We began our day at Minute Man National Historical Park. The park commemorates the opening battles of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775 by protecting, preserving and interpreting the significant sites, structures, landscapes, events and ideas embodied by these events.

We started our history lesson with the award-winning 27-minute multimedia theater presentation The Road to Revolution. We learned about the sites we would see which became the field of battle during the first armed conflict of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775. It was here that British colonists risked their lives and property, defending their ideals of liberty and self-determination. The events of that day have been popularized by succeeding generations as the "shot heard 'round the world." Often referred to as the "Battles of Lexington, and Concord," the fighting raged over 16 miles along the Bay Road from Boston to Concord, and included some 1,700 British regulars and over 4,000 Colonial militia.

The film did an exceptional job helping us to understand not only the events of the day but also the immenseness of their importance.

A scavenger hunt, of sorts, happened while searching for these small granite markers and distance stones that are placed throughout the trail alignment to trace the historical 18th-century road path (the Concord Road) used by the militia and Crown forces.

I was eager to revisit the Lexington Battle Green, the location of the opening skirmish of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, marking the start of the American Revolutionary War. This is me, 50 years ago on an 8th grade field trip for the U.S. Bicentennial (post about it here). I can't believe it has been half of a century.

As for the statue, it depicts Captain John Parker who led 80 local militiamen during the opening engagement of the American Revolutionary War. Sculpted by Henry Hudson Kitson, it was officially unveiled on April 19, 1900, to mark the 125th anniversary of the battle.

The background/cause for the battle on the Lexington Green was that General Thomas Gage had ordered 700 to 800 British regulars—led by Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith and Major John Pitcairn—to march from Boston to Concord to seize a stash of colonial weapons and gunpowder. It was this aggression that had the Midnight Riders, including Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Dr. Samuel Prescott, alert local towns and patriot militias via an alarm network (one if my land, two if by sea).

The 1799 Revolutionary War Monument features an inscription dedicated to the memory of the men killed on Lexington Green. Erected on July 4, 1799, it is recognized as the oldest war memorial in the United States, marking the militia line from April 19, 1775, and housing the remains of seven of the fallen militiamen reinterred beneath it in 1835.

"Stand your ground; don't fire unless fired upon,

but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here."

-Captain John Parker

I loved discovering this mailbox (I've seen two thus far). To celebrate America's 250th anniversary, the U.S. Postal Service has festively wrapped 30 mail collection boxes in a special red, white, and blue patriotic design across 24 cities tied to the nation's founding. I will be hopefully find a couple more before this trip is done.

History is everywhere. Built in 1710, Buckman Tavern was a gathering place for both locals and travelers, and the site of many important town meetings. Captain Parker and his militia gathered in this tavern in the early morning hours of April 19, 1775 to await the oncoming British Redcoat troops.

Hartwell Tavern (1733) is yet another historic American Revolutionary War site associated with the revolution's first battle. Paul Revere and William Dawes were captured by a British Army patrol nearby during the "Midnight Ride" to Concord of April 18. Samuel Prescott, who was also riding with them, escaped by jumping his horse over a wall and into the woods. Prescott emerged at the Hartwell Tavern, awakened its owner Ephraim and informed him of the pending arrival of the British soldiers. Ephraim sent his black slave, Violet, down the road to alert his son and his family. Wife Mary then relayed the message to Captain William Smith, commanding officer of the Lincoln minutemen, who lived a little to the west and whose home still stands along Battle Road. The minutemen received the notice in time, and arrived at Old North Bridge before their enemy. Prescott made it to Concord. Interestingly, Paul Revere never did complete the full ride. Such history!

While not open to tour, this house was a must! Early occupants of the Wayside included Samuel Whitney, member of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in 1775 and muster master for Concord's minute man companies. On April 19, 1775 the house was directly mentioned by General Thomas Gage as a place to be searched for arms and supplies. Despite British soldiers marching right past the house as they entered Concord there is no evidence they stopped and searched it. The Wayside is among the park's 11 April 19th Witness Houses.

During the 19th century a succession of authors called this house home; most notably Louisa May Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne. They, along with their neighbors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau joined many others such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Herman Melville to begin a literary tradition recognized as distinctly American.

The Alcotts, who owned the house from 1845-1852, called it "Hillside." Here Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, and her sisters lived much of the childhood described in the book. Nathaniel Hawthorne, wrote The Scarlet Letter, House of the Seven Gables, Twice Told Tales, and other novels and publications. He and his family owned the house from 1852 through 1869 and called it "The Wayside."

As part of the first generation to inherit the Revolution, these early writers helped shape the new nation's cultural identity even as they struggled with the Revolution's legacy and the unresolved issue of slavery. While in the house in the 1840s, the Alcott family aided at least one freedom seeker on his flight to freedom. Just think of the conversations had on this porch. Mind-blowing!

Just a few years away is the Orchard House (c. 1650). It is  most noted for being where Louisa May Alcott wrote and set Little Women in 1868.  This noble home also has a rich history stretching back two centuries beforehand, as well as more than 100 years of life as a treasured historic site open to the public.

The Alcotts were a famous yet flawed family who firmly believed in the power of unconditional love, personal agency, and social justice. Here we were invited to discover the many ways in which they impacted literature, education, philosophy, art, reforms of all kinds -- and each other. I didn't spend the time to accept that invitation. Hopefully, I can return tomorrow.

"Our burdens are here, our road is before us,

and the longing for goodness and happiness

is the guide that leads us through . . ."

~ Marmee, Chapter I of Little Women

Our second cemetery visit was to the South Burying Ground, Concord’s second-oldest burial site. Established as a small 1/2-acre public burial plot after the town's incorporation in 1635, the earliest recorded deaths/burials date to around 1697, with usage continuing through the mid-19th century before the town opened Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (tomorrow's destination).

The site features approximately 230 headstones, including marked graves of 13 Revolutionary War veterans and historical figures such as Ruth Wood (daughter of early Musketaquid explorer William Wood).

William Hartwell's was the oldest of the headstones we discovered (he died in 1960). Born in England in 1613, he immigrated to America and became one of the original tract landowners in Concord, acquiring over 150 acres of land. His descendants became highly influential in the region. His grandson, Ephraim Hartwell, who I mentioned previously, established the famous Hartwell Tavern.

As we strolled Concord yesterday, we saw a sandwich board advertising Concord Orchestra's performance titled Dancing in Disguise. We bought tickets as we stood on the street. Oh my gosh, we are so glad we did. What an afternoon of being musically AWESTRUCK.

The orchestra, conducted by Music Director Zeke Fetrow, performed music by Anna Clyne, Garbriel Fauré, and Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Clyne’s short composition, Masquerade (2013), was inspired by pleasure gardens in London in the 18th century, where people gathered in the summer to experience masquerade balls, fireworks, and performances of music, dance, acrobatics, and theater.

The four movements of Fauré’s Pelléas et Mélisande Suite were selected from incidental music he composed for a play. The Sicilienne movement is one of Fauré’s most easily recognized and best-loved works.

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 3 “Polish” gets its nickname from the polonaise rhythm in its finale. It was written slightly before Swan Lake, and contains some similar musical themes and delightful dance rhythms.

Leonard Bernstein said, "Music can name the unnamable and communicate the unknowable." So very, very true.

"The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely." "It's amazing how lovely common things become, if one only knows how to look at them." "It takes so little to make a child happy, that it is a pity in a world full of sunshine and pleasant things, that there should be any wistful faces, empty hands, or lonely little hearts." — Louisa May Alcott, from Little Men