Patriots’ Day is a state holiday in Massachusetts. Nowadays, the holiday is celebrated on the third Monday in April and marks the beginning of a week-long school vacation. But I never managed to go and see the reenactment of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, commemorating the battles fought there on April 19th, 1775, at Minute Man National Historical Park in Massachusetts because I just couldn’t drag myself out of bed at 4am to get there in time.
However, I did participate in a summer workshop there one year and one of the benefits was the opportunity to bring students to the park for free one time during the school year. That was one of the very few field trips I was ever able to take when I was an ESL teacher and it was a wonderful excursion!
For those of you who have never been and for those of you who’d like to revisit virtually, below are some photos I took of sites in the park during that field trip.
1) Hartwell Tavern, an 18th century home and inn, owned by Ephraim Hartnell, which the British soldiers passed as they marched along the battle road:
For more info, click HERE; source: The ESL Nexus |
2) View of the Minute Man Statue and the North Bridge over the Concord River:
For more info, click HERE; source: The ESL Nexus |
3) Poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson about the battle, engraved on the Minute Man Statue, that uses the phrase “the shot heard ’round the world” for the first time:
For more info, click HERE; source: The ESL Nexus |
4) Grave of two British soldiers, near the Minute Man Statue:
For more info, click HERE; source: The ESL Nexus |
5) The Old Manse, a 19th century home inhabited by both Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne, and where some Transcendentalists met for discussion:
For more info, click HERE; source: The ESL Nexus |
Did you know that this week, April 16 – 24, you can visit the Minute Man National Historical Park and all National Parks in the U.S. for free, in celebration of their 100th anniversary? Click here to find resources and more information about how the National Park Service is celebrating its centennial. And to read The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere in its entirety, click here.