A Digital Harvest at Minute Man National Historical Park

In New England, autumn is a time brimming with traditions and beliefs, some of them dating back centuries! What was autumn like in times past? Did they celebrate Halloween? Tell ghost stories? What did they do to enjoy this colorful and crisp season? Join Minute Man National Park in the month of October for a variety of online posts and videos.

Museum Monday: Each week our curator, Nikki Walsh, will highlight some surprising objects in our collection that are sure to make you sleep with the light on.

War Graves Wednesday: On Wednesdays this month we will be posting fascinating stories about the British soldiers’ graves throughout Minute Man National Historical Park.

Folkways Friday: Friday's in October will feature a post or video about various aspects of colonial life appropriate to the season. Coming up this week:

Videos and posts will arrive via Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Be sure to follow Minute Man National Park on your favorite social media outlet so you can explore earlier posts and be ready to view material. Within YouTube, you can always hit "Set Reminder" on an upcoming video you're interested in so you don't miss it!

Join us virtually from the Hartwell Tavern on Halloween night to hear real ghost stories spanning three centuries of New England’s past. For us today, ghost stories are just cozy forms of entertainment. But in Colonial New England stories of the supernatural were no laughing matter! Are ghosts real? Or are they just a childish form of entertainment? We’ll leave it up to you to decide what you believe. . .

You can view "A Haunted Evening at Hartwell" on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 8:00 on the Minute Man National Historical Park YouTube channel. Hit "Subscribe" so you won't miss it!

Minute Man National Historical Park is home to a flock of twelve female miniature sheep. On a recent Saturday, Girl Scout Troop 82124 from Waltham, Massachusetts assisted with rotational grazing of the herd in the pasture near the Minute Man Visitor Center. The sheep are moved to a new grazing area once a week to forage on grasses, herbs, and leaves. Fortunately, the sheep enjoy invasive plants such as poison ivy leaves, glossy buckthorn, and bittersweet.

The Troop 82124 has been making regular visits to the park since last fall and have cleaned park signs, picked up trash, and most recently helped manage the sheep. As a result of their volunteer efforts, each girl has earned a National Park Service Girl Scout Ranger badge. Thank you to the hard-working girls of Troop 82124 for volunteering their time and skills to the park!

To read more about the sheep, view more photos, find out how to visit them, and to learn how you can volunteer with the sheep, please click on the link below.

Minute Man National Historical Park and the Friends of Minute Man are thankful to have so many dedicated volunteers to help welcome visitors and bring the past alive. One current volunteer has been here for over 45 years! Judy Cataldo started as a Minute Man volunteer in 1974 and can be seen wearing a red and blue gown in the picture on the left. On the right, we see a more recent photo of Judy spinning at the Hartwell Tavern. Judy is an expert in many topics of colonial life including textiles and spinning as well as disease and gravestone studies. She also serves as a reenactor with the Westford Minute Men.

Judy is always ready to engage visitors and notes, “the best thing about being a volunteer is helping the public to understand the lives of the people who lived here 245 years ago. I especially enjoyed the spinning programs I used to do, watching people’s faces as I explained how it all works and the history of the craft.” Read more

Thank you for becoming a member or renewing your membership during our annual membership drive, we appreciate your support.

Members support educational programs and activities at the park; preserve historic buildings, monuments, and landscapes; and provide vital support so that visitors, joggers, and cyclists can enjoy Battle Road trail.

It's never too late to become a member! We are delighted to accept new members all year long. You’ll receive a window cling and a membership card that entitles you to 15% of at Minute Man National Historical Park stores. The Friends of Minute Man is a non-profit 501c3 organization and you will receive a receipt for tax donation purposes.

Thank you for your support!

Take a walk through Concord's Sleepy Hollow Cemetery this fall to enjoy the beautiful fall foliage and visit the graves of the town's famous authors. Follow signs to Author's Ridge, the final resting place of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott, and Henry David Thoreau. Another "must-see" is the dramatic Melvin Memorial by Daniel Chester French, sculptor of our very own Minute Man statue.

For more information, please visit the Town of Concord website or the Friends of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.