Visitor's Guide to Minute Man National Park

At the foot of a small Massachusetts hill sits a wooden bridge which fords the slow-moving Concord River. It is hard to imagine that this quiet, peaceful spot was the site of an event that changed the history of mankind. Yet it was here, at the North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts, where a colonial soldier fired "the shot heard round the world" at the start of the American Revolutionary War.

Today, the historic bridge in Concord is part of Minute Man National Park, where visitors can relive the critical opening battle of the Revolutionary War, when the American militia first took up arms against British rule and set the colonies of the path to independence.

Minute Man National Park is actually a series of sites in and around the town of Concord, Massachusetts. Here, landmarks commemorate the events of April 19, 1775, when colonial troops first engaged the British army, and literally chased them back to Boston.

The battle started at the North Bridge, where the Minute Man statute stands on one side of the river, a monument to the Massachusetts citizens prepared to take up arms in a minute to defend their communities. Across the river lie the graves of British soldiers killed in the opening skirmish. National Park Service rangers are on hand to tell the story of how colonial troops, seeing distant smoke, mistakenly believed that British troops were burning the town of Concord and were ordered to fire on the "redcoats" across the bridge.

Just yards away sits the Old Manse, home to the prominent Emerson family. The grandfather and father of Ralph Waldo Emerson watched the battle from the house, and it was Emerson himself who penned the phrase "shot heard round the world," which is inscribed in the base of the Minute Man statue.

A short distance away, to the east of the center of Concord, most of Minute Man National Park lies along the Battle Road Trail, along which colonial troops literally chased British redcoats. Over the course of six hours, the colonists stayed ahead of the British, firing from fixed positions, moving ahead, firing again, as the King's troops retreated toward Boston.

Along the five-mile trail, which parallels Massachusetts Route 2A between Lexington and Concord, are a number of historic sites. At Hartwell Tavern, living history demonstrations are held daily, including scheduled musket firings. Nearby is the spot where Paul Revere was captured by British troops. It was Revere who had set out from Boston the night before to warn Minute Man militias that "the British are coming." A monument marks where his legendary "midnight ride" ended when he was taken prisoner.

Minute Man National Park is located in Concord, Massachusetts, just off Interstate 95. The Minute Man Visitor Center at the eastern end of the park offers maps, literature and a short film which tells the story of this opening battle of the Revolutionary War. National Park Service rangers staff the visitor center. The Battle Road Trail is accessible on foot, wheelchair and bicycle. The park is open daily year-round. There is no admission charge.