(CONCORD –April 4, 2022) “Here once the embattled farmers stood and fired the shot heard round’ the world.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Concord Museum is celebrating Patriots’ Day – the day the American Revolution began and the “shot heard ‘round the world” – in true Revolutionary style on Monday, April 18, 2022 with a free outdoor Minuteman Encampment and free admission to the Museum.
“I haven’t a man who is afraid to go!” On April 18, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm visit the brave Acton Minutemen Company in an encampment on the Museum’s lawn and see them drilling with muskets to prepare for battle, cooking over a firepit, and demonstrating colonial spinning and weaving.
On Patriots’ Day the public is also invited to experience the newly renovated Concord Museum, which includes an interactive April 19, 1775 gallery. The new permanent exhibit has the largest collection of April 19th objects anywhere assembled – including muskets, swords, and powder horns that were at the North Bridge. A centerpiece of the gallery is a 12 by10-foot media screen that depicts 24 hours of the battle in just 6 minutes! Interwoven throughout the exhibit is new information about the role of women and people of color – both enslaved and free who participated and fought on that day.
Throughout the day, families can join drop-in activities to learn about life and craft in the colonies. Kids can try using a feather quill and ink to write like a revolutionary, make and decorate their own tricorn hat, and play colonial games. Visitors should also be on the lookout for a Red Coat from the British Army roaming the galleries looking for Provincial rebels. Be sure to talk with him about the experiences of the Red Coats on April 19th!
Leading up to Patriots’ Day- Town Night, April 12, 5:00 to 7:00 pm
Towns throughout Massachusetts mustered at the North Bridge on April 19, 1775, and the Museum is offering free admission and Revolutionary themed programming to the public on Town Night, Tuesday, April 12, 2022, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Drop by the Lisa H. Foote History Learning Center to explore Revolutionary muskets and arms with expert Joel Bohy, Director of Historic Arms and Militia for Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers. Listen to a spotlight talk by foremost expert, Jane Kamensky, on a John Singleton Copley portrait. This program is followed by an in-person and virtual forum at 7:00 pm titled History 1776: Conversation with Harvard Professor Jane Kamensky. On April 12th, all programs are free and open to the public. To register for the forum, go to www.concordmuseum.org
Sponsors:
A special thank you to Highland Street Foundation for sponsoring free admission to the Concord Museum on Patriots’ Day and the Society of the Cincinnati for sponsoring the Minuteman Encampment and Colonial Drop-in programs.
For more information about Concord Museum’s Patriots’ Day visit www.concordmuseum.org. Before or after your visit view Concord Museum’s ‘Shot Heard ‘Round the World’ microsite which was recognized by the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. https://concordmuseum.org/april-19-1775-exhibit/
