The following announcement was provided by the Concord Museum:
“Here once the embattled farmers stood and fired the shot heard round the world.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.
In celebration of the Concord Museum’s new permanent April 19, 1775 exhibition and in partnership with The Historical Society of Watertown all Watertown residents are invited to a complimentary in-person evening at the Museum on April 7 or April 14, 2021, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Concord Museum recently completed a $1.2 million permanent exhibition that brings to life the conflict in engaging, emotional ways through powerful animation, artifacts, recordings, and storytelling of that fateful day when the ‘Shot was Heard Round the World’. David Wood, Curator for the Museum remarked, “In Concord Museum’s new installation of April 19th material, first person narratives of participants are joined with the largest collection anywhere of objects that were themselves participants, including muskets, swords, and powder horns that were at the North Bridge. The exhibition is augmented by media based on the most authentic 1775 depictions of the events on that day.”
Importantly, this story is not just about Lexington and Concord, but the 25 communities across Massachusetts that answered the alarm in 1775. In addition to Watertown other towns that sent Minutemen to the battle site include: Framingham, Dedham, Newton, Cambridge, Lincoln, Billerica, Acton, Chelmsford, Menotomy (now Arlington), Medford, Sudbury, Belmont, Wayland, and others. On Tuesday, April 6, 7:00pm the public is also invited to join the Museum for a complimentary virtual evening with Curator David Wood, Peggy N. Gerry Curatorial Associate, Erica
Lome, and historian and author of The Minutemen and Their World, Robert Gross, for an inside look at the roles the Provincials played from these Massachusetts communities.
Leading up to Patriots’ Day on Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18 and during school vacation week, the Museum has a host of other Revolution themed activities. Families are invited to drop-in the Museum’s courtyard to try their hand using a feather quill pen, making a tricorn hat, and playing colonial games. Culminating on Patriots’ Day the
public can witness Acton Minutemen as they prepare for battle in an encampment on the Museum’s lawn. There is also a Tinsmithing activity and Revolutionary Walking Tours.
Watertown residents interested in attending Town Night’s on April 7 or April 14 must reserve a timed ticket on www.concordmuseum.org To register for Concord Museum’s virtual event on April 6, 7:00pm or to
learn more about the Museum’s April activities go to www.concordmuseum.org. For questions 978-369-9763 x222
Before or after your visit view Concord Museum’s ‘Shot Heard Round the World’ microsite which was recently recognized by the U.S. Semiquinncential Commission. https://concordmuseum.org/april-19-1775-exhibit/
It’s a Revolution! Concord Museum’s April Outdoor Events
Drop-In Outdoor Activities
Friday, April 16 – Monday, April 19 and Thursday, April 22 – Sunday, April 25 10:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Free with Museum admission; Members visit free
Participate in drop-in activities outside in the Museum’s courtyard inspired by the Revolution. Try your hand at using a feather quill and ink to write like a revolutionary; make and decorate your own tricorne hat; and play colonial games! Free with Museum admission, members free.
Meet a Minuteman
Saturday, April 17 and Monday, April 19
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Free with Museum admission; Members visit free
Visit the new April 19, 1775 gallery and meet a Minuteman!
Acton Minutemen Encampment
Monday, April 19
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Free
“I haven’t a man who is afraid to go!” The Acton Minutemen mustered and marched to the North Bridge on the morning of April 19, 1775 where, under the leadership of Captain Isaac Davis, were first in line of 450 Provincials who advanced on the British Regulars. Both Provincials who died at the North Bridge – Isaac Davis and Abner Hosmer – were Acton Minutemen. Visit this brave minute company in an encampment outside the Concord Museum on Patriots’ Day and see them prepare for battle!
At the Center of Revolution Walking Tour
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Members $5; Non-members $15. Includes Same-day admission to the Concord Museum
Led by a trained Museum educator, take the short walk from the Wright Tavern the NorthBridge. Learn about the events leading up to April 19th and the first battle of the American Revolution. Discover the stories behind the monuments at the Bridge and the center of town. 1-mile walk, mostly flat terrain, rain or shine.
Try Your Hand at Tinsmithing
Friday, April 23
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
About the Concord Museum
The Concord Museum is where all of Concord’s remarkable past is brought to life through an inspiring collection of historical, literary, and decorative arts treasures. Renowned for the 1775 Revere lantern and Henry Thoreau’s Walden desk, the Concord Museum is home to a nationally significant collection of American decorative arts, including clocks, furniture, and silver. Founded in 1886, the Museum is a gateway to historic Concord for visitors from around the world and a vital cultural resource for the town and region. www.concordmuseum.org