Battle Road

Charlie and I were both born and raised here and have
lived our entire lives just a few short minutes drive from
where the American Revolution started back in 1775!
So when Austin started sharing his love of American history,
it was a tour that we just had to take! Though Battle Road has
undergone many changes since 1775, the 20 miles of winding,
hilly roads, even today, still follows generally the same route,
passing sites of some of the bitterest fighting and historical
buildings nearby.

Our first stop was at the Minute Man Visitor Center where
we enjoyed a multimedia theater program called "The Road
To Revolution". It introduced us to the story depicting Paul
Revere's Ride and the battles at Lexington Green, North
Bridge, and along Battle Road. Honestly, it was one of the
very best parts of all of the tours that we enjoyed.

The home of Ephraim and Elizabeth Hartwell and their
children was a prosperous farm and tavern. Travelers
to and from Boston stopped and shared the latest
news of the day. On April 19, 1775 the British soldiers
marched proudly by on their way to Concord, but they
returned under heavy fire.

So many things reminded us of our own house! We are
priviledged to live in the Hildreth House, a historic house
in Lunenburg, MA. Though it was built originally
to serve as a grain storage warehouse, it was moved
to it's current location right after the Civil War!
The  front of the Hartwell Tavern and the Hancock-Clarke
House and the kitchens reminded us of our own house. Our
living room fireplace with the bee hive oven to the side of the main
fireplace, the crane for the cooking pots and even the
little cabinet door just above the fireplace mantle are
just like the kitchen pictured from the Hartwell Tavern.

Check out this spectacular stone wall! These served
a real purpose in establishing the boundaries of their
property as they cleared the land for farming. With the
addition of the wooden fencing it served as an
effective corral!

Volunteer reenactors are an important of the
park programs and they bring life to the minute-
men who defended life and liberty! Believing that
a full-time army was a threat to their liberties, the
colonists relied upon part-time militia for their
defense. By 1775 many Massachusetts towns had
recruited from among their militia elite companies
of 'minute men' ready to march at a 'minute's'
notice. They were very well trained and many had
fought along side the 'regulars' during the French
and Indian War and they were also paid for their
service!

In my last posting, I commented that Austin was
a bit overwhelmed during his visit here by the hilly
countryside and trees, trees and more trees everywhere!
We were reminded by each tour guide and park ranger
that these trees didn't exist back then! It was all farm land!
Amazing! Austin would have felt a bit more at home then, I think.

Watch for the next posting: Buckman Tavern 1710, Hancock-
Clarke House 1737 and the Munroe Tavern 1735!

Sally
.