Concord History

Welcome, dear readers, to the story of The Barrow Bookstore, a unique shop featuring rare and gently-read books down the lane at 79 Main Street, Concord, Massachusetts. For 54 years, the Barrow has been owned by three generations of women whose passion for history and literature personify Louisa May Alcott’s quote, “She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain.”

The Wright Tavern Legacy Trust invited visitors and residents alike to a fun celebration of Concord history on the lawn of the tavern this past Patriots’ Day. Did you know that the Wright Tavern is where the Massachusetts Provincial Congress met in 1774 and took the decision to rebel against the crown? 

Each year in Concord, Lexington, and other nearby towns, thousands of people from around the world gather to commemorate the events that led to the American Revolution. Here are a few of the highlights of this year’s events.

There’s nothing like getting wrapped up in a good cozy mystery. For the Agatha Christie lover, true crimes close to home are particularly enlivening. At Concord’s Old Manse Museum, home of the famous Emerson family and witness house to two revolutions, there lurks an unsolved puzzler.

How do you remember heroic souls who have died? In the second century, Greek astronomer Ptolemy did so by taking the memories of those who (to paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson) had “shuffled off their corporeal jackets” and slipped them into the stars. Ptolemy named stars and connected them with invisible lines to form the storied constellations known to many in the past and today. 

In 1859, militiamen were a common sight in Concord, having had a presence in the town for over two centuries. Uncommon, however, was the entirety of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia descending on the town in early September 1859. 

The Old Hill Burying Ground certainly lives up to its name, with its first marked gravestone dating back to 1677 and its last not reaching the twentieth century. The headstones are so old that they jut out of the ground in jagged positions, with most of their writing illegible. 

As the Concord Free Public Library celebrates its 150th anniversary, we reflect on some important historical moments. 

By the middle of the nineteenth century, Concord had just turned 200 years old and had a population of around 2,000. Always a farming town, by the 1840s, Concord’s agricultural economy was in flux, and the crops and farms that had been so important to the town in its first 200 years were evolving. By the dawn of the twentieth century, Concord agriculture had changed in many ways, from the people who were farming to the crops they were growing. 

In the early 1600s, the first taverns opened in New England to serve refreshments, specifically alcoholic beverages, to locals and travelers. Many taverns also served food, and some, designated as inns, provided shelter and beds to travelers passing through.