Destination Spotlight

Massachusetts – Lexington and Concord

Explore the home to some of the key events that sparked the American Revolution. Lexington and Concord housed some of our great American authors, including Thoreau, Emerson, Hawthorne and Louisa May Alcott.

• Discover where the start of the American Revolution and the Battle at Lexington Green in 1775 took place when you walk through Lexington Green, famous for the “shot heard round the world.”
• Walk the paths of John Hancock and Paul Revere while visiting the Quincy Market where butchers, green grocers, and other victualers sold their goods in 1826.
• The Museum of Our National Heritage fascinates students with its many unique exhibits bringing to life our nation’s history and culture.
• Experience the homes of famous authors when visiting Author’s Row and Walden Pond, the site of Henry David Thoreau’s cabin where he wrote the book “Walden.”

Did you know:

• Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817, in the village of Concord.
• The first shots starting the revolution were fired at Lexington, Massachusetts. On April 18, 1775, British General Thomas Gage sent 700 soldiers to destroy guns and ammunition the colonists had stored in the town of Concord, just outside of Boston.
• The colonists’ group of militia was called the Minutemen because they needed to be prepared to fight on a minute’s notice.

Links:

Battle at Lexington Green

Battles of Lexington and Concord