For me, Patriot’s Day goes on all year long. I’ve been infatuated with the American Revolution since I was a 7-year-old kid and was in Concord and Lexington for the 200th anniversary. This year, the “official” start for me was on April 8 just before the eclipse by giving a presentation on our April 19 bullet strike study research for the Lexington Veterans Association. I was “eclipsed” a bit by the eclipse, but we still had a good crowd of around 25 folks. They even stayed awake!
On Saturday the 13th there were activities going on at Minute Man National Historical Park and a group of us did our yearly Patriot’s Day breakfast in Concord to talk about history for a couple of hours before driving to the park to see old friends, walk part of the Battle Road, and watch the reenactment. For the first time since I was a kid the material culture amongst the reenactors was on a much higher level than it ever had been, and it was interesting to watch.
Sunday was spent out on the battlefield walking around and a trip to Arlington to walk through the Jason Russell house, scene of some of the heaviest fighting of the day with some folks from London who had come over to see what was going on. It was a lot of fun sharing research with people who wanted to hear it although my wife didn’t seem too interested in listening to me babble.
Monday it was back to Concord for breakfast with history friends and talk, then a walk to the North Bridge to watch the Patriot’s Day ceremony and parade. The weather was perfect, so it was a nice walk up Monument Street. If you haven’t been there, you should go. Concord is a beautiful town with a lot of layers of history.
Having been a member of the town of Concord Public Ceremonies and Celebrations Committee for 5 years, it was nice to not have the stresses of making sure everything goes properly and watch. The ceremony was, as always, moving for me. Then we watched the parade go down from the North Bridge and into town and retired to the Colonial Inn for a few beers and more conversation. That’s another ritual for me over the years, and even more so after researching all of the supplies that were stored in the central part of the Inn during the Revolution. In April 1775, there had been stores there, but then it was rented until about 1781 and state stores were brought and issued from there for many years. The action in Concord didn’t end once the British retreated back to Boston. It was a hub of activity for the entire war.
The Minute Man statue by Daniel Chester French
Next year being the 250th anniversary, I’ll be spending a lot more time in Concord, Lexington, and Arlington giving tours and presentations for an upcoming book that will be published by then. Looking forward to it already!
