Friends of Minute Man National Park
Preserving the Birthplace of the American Revolution
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Travel Back in Time at Hartwell Tavern |
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Hartwell Tavern Now Open for the Season!
Minute Man National Historical Park is excited to welcome you back to the Hartwell Tavern with the following programs:
Hartwell Tavern
Wednesday – Sunday, through Oct. 31, 2021
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Free and open to the public
Walk through the first floor of Hartwell Tavern, a well-known stop for travelers on the Bay Road in Lincoln. On April 19, 1775 the British column passed by here on their way to Concord and again during their fighting retreat to Boston in the afternoon. Three of the Hartwell sons, including John and Isaac who lived here, fought as minute men. Stay for a ranger presentation at 11:15 or 2:15 Wednesdays through Saturdays, see below!
Hartwell Tavern
Wednesday – Sunday, through Oct. 31, 2021
11:15 am and 2:15 pm, 30-minute presentation
Free and open to the public
What did it mean to be a minute man in 1775? How were they trained and armed? Join a park ranger outside the historic Hartwell Tavern in Lincoln MA, where John and Isaac Hartwell, two minute men from the town of Lincoln, lived. Discover the motivations and realities faced by those who volunteered to be “ready at a minute’s warning.” This program includes a musket firing demonstration. Visitors with hearing issues should exercise caution.
Parking is available in the Hartwell Tavern Parking lot, located on Rt. 2A in Lincoln, please see the park parking and transportation webpage or a park map for more information. The Hartwell Tavern area is on the Battle Road Trail which is wheelchair accessible. The tavern itself, however, being nearly 290 years old, is not.
For more information about operating hours, please click on the button below.
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North Bridge Visitor Center - Now Open |
The North Bridge Visitor Center and gift shop are now open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, through October 31, 2021.
Enjoy the air conditioning, historical exhibits, and film! Click on the link below for more information.
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Minute Man National Historical Park is delighted to host Red Devon cattle from Codman Community Farms (CCF) in Lincoln, MA. The heritage herd of yearlings (one-year olds) arrived in mid-May and are located at the fields next to Noah Brooks Tavern along Rt. 2A in Lincoln. The cattle are grazing the historic fields and will travel home to the CCF in the winter. A crew from the CCF moves the cattle around the pasture every 2-3 days as part of rotational grazing management, a sustainable method that ensures both animal and pasture health.
Red Devons are an ancient beef-type breed that hails from southwestern England and is known for their light to rich red or chestnut color. According to the folks at Codman Community Farm, “Red Devon's are an old hardy breed which thrive on grass and living outdoors.” The Red Devons are replacing the previous aging herd which dwindled down to 4 cows and retired earlier this year.
To view, drive along Rt. 2A (North Great Road) and keep a lookout as you approach the Noah Brooks Tavern in Lincoln, see park map. Parking is available at the Brooks Village parking lot across the street but please don’t cross the busy roadway. It’s best to enjoy the herd from afar, as there is an electric fence on the property to keep the animals from straying onto the busy roadway.
To learn more about the busy birthing season for Red Devon at Codman Community Farms, click on the button below.
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Rooster Report
Thanks to our friends at the Codman Community Farms several retired laying hens recently arrived at the park to help compost invasives. The hens are exceptional composters and are going right to work on the worst invasives such as black swallowwort and goutweed. Our new rooster appears to have been raised in a pen and is unfamiliar with foraging.
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We hope his new friends will show him the ropes and that he’ll be munching on ticks and invasives soon. For now, he is spending his time counting from 1 to 8 to make sure all of his hen friends are accounted for.
Click here to learn more about the runaway rooster that is now the ruler of roost!
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Children of the American Revolution Give Back |
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Princeton Elm Planted at Wayside, Home of Authors
This spring Minute Man National Historical Park and the Friends of Minute Man were delighted to host a tree planting at the Wayside, Home of Authors, by the Massachusetts Society of the Children of the Revolution (M.S.C.A.R.). Taryn Holmes, a local teen and Mass State President for the National Society of the Children of the American Revolution approached the park about planting a tree in honor of Harriett M. Lothrop (1844–1924). Lothrop was a resident of the Wayside, a noted children’s author under the pen name Margaret Sidney, and founded the National Society of the Children of the Revolution (N.S.C.A.R.) in 1895.
Taryn spent much of her time during the covid pandemic developing her project and raising funds. Her project focused on Harriet Lothrop as N.S.C.A.R. celebrated the 125 anniversary of its founding in 2020. As the culmination of her project, Taryn worked with park staff to arrange for a tree planting and day of service at the Wayside. On May 22, 2021 over a dozen members of M.S.C.A.R. and NPS volunteers arrived at the Wayside ready to work! The Friends of Minute Man National Park purchased a large Princeton Elm with Taryn’s donation. The event started with a dedication ceremony and remarks by Steven Neth and Margie Brown of the National Park Service who worked closely with Taryn to make the project a success. Taryn and her crew planted the disease-resistant elm in the Wayside lawn as well as other smaller trees in the Wayside parking lot to replace elms on the property that were lost to age, weather, and disease. Read more . . .
Image, clockwise from left: Princeton Elm planting on Wayside lawn; M.S.C.A.R. participants, NPS staff and volunteers; Taryn Holmes; young M.S.C.A.R. members having fun while planting small trees in Wayside parking lot.
To read more please click on the button below.
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Beyond Battle Road
Items of interest outside the Park
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REV250 Podcast: The Freedom Trail
Check out the latest podcast from REV250. Now in its 70th year, the 2.5 mile route through historic downtown Boston sees millions of visitors every year. The marked route connects sixteen nationally important historic sites in Boston covering three centuries of history. Click here to listen.
Emerson and Thoreau Amble
Provided by the Town of Concord, this self-guided trail represents an approximate walking route used by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau from Emerson’s “Bush” house to Thoreau’s cabin on Walden Pond. Click here for a map and to learn more.
James Russell House, by Neil Lynch, Minute Man NHP Ranger
If accounts are accurate, about half the colonials and more than half of the soldiers who
died on April 19 lost their lives in the town of Menotomy (present-day Arlington) where
the fighting was so intense it has been described as “street to street, house to house, room to room.” One particularly tragic scene played out at the home of Jason Russell, a
relatively prosperous farmer who had built the structure 35 years earlier . . . Read more.
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Thank you to our newsletter sponsors! |
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Friends of Minute Man National Park
North Bridge Visitor Center
174 Liberty Street
Concord, MA 01742
P: 978-318-7822
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The Friends of Minute Man National Park is an independent, member-based
non-profit 501(c)(3) organization supporting the Park's mission of
preserving and protecting the historic sites, structures, properties, and landscapes associated with the opening battles of the American Revolution.
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