Special Events 2024

 

Julie Pollock

Check back often for upcoming special events as we enter the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution!

 

 

 

April 2024

 

Battle Road Tactical Demonstration

April 13, 2024
* Events happening across Minute Man NHP

This is the signature living history event at Minute Man National Historical Park, featuring hundreds of volunteer reenactors. Throughout the day learn about the events of April 19, 1775 from many points of view. Enjoy a full schedule of living history programs and demonstrations, including a fast-paced tactical demonstration along a restored stretch of the original Battle Road! Talk with volunteers portraying colonial civilians forced to leave their homes, minute men who answered the sudden call to arms, British soldiers fighting for king and country and Loyalists who saw the struggle differently from their neighbors.

Detailed Schedule:
Hartwell Tavern Open House
9:30 am- 11:30 am
Explore the interior of Hartwell Tavern and talk with living history interpreters dressed in eighteenth century attire. Learn about the experiences of the Hartwell Family on April 19, 1775 or talk about the civilian evacuation that preceded fighting along the Battle Road!

Smith House Open House
9:30 am- 11:30 am
Explore the interior of the William Smith House and talk with living history interpreters dressed in eighteenth century attire. Learn about the experiences of civilians caught in the storm of war on April 19, 1775!

Caught in the Storm of War: The Civilian Evacuation
11:00 am- 11:20 am
William Smith House
Learn about the experiences of non-combatants on April 19, 1775 and the incredible stories of those who struggled to protect their families from the horrors of war. This program presented by the Ladies Association of Revolutionary America will occure at the Smith House.

Civilian Evacuation and Elm Brook Hill Tactical Demonstration
11:30 am
Hartwell Tavern
Watch as hundreds of volunteer reenactors demonstrate the complex tactics used by Militia Soldiers and British Regulars along the Battle Road on April 19, 1775. This program includes musket firing demonstrations. Visitors with hearing concerns should exercise caution. Click here to check out pictures from previous events!

Parkers Revenge Tactical Demonstration
1:00 pm
Parkers Revenge Battle Site (Near Minute Man Visitor Center)
Watch as hundreds of volunteer reenactors demonstrate the complex tactics used by Militia Soldiers and British Regulars along the Battle Road on April 19, 1775. This program includes musket firing demonstrations. Visitors with hearing concerns should exercise caution. Click here to check out pictures from previous events!

Explore the Elm Brook Hill Battle Site with Edmund Foster
2:30 pm- 3:30 pm
Hartwell Tavern
Edmund Foster, a militiaman from Reading, Massachusetts (portrayed by park volunteer, Ed Hurley), will lead a tour to the Elm Brook Hill (Bloody Angle) Battle Site where he fought on April 19, 1775. He will be joined by Lincoln, Massachusetts historian and author Don Hafner.


Parking:

• PRIMARY PARKING: Visitors are encouraged to park at Minuteman High School, located at 758 Marrett Road in Lexington, MA. Additional accessible parking will be available at the Minute Man Visitor Center parking lot – 210 North Great Road in Lincoln, MA – on the park’s east end.

• Visitors trying to view BOTH tactical demonstrations are encouraged to park at either Minute Man High School or the Minute Man Visitor Center, then walk up to 1.7 miles to Hartwell Tavern. Following the Hartwell Tavern tactical demonstration, visitors then can walk back to the park’s east side for the Parker’s Revenge tactical demonstration. Once the first demonstration begins, parking at any lot is not guaranteed.

• There are NO shuttles available to transport visitors!

• There will be parking available at Hartwell Tavern, but that lot is expected to fill up early and quickly. Again, visitors are advised to first look for parking at Minuteman High School or the Minute Man Visitor Center.

This event is co-sponsored by  Friends of Minute Man National Park

 

The North Bridge Tactical Demonstration

April 15, 2024
North Bridge, Concord, MA
8:30 am.
CANCELED DUE TO FLOODING

Commemorate Patriot's Day with a dramatic tactical demonstration involving Colonial minute men, British regulars, and musket fire, marking the "shot heard round the world." Viewing areas are available near the Monument Street entrance of the North Bridge and on the high ground near Liberty Street. During the tactical demonstration movement between the viewing areas will be restricted for visitor safety.

Parking: The roads in Concord close at 8:30 a.m. so please arrive early.
North Bridge Visitor Center: 174 Liberty Street, Concord, Ma
North Bridge Parking Lot: 280 Monument Street, Concord, Ma

This event is co-sponsored by  Friends of Minute Man National Park
 

 

Battle Road Anniversary Hike

April 15, 2025
12:30 pm- 5:30 pm

Join National Park Rangers for an immersive 4-mile guided Battle Road trail hike to Fiske Hill and follow in the footsteps of the ill-fated British column during the Concord expedition. This experiential program will bring the stories of the battle road to life through guided interpretation and immersive Living History elements. Learn about the trials and triumphs of those who experienced the bloody events of April 19, 1775. *Note: Due to ongoing trail restoration work, the 2024 program will be slightly shorter in length.

2024 Registration has sold out!  Thanks to  Friends of Minute Man National Park for maganging resigstration in 2024. Join the waitlist at  Friends of Minute Man National Park website events page. 

