THE BATTLEGROUND, CONCORD
THE GRANITE OBELISK AND THE NORTH BRIDGE, CONCORD
The Battleground by North Bridge is marked by this monument, erected in 1836. Nearby is a tablet marking the graves of two British soldiers killed in the fight. The present bridge is a concrete copy of the original wooden bridge, abandoned in 1794. Here was fired the “shot that was heard round the world.” Here is the setting of Longfellow’s immortal poem. Here was the turning point in America’s struggle for independence.
THE MINUTEMAN, CONCORD
“The Minuteman,” first important Statue by Daniel Chester French, stands guard over the Battleground. The spirited young farmer is leaving his plow to answer the alarm, musket in hand. The sculptor, unable to afford a living model, is said to have used a statue of Apollo Belvedere dressed as a minuteman for the purpose. The scene of this bloody and momentous battle is now the picture of calm repose, and a shrine for innumerable visitors.
The Story of the battle is eloquently related by a tablet on the scene:
CONCORD FIGHT