The Great American Outdoors Act at Minute Man National Historical Park

Duration:

3 minutes, 8 seconds

Learn about the many exciting projects in store for Minute Man National Historical Park, thanks to the Great American Outdoors Act.

 

The Great American Outdoors Act

From late fall 2022 through 2025, Minute Man National Historical Park will receive approximately $27 million through the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to address maintenance backlog challenges for the park’s buildings, structures, landscape, trails, signage and monuments. This multi-year improvement project will include historic structures and landscape improvements such as preserving stone walls and improving views and vistas.

“Thanks to the funding from GAOA, the park will bring many of our iconic structures, monuments and trails back into good condition. The timing of this funding will improve the visitor experience beyond the nation’s 250th anniversary and allow future generations to be inspired by what happened right here in the struggle for liberty,” ~Park Superintendent Simone Monteleone.

The project is being financed through GAOA’s National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund.

 

Visitors enjoying the North Bridge

~UPDATE 12/24/24~ All Park Trails are Open!

We are pleased to share that the trail improvement work across the entirety of the North Bridge and Battle Road Trail is now complete. Please help protect the trails - stay on the trail and keeps pets on a leash to allow grass to grow. Metal detecting is prohibited by Federal Law.

 

UPDATE 11/12/24~ North Bridge Trail has Re-Opened!

We are pleased to share that the trail improvement work on each end of the North Bridge is now complete. Enjoy a walk to the Old North Bridge - but please stay ont he trail and keep pets on a leash to allow grass to grow. Metal detecting is prohibited by Federal Law.

 

 

Image description: Satellite view of trail closure from the parking lot at Meriams Corner to the Oak Boardwalk on the Battle Road Trail

UPDATE 10/22/24~ Closure of the Battle Road Trail from Meriam's Corner to the Oak Boardwalk for Trail Improvement Work

Please do not enter closures. The Meriam house will be open for viewing on Friday October 25th - we hope you can visit the historic home!
#greatamericanoutdoorsact

Image description: Satellite view of trail closure from the parking lot at Meriams Corner to the Oak Boardwalk on the Battle Road Trail

 

Map of trail closure from Brooks Village to Smith House

UPDATE 10/2/24~Temporary Trail Closure Shadyside Road (east) to Brooks Village to Captain Smith House

Trail improvement work is taking place at Shadyside Road east between Brooks Village Parking Lot and Captain William Smith House.
The Brooks Village parking lot is closed to the public as construction materials are staged in the lot and machinery is active.
Check back for updates on the duration of this closure as it is expected that portions of this trail will reopen by late October.

 

UPDATE 9/3/24~Trail Improvement Work Will Impact Access to Concord's North Bridge

Trail improvement work on both sides of Concord’s North Bridge will require temporary trail closures to the public for the safety and protection of the park’s visitors and natural and cultural resources.

Beginning Sept. 3, trail users can expect closures of the path leading from the Liberty Street Parking Lot in Concord to the bridge, as well as the path leading from Monument Street to the bridge. This closure will take up to eight weeks. The work will correct poor drainage and eroding trail surfaces.

Parking capacity will be limited at the Monument Street Parking Lot with spaces available to access the Robbins House. Tour buses will not have access to the Monument Street Parking Lot and must utilize the Liberty Street Lot. Bus parking will be limited.

The North Bridge Visitor Center will remain open during this time from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. Restrooms are open inside the visitor center and at the Monument Street Comfort Stations. A view of the bridge can still be enjoyed from a scenic overlook at the Buttrick Gardens, adjacent to the visitor center.

 

Map of Battle Road Trail from Paul Revere Capture Site to Smith House. Trail is marked green for open and red for closure.

UPDATE 8/30/24~Improved Section of Trail Re-opens from Paul Revere Site to Smith House

A new portion of the improved Battle Road Trail has re-opened! Trail users can now access Fiske Hill (at the east end of the park) all the way to the Smith House. We ask that you do not cross the closure to the west of Smith House- violating the closure will cause damage to the new trail surface drying process and will damage trail edges if strollers, bikes or feet disturb the area.

 

UPDATE 8/22/24~ Trail Re-route at Shadyside Lane is Open for a Safer Experience

The trail work between Meriam's Corner and Elm Brook Hill is complete and the trail has re-opened. The work to re-route the trail away from route 2A will provide a safer experience for trail users. Please be cautious of the landscape work that continues at the Inferrara house. Do not cross the safety fence as equipment is still in use.
Note that trail users can walk from Fiske Hill west to the Paul Revere Capture Site. A closure remains from Paul Revere Capture Site to the base of Elm Brook Hill.

 

UPDATE 8/5/24~ Improved Trail Section has Re-Opened for Recreational Use

An improved section of trail from Fiske Hill at Wood Street to Lexington Road, continuing west to the Paul Revere Capture Site has re-opened for walkers, joggers, dog walkers and bicyclists. The parking lot at Fiske Hill and Lexington Road is also open, providing access to the entire Fiske Hill Loop trail.