Program Logistics:

• Once registered, participants will receive details about where the hike begins and ends plus additional details in a confirmation email. 
• This program is free of charge, although registration is required if you would like to reserve a limited seat on the post-program shuttle bus returning participants from Fiske Hill to the starting point of the program.
• Be advised this program will be an expansive hike over 4-miles of Battle Road Trail on undulating terrain. Sturdy walking shoes/ equipment, weather appropriate clothing, and water are recommended. Park comfort stations at Hartwell Tavern, and the Minute Man Visitor Center will be open.
• Be advised bug spray is recommended
• Be advised this program will feature musket fire along with other immersive living history elements.
• Dogs are not permitted on this tour.
• Though portions of the Battle Road Trail are wheelchair accessible, the entirety of the program from start to finish involves terrain that is inaccessible. 
• Sorry, we are not able to accommodate non-registered participants for this event.

 

Parking:

Parking passes are required for registered participants will be emailed in advance to registered participants.

 

 

Patriot Vigil

Thursday, April 18, 2024
North Bridge, Concord MA

Ceremony 7:45 pm - 8:30 pm
Luminaria 7:30 pm- 9:00 pm

As darkness descends upon the North Bridge battlefield we invite you to come and reflect on the events of April 19, 1775 and the meaning of liberty. The evening ceremony will feature a lantern-light procession, poetry, music, and a recitation of the names of the soldiers who gave their lives on that “ever-memorable” 19^th of April.
The path from the North Bridge Visitor Center to the North Bridge will be lighted with 122 luminaries to honor those who lost their lives in the battle. 

Gather at 7:30 pm in front of North Bridge Visitor Center to join in the lantern light procession, 174 Liberty St, Concord, MA
*To participate in the lantern-light procession, please provide your own REAL candle lantern. The procession will begin at North Bridge Visitor Center, 174 Liberty Street, Concord Ma. From there we will march down the quarter-mile path to the North Bridge where the ceremony will take place. Participants are welcome to wear 18th century clothing if they choose, but please do not bring muskets.

Parking:
North Bridge Visitor Center: 174 Liberty Street, Concord, MA
North Bridge Parking Lot: 280 Monument Street, Concord, MA

This event is co-sponsored by  Friends of Minute Man National Park
 

 

Hartwell Tavern Open House

April 19, 2024
10:00 am - 4:30 pm
Hartwell Tavern is a restored 18th century home located along the Battle Road in Minute Man National Historical Park. On the 249th Anniversary of the battle you will have an opportunity to explore the interior of Hartwell Tavern and talk with interpreters dressed in eighteenth century attire. Learn about the experiences of the Hartwell Family on April 19, 1775 or talk about popular drinks consumed in the 18th century tavern room!

The Minute Men: Neighbor's In Arms - 11:00 am Ranger Program
(30 Minutes)
What did it mean to be a minute man in 1775? How were they trained and armed? Join a park ranger at 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 concerns should exercise caution.

The Aftermath of Battle - 2:00 pm Ranger Program
(30 Minutes)

When the fighting ended on April 19, 1775 a road of carnage stretched over 16 miles from Concord to Boston. On the 249th Anniversary of the battle, join a park ranger at the historic Hartwell Tavern in Lincoln Ma, to learn the harrowing stories of those who buried the dead, cared for the wounded and faced an uncertain world in the days following.

Parking:
Hartwell Parking Lot: 112 North Great Road, Lincoln, MA

This event is co-sponsored by  Friends of Minute Man National Park

 

May 2024

 

"Leaving It To the Fate of Time" Concord and the Civil War in 1864

The Wayside: Home of Authors
Saturday, May 25, 2024

Join us at the Wayside: Home of Authors for a day of Civil War Living History, Wayside Open House, and guest lecture by Historian Richard Smith.

In 1864, the American Civil War ground into its fourth summer of carnage. In Concord, news of horrific fighting brought unwelcome lists of the dead and injured, including those of the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery. The men of Concord who had marched away years before were now battle-hardened veterans and the hardships of campaign took their toll. By year’s end, Asa, John, and Samuel Melvin, three brothers from Concord were dead.

At home support for the war ebbed and flowed. A contentious presidential election loomed on the horizon and with another of summer of horrific bloodshed looming there seemed to be no end in sight. Join us at the Wayside to learn about the trials and triumphs of Concord in 1864.

Schedule of Events:

10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• The Wayside house will be open for guests to explore Nathanial Hawthorne’s Sky Parlor and writing space.
• Members of the Liberty Rifles living history organization will be set up on the Wayside lawn talking about the 1864 experiences of Concord soldiers in the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery.
• Park staff will discuss Louisa May Alcott and the contributions of women on the home front.

2:00 p.m.- "Leaving It To the Fate of Time: The Civil War Diary of Samuel Melvin." ~ Special Lecture by Historian Richard Smith

• In 1861 Asa, John, and, Samuel Melvin of Concord enlisted in the Union army to fight in the Civil War. As members of the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery they were stationed in forts around Washington D.C. but in 1864 the regiment was made into Infantry and sent to the Army of the Potomac, where the Melvin brothers and their comrades would be thrown into some of the bloodiest battles of the war. Join Concord historian Richard Smith for a look into the lives of the Melvin brothers and their experiences in the Civil War. In particular, Richard will talk about Samuel Melvin, the brother who was captured by Confederate troops and sent to the notorious Andersonville prison. Samuel's diary gives a vivid first-hand account of Samuel life -- and death -- as a Union soldier.

4:30 p.m. ~ Site Closed.

This event is sponsored in partnership with the Friends of Minute Man National Park

 

June 2024

 

Port Closure 250th

Minute Man National Historical Park
June 1, 2024

Check back soon for more details.

 

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  April 19, 1775: The First Battle

  Learn about the people and events of April 19, 1775!