07MA: Day 2 - Concord

On Sunday after church at Grace Chapel of Lexington and brunch, Terri took me to Concord. We stopped at the Minute Man Visitor's Center and watched a great (yes, Meg, I said GREAT) media presentation that told the story of April 19, 1775 when lanterns were hung in a bell tower and Paul (and another guy -- did you know there was another guy) rode through the night and the "red coats" marched from Boston to Concord, through Lexington.

Of all the "historic sites" around that event that I could have chosen, I wanted to see the North Bridge at the Minute Man National Park. Remember the "shot heard round the world?"



The bridge has been rebuild a couple of times since 1775, but it's the same place and same land. Also, most of these trees were not standing in that day -- the land had been cleared and there was a fairly good view from the hill just behind this into the town (not at all visible now).

Right next to this site is the Old Manse built c. 1770 by Ralph Waldo Emerson's grandfather who was a minister living in the house April 19, 1775 and, it is said, watched history unfold out his study windows.

Both Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote here. So, the trees are new since then and the grass is new since then, but there was this HUGE rock in the back yard of the Manse and it had to have been there when Ralph and Nathaniel were here writing.

It is impossible to think that they did not sit on this rock and look out at the river. So, THAT is where I needed to sit.

And then stand. The Manse is behind me -- I'm facing the river.

We also went to the Concord Museum.

Besides having a great collection of period furniture and clocks from various periods of Concord's rich history, they had a great collection of both Emerson and Thoreau "stuff." I loved seeing some of the things from the small house (cabin) Thoreau built and lived in at Walden Pond, for instance.