Going Back In Time to Lexington and Concord

Over the summer, my parents and I watched a show on Netflix called "TURN: Washington's Spies". In this show, we follow Abraham Woodhull (played by Jamie Bell) and the adventures of the Culper Ring. This ring of friends is a group of spies who help during the Revolutionary War, working under General George Washington. While watching this series, we decided to go on a day trip to Lexington and Concord, to walk around and see the historical sites that are open during the pandemic. We went on a Friday in July, and we were gone for most of the day.

The picture above, taken by my mom, is of the Minuteman Statue. This statue oversees the Lexington Green but faces the way that the British came. The statue is supposed to be of Captain John Parker, the leader of the Lexington militia. Below, is a closer picture of the statue, taken by me.

We started at the Lexington Vistors Center, located next to our first historical spot: The Buckman Tavern, pictured left, which is the oldest tavern in this city. This tavern was where 77 Minutemen gathered while waiting for the British. On the door front of this old tavern is a bullet hole, from the Battle of Lexington.

This sign gives more background of the Buckman Tavern:

"In 1714, Lexington selectman gave John Muzzey permission to keep a 'publique house of entertainment'. On Sundays townspeople came here for a hot flip and a warm fire after sitting for hours in the unheated church.

John Buckman owned the inn during the Revolution. He gave it a new double hip roof to provide more attic bedrooms, obliterating its 'saltbox' roof profile. In later years, it served as the town post office. The Lexington Historical Society induced the town to buy the building in 1914 to save it from demolition. Today, the town owns the Tavern and the Society maintains it."

Our second historical stop was the Hancock-Clarke House. This was the destination of Paul Revere, as he rode to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock of the soon-to-be arriving British troops.

This bright yellow house was about a 10 or 15-minute walk from the Buckman Tavern. Something my family noticed while walking around this historical house was that the windows on the sides are not level, or straight, but are lopsided.

To the right, this picture taken by my mom, is of the Old Burying Ground located behind a church west of the Battle Green. There were so many headstones of soldiers from the Revolutionary and Civil War, children, people who died of illness, etc. There was also a British soldier buried here, he was injured while retreating from Concord.

Other places in Lexington: the Old Belfry and the Munroe Tavern. Climbing up a rocky hill, you would find yourself at the Old Belfry. The Belfry was moved to the Battle Green in 1768, and acted as a summoning to church, warning of danger, tolled on days of a death, and alarmed the people of the Battle of Lexington. The original structure was lost to fire and was rebuilt on the original site on Belfry Hill in 1910. We did not visit the Munroe Tavern, but this place was the British Headquarters and a hospital for the British soldiers.

In the Battle Green, you could find several monuments, including the Minuteman statue. You could find the Revolutionary War Monument, which is the burial site of seven militiamen. The Revolutionary War monument depicts one end of the militia soldier line, while a boulder with a quote from Captain John Parkers marks the other end.

We stayed in Lexington for lunch at a local restaurant near the Battle Green. After lunch, we headed to Concord, where the "shot heard around the world" was located. We drove to the Minute Man National Historical Park and walked to the North Bridge, pictured below (taken by my mom).

On one side of the bridge is the Minute Man statue, pictured left (taken by my mom). This 7-foot tall bronze statue has stood guard of the hallowed ground and is set near where the first colonial militiamen were killed. On the front of the statue is the first stanza of "The Concord Hymn" written by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,

Here once the embattled farmers stood, And fired the shot heard round the world."

As we walked around the area of the bridge, we saw a woman painting the Minute Man statue (pictured below, taken by my mom). We were taken by awe while watching her make her piece.

During this time of COVID-19, please check to see if places are open or if tours are happening. It was a great day overall, weather, and picture wise. I hope to return to go on tours and learn more in-depth about these places.

Now, it's time to make a list of more historical places I would like to visit.