The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1904-12-15
For the Reporter.
Concord and Lexington.


1t will always remain surprise to me
that so comparatively few who visit Bos-
ton and vicinity pay no attention what
ever to the historic places that surround
the metropolis of New England. With
me such places have the right of wa,
and after getting through the National
encampment parade, my first and upper
NEST thought was to get to the top of
Bunker Hill monument, take run down
| to Plymouth, stand on the famous Lex.
ington common and go out to Concord
and see for myself the rude bridge that
arches the food" all of which | did and
| 1t paid me a thousand fold more than
simply running about the streets of tn
city, as many Of the G. A. e. boys did.
In reading history, one will not gel
clearly defined ideas of the scenes con-
nected with such places. | did not know
that the English troops were on one sid,
OF the stream and the minute men of
Concord and Lexington were on the op.
posite side when the battle opened until
| stood on the ground and our guide told
US all about IL. A monument stand
where the minute men were drawn up in
in line "and fired the shot heaId around
the world" Emerson's well known verse
by the rude BRIDGE etc, ia IN bronz
letters on the monument. The grave
of the British soldiers are just TO the leIJ
of their line OF battle aud near where
they fell. 10 the panel OF door saw
a bullet hole made by he firing of n
musket in the hands of an English SOL
der on that eveHtful morning. The door
panel is cared for and well preserved.
Here at Concord | went inside the
Wright tavern, where Mai. Pitcairn han
his headquarters while at Concord. Pla-
cards tell of incidents that took place nj
the time, one of which reads, "Over this
counter Mi. Pitcairn drank his todd 2
April 10, l775."
Ga Lexington street we passed the
home of Ralph Waldo Emerson, fine,
two-story, square-roofed house with
pleasant surroundings; also the homes
Of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Louisa
Alcott, nestled In among beautiful shade
trees. Along this road the colonia
troops followed the English in their re
treat from Concord, firing from behind
trees and rocks and other concealed
places. Our guide took us to Sleepy
Hollow cemetery. | stood at the graves
Of Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne and
Claiming, all quite near together. The
monument that marks the resting place
OF Emerson Is simply white boulder
about four feet in diameter, embossed on
which is a tablet giving his full name
with date of birth and death. A large
pine tree stands at the head OF the grave
Near this cemetery we were shown the
old powder house where were stored the
powder and other military stores the
British troops were sent out to destroy
Returning from Concord, | made H
stop at Lexington. Ga the common is
stationed All old cannon that stands
where the British soldiers were in line
and fired the first volley of the Revolu-
ton. On the opposite side of the COM
mon in the early morning light Capt.
Parker had his minute men also in line
who re ceived the fire and sixteen of his
men were killed or wounded. The
right OF Capt. Parker's men rested AZ
the doorsill OF dwelling house 10 which
lived one of the men In line. He fell ut
his own door. His wife aided in getting
him inside and he died In her arms. As
there were only 1870 of the provincia Ia
against 300 English troops, they dis
persed and the English passed on TO
Concord.
One-third Of mile from the common
stands the Hancock house, erected bv
John Hancock's grandfather In 1884
1t was enlarged In 1876. 1t is open TO
the public and the beds, furniture and
household utensils are there just the
same as when Paul Revere lode into
Lexington and gave the alarm. | noticed
10 one room this picard "In this room
Samuel Adams and John Hancock were
sleeping when awakened on the morning
of April 10, 1775" Here were the chairs
and tables and bed they occupied. All
through the house are relics Of the Revo-
lulionary war, muskets and powder
horns carried by the minute men at Lex
ington and Concord. Everything is he,e
to stir patriotic blood and turn the mem
DRY back to the opening scenes of the
Revolution, and dull indeed must be IN,
one who would pass them by unnoticed d.
Lives there man with q soul so dead,
That never to himself hath said.
This Is my own, my native land"
:. F. EMERSON.
-----a - --r ~ s---