Friends of Minute Man National Park
Preserving the Birthplace of the American Revolution
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Save the Dates: April 9 - 19, 2022
We are delighted to announce the Minute Man National Historical Park is offering traditional in-person events this year co-sponsored by the Friends of Minute Man National Historical Park and Freedom's Way National Heritage Area!
The in-person activities are free and open to the public from April 9th to April 19th. You can experience time-honored events such as the North Bridge Commemoration and Battle Road reenactments as well as the new Battle Road Hike.
Park staff is working hard to make sure you have a safe and memorable experience this year. Please be advised that some in-person events may be modified or pivot to a virtual format if our region experiences an increase in covid19 cases.
To view the full lineup of events, please click on the button below.
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March with us in the Patriots' Day Parades! |
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Looking for a unique way to experience Patriots' Day? March with the Friends in the Concord parade on the morning of April 18th. Click here to contact us to save your spot in the Concord parade and for more information.
Or, join Minute Man National Historical Park for the Lexington parade on the afternoon of April 18th. Click here to contact the park to save your spot in the Lexington parade and for more information.
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Winterberry and Bittersweet: Part 2 |
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Written by Kiah Walker, Biologist at Minute Man National Historical Park
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) and the invasive Asian bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) grow throughout Minute Man National Historical Park. Birds such as American robins, eastern bluebirds, and cedar waxwings feast on the fruits of both species during the winter months, but winterberry is a much better source of energy. Other native species, like arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) are even more nutritious, as they have the high-fat content necessary for birds to survive harsh winter conditions. . . . Read more
Image: Winterberry in snow, inset circle of Asian bittersweet.
To read more and view pictures of our volunteers removing bittersweet this winter, click on the link below.
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Volunteer at Spring Park Day |
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Saturday, April 2, 2022 (rain date April 9th)
Minute Man Visitor Center area, 3115 Mass Ave, Lexington
9:00 a.m. - 11: 30 am and 1:00 pm - 3:30 p.m.
Free, please register below
Minute Man National Historical Park invites you to join us on April 2nd for Spring Park Day 2022! Sponsored by the American Battlefield Trust and Friends of Minute Man National Park, this annual event gives participants the opportunity to help preserve one of our nation’s most iconic and historic battlefields. Volunteers can sign up to provide assistance in leaf raking, invasive plant removal, trail maintenance, trash pick up, and livestock fencing, while learning more about its history and ecology from park natural and cultural resource team leaders. Thank you in advance for pre-registering, and we look forward to seeing you!
For more information or to register, please click on the button below; register by April 1st and receive a free Park Day water bottle.
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Blog: British Soldiers, American Revolution
By Don N. Hagist
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Dennis Green, 5th Regiment, takes home a souvenir
Written by Don N. Hagist, American Revolution historian and editor of the Journal of the American Revolution.
Dennis Green was just thirteen years old when he joined the 5th Regiment of Foot in 1765. Born in the town of Mallow in County Cork, Ireland, he was probably the son of a soldier in the regiment and probably started his service as a drummer. By 1774, though, when the regiment arrived in Boston, he was 5 feet 11 1/4 tall, just right for the regiment's grenadier company.
Late in the evening of April 18, 1775, the grenadiers and light infantry from regiments in Boston were quietly assembled, ferried across the Charles River, and in the first hours of April 19 set off for Concord, a town twenty miles inland. By the end of that day the British army in America was at war with rebelling American colonists, and Dennis Green was among the war's first casualties and first prisoners. He was hit by a musket ball somewhere along the arduous retreat from Concord back to Boston and left behind with a number of other wounded soldiers. Doctors were unable to remove the ball, and it remained in his body. . . Read more
Image: detail from Dennis Green's discharge from the 5th Regiment of Foot, June 1783. The National Archives of Great Britain.
To read more of Don N. Hagist's recent blog post on Dennis Green, please click on the button below.
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Harriet Lothrop at Wayside |
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March is Women's History Month
Written by Jenni-Rose DiCecco Master’s student at Suffolk University in Boston, MA. Jenni-Rose is completing a spring internship in non-profit management at the Friends of Minute Man National Park.
Women’s History Month highlights the remarkable contributions of women in history and our contemporary society. The Wayside in Concord, Massachusetts is part of the Minute Man National Historical Park and was home to the author Harriet Lothrop, also known by her pseudonym name “Margaret Sidney”. Harriet’s career as an author took off when "Five Little Peppers and How They Grew" appeared in Wide Awake, a children's magazine. It was then that she met her husband Daniel Lothrop who was her publisher at the time. Together they bought the Wayside home in Concord and transformed it into not just a home but a center for literary life.
Images: The Wayside, inset of Harriet Lothrop at her writing desk at The Wayside. Courtesy of Minute Man National Historical Park.
To learn more about Harriet Lothrop’s contributions as an author and about her life at The Wayside, please click on the button below.
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Wool Felting Demonstration is Now Available Online
We had a great turnout for the wool felting demonstration! Fiber artist and Minute Man volunteer, Martine Gorlier, showed us how she transforms wool into a beautiful felted fedora hat. Using wool from the herd of Ouessant sheep at Minute Man, Martine demonstrated each step in the process including washing, carding, roving, felting, and sculpting the raw wool. Now you can watch it online via our Facebook page!
To watch the video, please click on the picture above or the button below.
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Beyond Battle Road
Items of interest outside the Park
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Freedom's Way National Heritage Area: Women's History Tour
Begin your exploration of the stories of women who were born in, or shaped by their time living within, the 45 communities of the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area by visiting the sites highlighted in the Women’s History itinerary. Click here to learn more and create your own tour on their free interactive map.
PBS Conversations on Franklin: A Virtual Event Series
Join the virtual hour-long discussions with Ken Burns and special guests, featuring clips from the upcoming two-part television series, "Benjamin Franklin." Register here for these free events.
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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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