 

 

 

UPDATE 7/8/24~ From July 22, 2024 to early September 2024, Trail and Parking Lot Closures will Prohibit Trail Access Between Paul Revere Site and Elm Brook Hill

In order to improve trail conditions between William Smith House and Elm Brook Boardwalk, both of the Hartwell Parking Lots will be closed beginning July 22. There will not be access to the trail between Paul Revere Capture Site west to the base of Elm Brook Boardwalk until mid to late October. Entering trail closures or closed parking lots is prohibited. Enerting closures may delay the project. There will not be any public programs at Hartwell Tavern during this time.

 

UPDATE 5/28/24~Rolling Trail Closures and Parking Lot Closures on Battle Road Trail

WHAT: Boardwalk behind Olive Stowe and section of trail between Carty Barn complex over Shadyside Avenue and continuing to Brooks Village is closed to trail users for a trail re-route to be completed in late summer 2024.
Additionally, rolling trail closures currently extend from Fiske Hill Loop Trail in its entirety and continue west past the Bluff, Whittemore House, Parkers Revenge to Josiah Nelson Home Site.
Fiske Hill Parking Lots at Wood Street and Lexington Avenue are closed to public access as contractors work within these spaces with heavy equipment and materials.

WHEN: Anticipate rolling closures of the Battle Road Trail as well as future work at the North Bridge Trail and rolling parking lot closures across the park for materials and heavy equipment will continue through fall of 2024.

PLAN AHEAD: Please stay out of closures and off trail material as it need to cure and harden. Crossing through the construction zone and safety fencing is prohibited.

ALTERNATE RECREATIONAL TRAILS: Consider exploring all that the area has to offer, including Minuteman Bikeway, Reformatory Branch Trail, and Bay Circuit Trail.

 

Director Sams with Student Conservation Association members at the Olive Stow House.

NPS Photo

UPDATE 5/17~ Director Sams visits Stow House

Spring is in the air and restoration work funded by the Great American Outdoors Act is progressing steadily in Minute Man National Historical Park.

One site undergoing restoration is the Olive Stow House along Lexington Road in Concord, Massachusetts. On April 24, 2023 National Park Service Director Chuck Sams, visited the Stow house for a hands-on examination of the restoration project. Director Sams spent time speaking with NPS crews from the Historic Architecture, Conservation and Engineering Center and Student Conservation Association members about their hard work.

On April 19, 1775, widow Olive Stow occupied a house on this property, however the exact age of the standing structure is unknown. Experts believe the building dates to the second half of the 18th century but are unsure if it witnessed the battle. Fortunately, when fighting raged along the battle road in 1775, Olive and her two children Sarah (age 14) and Nathaniel (age 13) survived unharmed.

In recent weeks restoration teams have stabilized the 18th century structure and begun the careful process of bringing this incredible building back to life.

For more information about GAOA projects at Minute Man NHP check our updates page regularly!

To learn more about the houses we know witnessed the battle in 1775 follow the link below.
April 19, 1775 Witness Houses - Minute Man National Historical Park

 

UPDATE 4/5

Minute Man National Historical Park received approximately $27.4 million in project funds from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to address maintenance and repair needs for the park’s buildings, structures, landscape, trails, signage, and monuments.

Beginning in March 2023, Phase I preservation work has focused on rehabilitating 16 historic structures including interior repairs and upgrades to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing. When the work is complete, these buildings, including the Jacob Whittemore House, the Elisha Jones House, Carty Barn, and the Captain William Smith House can continue their solemn watch over this hallowed landscape for years to come. This work was awarded to local, small business contractor Classic Site Solutions, Inc. from Wilbraham, Mass.

The second project phase will focus on rehabilitating the park’s landscape. Work onhe Battle Road Trail, the core of the park's interpretative and recreational connections will seamlessly connect visitors to more than six miles of accessible pedestrian trails and boardwalks. This work was awarded to local, woman-owned business Edward Paige Corporation from Norwell, MA.

“These repairs ensure that Minute Man National Historical Park will have the ability to continue sharing important historical stories about the causes and consequences of the American Revolution,” said Simone Monteleone, park superintendent. “The Park will be ready to welcome visitors for the 250th anniversary for the opening of the American Revolution in April 2025.”

In 2022, the park had more than 960,000 visitors enjoy the park to recreate along the Battle Road Trail or learn about the causes and consequences of the American Revolution. During the first project phase, park visitors can expect minor inconveniences during 2023 and 2024 associated with construction activities at some of the park’s parking lots and trail areas adjacent to the buildings. http://www.nps.gov/mima

Additional work will take place throughout the park continuing into 2025, the 250^th anniversary year of the opening battle of the American Revolution. Improvement projects include historic structures and landscape improvements, such as preserving stone walls and improving views and vistas. Additional work will enhance the elements of this locally significant landscape to reveal the agricultural history of Massachusetts in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries by replanting and vegetation maintenance and improved wayfinding signage.

Funding for the project is from GAOA’s National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund. GAOA is part of a concerted effort to address the extensive maintenance and repair backlog in national parks. Supported by revenue from energy development, the fund provides up to $1.3 billion per year for five years to the National Park Service to make significant enhancements in national parks to ensure their preservation and provide opportunities for recreation, education, and enjoyment for current and future visitors.