 |
 |
Home In-House Directory Contact us |
|
|
|
Concord Highlights Self Guiding Tour The Colonial Inn has the vantage of all the major roads leading to and from Concord center and, Monument Square being a focal point of town celebrations and the place of government activities at the Town Hall. The Colonial Inn, itself, is a part of Concord's historical story and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Along Monument Street, at the approach to the North Bridge is the Old Manse This is the Scottish term for 'ministers house', and was named by author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, for the ministers who lived there before he rented the home, in 1842. Love poetry, inscribed by his wife, Sophia, with her wedding ring, still remains in the windows today. The Rev. William Emerson built the Manse in 1796. From here, the fiery patriotic minister watched the fight at the bridge, and tended to those of his congregation who sought refuse there. His grandson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, was a frequent visitor to the Manse, where he wrote his book, Nature. The Manse is open to the public and displays the furnishings and lifestyle of its past occupants, particularly, the continuity of descendents of the Rev. Ezra Ripley until 1939, when is became the property of the Trustees of Reservations. The Old North Bridge: More than one North Bridge has been built since 1793. The present bridge, dedicated in September 1956, was modeled after the one standing in 1775, when the encounter between the patriot farmer and the British soldier took place on April 19. Daniel Chester French sculpted his well-known statue, The Minute Man for the centennial celebrations in 1875, remembering the patriot farmer, who left his plow to defend the town. A the base of the statue, which stands on the northwestern end of the North Bridge, is the opening verse of Ralph Waldo Emerson's stirring 'Concord Hymn', which he wrote in 1836 for the dedication of the monument across from the bridge. 'By the ruse bridge that arched the flood, their flag to April's breeze unfurled. Here once the embattled farmers stood and fired the shot heard around the world.' Emerson, in his centennial address said, 'We have no need to magnify the facts. Only two of our men were killed at the bridge, and four others wounded. But here the British army was first fronted and driven back; and if only two men, or only one man, had been slain, it was the first victory. The thunderbolt falls on an inch of ground, but the filth of it fills the horizon.' At the North Bridge Visitors center of the Minute Man National Historic Park, are the exhibits and a diorama showing the confrontation at the bridge. From the Visitors center, the road followed by the Patriots to the bridge has been reconstructed. The granite obelisk on the eastern end of the bridge, dated 1836, declares that, 'the first forcible resistance to British aggression' took place here. (Neighboring Lexington will argue that it first took place in their green). To the left of the obelisk are the graves of the British soldiers, 'who came 3,000 miles to put the past upon the throne', and were killed during the first fight at the bridge. Along Bedford Street is Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, whose graves read like an ongoing pageant- the life of the town continues, but with a changing cast of players. Concord's famous literary figures are buried along the cemetery's Author's Ridge . Some of the headstones are simply marked, 'L.M.A.', for Louisa Amy Alcott, 'Henry', for Henry David Thoreau, and 'Hawthorne' for Nathaniel Hawthorne. By contrast, Daniel Chester French's Melvin Memorial, stands as a majestic tribute to his three brothers, who were killed in the Civil War, French, himself, is also buried here. The gravestone of Ephraim Wales Bull, who developed the Concord Grape, reads, 'He sowed, others reaped', reflecting his dying embittered in poverty. His Grapevine Cottage, marked with a tablet, along Lexington Road remains a private residence. The earliest graves are found at the Hill Burying Ground, beside St. Bernard's Church in Monument Square. The oldest grave, that of Joseph Meriam, dates back to 1677. Here lie the leading town figures associated with the events of the 19th April, such as the Rev. William Emerson, Colonel James Barrett, and Major john Buttrick. But it is the grave of a slave, John Jack that often draws the most interest and gravestone rubbings. Jack bought his freedom, and his death in 1733, as the patriot revolt neared, prompted the executor of his Will, Tory Daniel Bliss, to write the biting epitaph, that questioned the double standards of slave holders amidst the call to liberty. Visitors can get to know the authors, who represent, 'The Flowering of New England', within the homes they lived in, most of which are found within the town's 'historic mile', along Lexington Road. Approaching Lexington Road from Monument Square, and within view if the Colonial Inn, is The Wright Tavern. This building is as old as Concord, dating back to 1635, and is presently being used as a nondenominational Spiritual Center of the First Parish Church. The Tavern was the headquarters for the British on the 19th April 1775. The Concord Museum, at the intersection of Lexington Road and Cambridge Turnpike, offers the visitor an excellent overview of the town's history through the permanent exhibit, "Why Concord?" The collection includes one of the lanterns used by Paul Revere, in Boston's Old North Church to warn that the British were arriving by sea prior to his famous ride to alert the countryside. Also includes the contents of Emerson's study and a gallery of objects relating to the life of Thoreau. The development of the town and local lifestyle from the mid-seventeenth century through the nineteenth century can be seen through the galleries and period rooms. The Ralph Waldo Emerson House is located on Cambridge Turnpike, opposite the museum. This was Emerson's Residence of 'plain living and high thinking' from 1835 until his death in 1882. Henry David Thoreau was a frequent visitor and sometime resident of the home. The Orchard House, on Lexington Road, home of the Alcott family from 1858 to 1877, brings to life the characters of Lousia's Little Women, and their real life counterparts. The emphasis, here, is on family living and a range of styles from Bronson's austerity to the youthful drawings on the wall of May, who became the first teacher of sculptor Daniel Chester French. Alongside the family home stands Bronson Alcott's summer School of Philosophy, the site of animated transcendental discussion from 1879-1888. Next door is the house that Nathaniel Hawthorne called The Wayside, and was the only home that he ever owned, it had also been the home of the Alcotts. Boston publisher Daniel Lothrop purchased it as a family summer home and there his wife Margaret Sidney wrote Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. Today, The Wayside is open to the public, and is the property of the National Park Service. The spirit of Henry David Thoreau lives on at the Walden Pond State Reservation, located on Route 126 (Walden Street). His solitary living experiment tool place at what is currently the most publicly accessible bathing site from the Boston area. Those who have further interest in Thoreau, can make arrangements to visit The Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods, at 44 Baker Farmer in the neighboring town of Lincoln. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
© 2002 Concord's Colonial Inn Hotel - Visit Colonial America |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||