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Congresswoman Niki Tsongas speaks at the Barrett Farm transfer celebration

Barrett House and Farm Transfered to Minute Man NHP
448 Barretts Mill Road
On Saturday, October 27th, 2012 Save Our Heritage and Minute Man National Historical Park celebrated the completion of the Save Our Heritage restoration of Barrett Farm, and the transfer of its ownership to the National Park Service. Restoration of the 1705 Barrett House began eight years ago when Save Our Heritage, a Concord, Massachusetts, nonprofit preservation organization, acquired Barrett Farm and the 3.4 acres of surrounding land from the McGrath family.

"It was a collaborative effort right from the start between Save Our Heritage, the town, the park, and the McGraths," explained Neil Rasmussen, president of Save Our Heritage. "Our shared goal was to have Save Our Heritage restore the Col. James Barrett House and to eventually incorporate it into Minute Man Park...And that time has finally come."

The Colonel James Barrett Farm is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as one of the most important Revolutionary War landmarks of national significance. Colonel James Barrett, a member of the Provincial Congress, was the overall commander at the North Bridge on the first day of the American Revolution. He was also in charge of all the military supplies in the area. When 700 British Regulars marched to Concord on April 19, 1775, they were intent on seizing weapons and other military supplies stored throughout the town, including Colonel Barrett's property.

In 2005, the late Senator Edward Kennedy and former Representative Marty Meehan lent their energetic support to sponsoring legislation to facilitate a feasibility study of the farm's inclusion in the park. Later, in 2009, thanks to Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, Minute Man Park's boundaries were expanded to include the Col. James Barrett House and land.

In 2012 Congress appropriated the funds needed for the National Park Service to acquire Barrett House and the surrounding land."We're delighted to finally have the Col. James Barrett House incorporated into Minute Man National Historical Park," said Superintendent Nancy Nelson. "Barrett Farm completes the narrative of the beginning of the American Revolution within the park."

The Barrett Farm will be open this season on April 14th and again on September 14th. See our special events page for details.

Special thanks to the Friends of Minute Man National Park for their assistance with this event. Save Our Heritage's project to restore Barrett Farm has been made possible by the generous support of the Town of Concord Community Preservation Fund, Save America's Treasures Preservation Fund, and individual private donations. Many, many thanks to all.