Discover Concord

Discover what's happening in and around Concord this spring!

Each year, thousands of people come from all around the globe to celebrate the events that gave birth to a new nation. The battles of Lexington and Concord are synonymous with freedom, liberty, and rebellion. The amazing reenactors, park rangers, tour guides, and museum docents in and around our community are all here to help and guide you as you experience the energy and excitement of the events leading up to that fateful day - April 19, 1775.   

This year, for the 245th Anniversary of the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” there are many events planned in and around Concord during Patriots’ Day weekend. Here are a few favorites you won’t want to miss: 

Imagine regiments of heavily armed men marching past your front door with grim determination—almost 800 of them, half the population of Concord in 1775. That was the scene that greeted the residents of the town on the morning of April 19th of that year. 

If you weren’t one of the well-trained Minutemen loading your musket at the North Bridge, what was it like to be in Concord on the morning of that historic day?

If historical Concord had to be summed up in one sensational newspaper headline it might read something like, “TINY TOWN THAT TROUNCED BRITISH BATALLION ALSO BELOVED BY BOOKWORMS”. 

Fortunately, most pilgrims to Concord don’t rely on alliterative excerpts of history when they visit, and yet, there’s so much more to our story than armies and authors. In particular, there is a great deal just waiting to be learned about Concord’s African American history, a complex and very human story that far predates our nation. 

A short drive down Monument Street and across from the venerable Old North Bridge, sits a restored early-19th century vernacular farmhouse, such as can be found all over New England. What sets this farmhouse apart is that it belonged to the family of Revolutionary War veteran Caesar Robbins, who was enslaved at birth around 1745. 

If he had lived in the eighteenth century, Henry Cooke would have been called a Master Tailor. Today we call him a historical costumer, but his tailoring is no less masterful. In an era when all clothing was hand- made, proper fit was important. Achieving the right fit and the right look means understanding the way clothing was constructed. Cooke has made a livelihood out of studying original garments, finding the best materials, and mastering the techniques of measurement, cutting and construction that make reproduction clothing look like the real thing; if you’ve been to a museum, a site with historical interpretation, or a reenactment, you may have seen his work or at least seen his influence. We spoke with him about his remarkable profession. 

There are places where you can stand for a moment between worlds.  Concord Center’s Main Street is one of them. Over it, on April 19th, 1775, British officer Major John Pitcairn crossed from a world securely under English sovereignty and into one at war, fast on its way to American Independence.  

Have you ever tried to quickly clean up the house before last minute guests come over? Heart pounding down the seconds until their obnoxiously presumptuous fists knock on the door, you do a little frantic shoving, maybe commit a little bit of treason, and hope the house looks presentable. 

April 19th, 1775, 3 AM: 65-year-old farmer, Massachusetts Provincial Congress member, and local militia commander Colonel James Barrett lay sleeping next to his wife Rebecca in their farmhouse two miles outside of Concord Center. The fields around their home and nearby mill were quiet in the darkness - and full of artillery and stores needed to support a Continental Army in the making. 

It should come as no surprise that the early laws of this country were derived from English laws, or that those laws were written exclusively by men for men. While Concord of the 19th century was relatively progressive, a wife was still considered merely an extension of her husband, and the laws did not provide her with the right to vote as an individual. Men felt it was good enough for them to cast a vote for both husband and wife, while unmarried women or women of color simply had no say at all. 

With longer days, fresh breezes, and the bright colors of Spring, many of us will be looking to refresh our homes as we stretch into the delightful season ahead. West Concord is proud to welcome a new gem in the design and build world – Appleton Design Group. Owner Nathalie Appleton and her building partner Tino Fazio help make renovation dreams come true through a seamless experience that offers everything from architectural services, to general contracting, to interior design - all under one umbrella.

“I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately…” Henry David Thoreau’s words echo my own sentiments while making a conscious choice to move back to Concord years ago to raise my children. As a child living in Concord, I spent hours playing, imagining, and creating in the woods. As an adult, I continue to seek the solace, reflection, and wisdom of nature – both on the sunniest days and on the cold, grey ones. Concord’s open space, comprised of public and private lands, is one of our most treasured gems. Our town and its residents have chosen over the years to preserve a healthy dose of nature.

Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) was a “feminist” before the word existed. 

Fuller’s father rigorously educated his eldest child as if she were a son, bestowing on her a formative belief in the gender-equality of the mind and spurring her own career as a teacher. In her thirties, Fuller’s erudite reputation preceded her as a leader in the emerging Transcendentalist movement, a philosophy that revitalized the role of the individual in society in the decades preceding the American Civil War. Along with Elizabeth Peabody, Sophia Ripley, Abigail May Alcott, and Lidian Emerson, Fuller was among those women who actively shaped Transcendentalism and used its impetus to further social aims.

Debra Stark, founder of Debra’s Natural Gourmet, has published a new book that is simply delightful.  In its pages, Debra tells the tale of a young woman with a crazy dream to bring organic foods and a holistic way of living to the neighborhood of West Concord in the early 1990s. This book is a fun, lighthearted, and compelling story that reveals through its pages why Debra has become such a beloved figure in and around Concord (and nationwide!). The story tells tales about regulatory law and potlucks, explains why Debra ordered 6,000 pounds of olives in 5-gallon pails just in time for the shop’s opening in 1989, and shares lessons learned along the way.

Test your knowledge with Concord Trivia!

Spring is finally here! One of Concord’s true treasures is its plethora of parks, trails, and nature preserves. Our friend Dave Witherbee has put together a collection of some of his favorite Spring images to inspire you to get outside and explore!

The most extensive Federal-era tea service Paul Revere’s shop ever produced is included in the exhibition, Beyond Midnight: Paul Revere and His Ride, at the Concord Museum. Made for John and Mehitable Templeman in 1792, the set includes a teapot, tea caddy, sugar bowl, and cream pot that are fluted in emulation of the fluted columns of classical antiquity. If the style of this tea set summons the ancient past, its manufacture conjures the industrial future.

Whether your loyalties lie with the King or the colonists, you can catch up with some of the best books on the subject this spring.

For my three siblings and I, growing up in Concord was idyllic. My parents loved raising their family in a small town and my mother, Cande, flung herself fully into the inner workings of it - joining boards of the Old Manse, the Concord Museum, The Fenn School and Nashoba Brooks School, and the CCHS Scholarship Fund. Into our teenage years, we were blissful beneficiaries of this close-knit town, but we’d soon find out just how important this community would become to our family.

Wright Tavern in Concord Center was once the gathering place of patriotic revolutionaries. Today, this same building is home to an innovative team with a revolutionary approach to real estate. The Chris Ridick Team, one of the top real estate teams in New England, joined Compass real estate this Fall and opened a new office at the Wright Tavern.

Discover what's happening in the arts this spring!