Friends of Minute Man National Park

Preserving the Birthplace of the American Revolution

Visit Minute Man this Summer!

Summer is a great time to visit Minute Man National Historical Park. We welcome you to visit our historical sites, commemorative landscapes, and Visitor Centers. Rangers are ready to answer questions, provide maps, passport stamps, and Junior Ranger materials at park Visitor Centers.

North Bridge Visitor Center is open daily from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm all season. Minute Man Visitor Center is currently open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm until June 30. Summer hours at the Minute Man Visitor Center will be from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm from July 1 to August 30.

Ranger-guided programs are available regularly throughout the season, including Concord's North Bridge: History and Memory, North Bridge Battlefield Walk, Minute Men: Neighbor in Arms and Enemies to Their Country.

Witness Houses will be open this summer! These houses were all constructed in the early 1700s and have a unique history associated with the events of April 19th, 1775. The Wayside Home of Authors is currently open on Wednesdays from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Hartwell Tavern will be open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10:00 am - 4:30 pm through June 28, and then Fridays and Saturdays starting July 5th. Stay tuned for more information about Meriam House and Barrett House openings in mid-July. How many will you visit this summer?

Some areas and sites will be affected by closures due to ongoing trail work (see article below), so please check the park website for the most up-to-date information.

Plan Your Visit

Special Events

Moving the Legislature: Special 250 Anniversary Event in Salem

Sat, June 15 - Sun, June 16, 2024

Salem Maritime National Historical Site

Learn about the relocation of the capital of Massachusetts from Boston to Salem in June 1774. Enjoy a weekend-long encampment of British soldiers and engage with living historians portraying soldiers, officers, legislators, loyalists, and patriots.

Click here to learn more about this free program.

Patriots of Color Walking Tour

Wed, June 19, 2024

11:00 am

North Bridge

Between twenty and forty men who fought along Battle Road on April 19, 1775, were of African descent or Indigenous. This tour will examine the incredible stories of the individuals who risked everything during their struggle for liberty, equality, and freedom for all.

Click here to learn more about this free program.

Pride at the Wayside: Home of Authors!

Saturday, June 29, 2024

10:00 am - 4:00 pm

The Wayside: Home of Authors

In celebration of Pride Month, join us as we trace the private lives and emotions of the people connected to the Wayside throughout the nineteenth century. We'll explore the lives of Louisa May Alcott, the Hawthornes, and those in their personal orbits to discover the Wayside as a home for queer identity.

Click here to learn more about this free program.

Declaration of Independence Reading

Thursday, July 4, 2024

2:30 pm

North Bridge

Celebrate July 4th at Minute Man! Join park rangers and volunteers as we mark the anniversary

of our nation's independence with a live, in-person reading of the Declaration of Independence

at Concord's North Bridge.

Click here to to learn more about this free program.

Buttrick Gardens

Garden Tour and Lecture

The June garden tour is full, but there is plenty of room in our free online lecture on July 25th at 7:00 pm. We'll view the garden in all four seasons and explore historic images - all from the comfort of home! Thank you to our sponsor Middlesex Bank. Click here to register.

Give a Gift to the Gardens

Your donation helps support student gardeners who provide daily maintenance, ensuring that the historic Buttrick Gardens stay healthy, beautiful, and blooming all season long. Ongoing projects include rejuvenating historic plants, reestablishing native pollinators, and removing invasive species. Gifts of $150 or more get an exclusive Buttrick Gardens tote bag. Click here to give.

Pride Month

June is pride month and the Friends of Minute Man are proud allies of the LGBTQ+ community. Everyone is welcome at Minute Man National Historical Park! Share your pride images in the Buttrick Gardens by tagging us on Facebook or Instagram with #friendsofminuteman and #buttrickgardens. Click here to learn more.

250th Event: Port Closure in Boston

Hartwell Tavern came to life earlier this month as park staff and living history volunteers took a step back in time with visitors on the anniversary of the closing of Boston Harbor by British warships on June 1, 1774. The port closure, intended as punishment for the Boston Tea Party in December 1773, represented a dramatic escalation in the political crisis, pushing the people of Massachusetts to the brink of rebellion. . . .

Click here to read more and view more photos.

Oxen on Battle Road: A New Highlight for Patriot’s Day

Did you notice something new at Battle Road Day this year? A pair of oxen were the eye-catching and historically accurate additions to the civilian evacuation along Battle Road for Minute Man National Historical Park’s signature Patriot’s Day event.

Miles Conklin, a dairy farmer from Haverhill, NH, generously loaded up his two oxen and trailered them to Minute Man to portray a key piece of this year’s tactical demonstration.

The two-year-old oxen pair, Meat and Loaf, were named in the year of the passing of famed singer, Meatloaf. They performed on cue as they pulled a hand-crafted historical cart built by Eric Swanson. The cart was loaded with young children and invalid family members fleeing from the fighting, as would have happened on April 19, 1775. . . Read more.

Click on the button below to read the entire article.

Oxen on Battle Road

Trail Improvements

Trail improvement projects will continue across the park through the fall of 2024. When the projects are completed, park visitors will enjoy over 5 miles of enhanced trails in time for the 250th anniversary.

These projects require temporary trail closures and parking lot closures to the public at various locations along the Battle Road Trail and North Bridge Trail.

Click here for more information and updates.

Minute Man Soldier Search

Each month, we highlight a new resource, event, or fact about the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution and invite you to Give $25 for the 250th! This month we are featuring the Friends of Minute Man Soldier Search online database.

On April 19th, 1775, almost 4,000 men from communities across Massachusetts left behind their families to respond to the alarm and fight against the British Regulars. The Minute Man Soldier Search database includes the names of militiamen, companies, and towns that participated in the opening battles of the Revolution on April 19, 1775. This interactive database is a great place to start your Revolutionary War, Patriots of Color, and genealogical research. Click here to visit Minute Man Soldier Search.

Beyond Battle Road

Items of interest outside the Park

Longfellow House-Washington Headquarters: Juneteenth

Gather for Juneteenth on June 16th to honor those who endured slavery and seized freedom on Brattle Street before the American Revolution. This all-ages event will feature a community gathering with speeches by living descendants. Click here to learn more about this free event.

Acton 250: Hosmer House Open House

Join Acton 250 on July 7th to explore the 1760 Hosmer House. Learn about the history of the house, its family, and Quartus, a "Black man" according to his death record and a non-white free person according to census records, who lived in the house until he died in 1827. Click here to learn more about this free event.

River Stewardship Council: RiverFest 2024

Celebrate the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Wild and Scenic Rivers at RiverFest 2024. Nature walks, canoe and kayaking, history talks, bird watching, art, kid’s activities, and more - there’s something for everyone! Come discover what makes our rivers so special. Click here for a complete list of the events taking place from July 6 - 28.

Do you have a free event or online resource you'd like us to include in Beyond Battle Road? Please contact Kathleen Fahey at director@friendsofminuteman.org with your listing.