This Girl Travels to Concord, Massachusetts

Today we are visiting the historical town of Concord, Massachusetts.  Our first stop, the Minute Man National Historical Park, which is located approximately 20 miles outside of Boston.  This beautiful park commemorates the opening battles of the American Revolution by preserving the historic sites, landscapes and structures.

April 19, 1775.  The start of the American Revolutionary War. 

It was here, in Concord, Massachusetts, that the British learned that weapons were being gathered and British troops were ordered to seize and destroy them. Local militia confronted the troops at the North Bridge and gunfire was exchanged.

Reverend William Emerson, grandfather of writer Ralph Waldo Emerson built The Old Manse in 1769 and on April 19, 1775, family members watched from their house as British soldiers and local militia fought.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) was a preacher, philosopher and poet. His first major essay, NATURE, was published in 1836. Emerson’s home in Concord, is now a historical landmark and museum.

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an author, public speaker and natural scientist. His first book, WALDEN, was published in 1854 detailing his experiences over the course of two years, in a small cabin he built near Walden Pond.

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was a bestselling novelist of the late 1800s with her most notable work, LITTLE WOMEN, which remains popular today.  Her family home, Orchard House, where Louisa lived from 1858-1877, is where she wrote her beloved classic novel at a “shelf desk” her father built especially for her.

The Concord Museum, founded in 1886, is a museum of local history and best known for its collection of artifacts dating around 1850.

The Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is the burial site of several famous Concordians including Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson.  They are buried in a section of the grounds known as “Author’s Ridge.”

The Colonial Inn was built in 1716. In 1775, one of the original buildings was used as a storehouse for arms and provisions.  Room 24 is said to be haunted.  The Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

I absolutely adore Concord.  Truly a quaint village that anyone would fall in love with. I know I certainly have.

Here are more shops to check out during your visit.