONCORD

THE GRANITE OBELISK AND THE NORTH BRIDGE, CONCORD

The Battleground by North Bridge is marked by this monument, erected in 1836. Nearby is a tablet marking the graves of two British soldiers killed in the fight. The present bridge is a concrete copy of the original wooden bridge, abandoned in 1794. Here was fired the “shot that was heard round the world.” Here is the setting of Longfellow’s immortal poem. Here was the turning point in America’s struggle for independence.

THE MINUTEMAN, CONCORD

“The Minuteman,” first important Statue by Daniel Chester French, stands guard over the Battleground. The spirited young farmer is leaving his plow to answer the alarm, musket in hand. The sculptor, unable to afford a living model, is said to have used a statue of Apollo Belvedere dressed as a minuteman for the purpose. The scene of this bloody and momentous battle is now the picture of calm repose, and a shrine for innumerable visitors.

The Story of the battle is eloquently related by a tablet on the scene:

CONCORD FIGHT

“On the morning of April Nineteenth, 1775, while the British held this bridge, the minutemen and militia of Concord and neighboring towns gathered on the hill across the river. There the Concord Adjutant, Joseph Hosmer, demanded, ‘Will you let them burn the town down?’ There the Lincoln captain, William Smith, offered to dislodge the British, the Acton captain, Isaac Davis, said, ‘I haven’t a man that’s afraid to go!’ and the Concord colonel, James Barrett, ordered the attack upon the regulars.

The column was led by Major John Buttrick, marching from his own farm. His aide was Lt. Colonel John Robinson of Westford. The minutemen of Acton, Concord, Lincoln and Bedford followed, after them came the militia. At the British volley, Isaac Davis fell. Buttrick cried, ‘Fire, fellow-soldiers, for God’s sake Fire!’ and himself fired first. The British fled; and here began the separation of two kindred nations, now happily long united in peace.”

THE “MINUTEMAN” IN A SPRINGTIME SETTING

NORTH BRIDGE, CONCORD