The Col. James Barrett Farm (Barrett's Farm) is a historic American Revolutionary War site in Concord, Massachusetts, associated with the revolution's first battle, the 1775 battles of Lexington and Concord. His farm was the storage site of all the town of Concord's militia gunpowder, weapons and two pairs of prized bronze cannons.
Col. James Barrett Farm | |
 The Barrett Farmhouse | |
   | |
| Location | Concord, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°28′22.53″N 71°22′50.86″W / 42.4729250°N 71.3807944°W |
| Built | 1705 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000290[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 15, 1973 |
Background
editJames Barrett was Colonel of the Concord, Massachusetts, militia during the Battles of Lexington and Concord that began the American Revolutionary War.[2] His farm was the storage site of all the town of Concord's militia gunpowder, weapons[3] and two pairs of prized bronze cannons, according to secret British intelligence.
On the morning of April 19, 1775, the British Regulars were ordered by General Thomas Gage to march from Boston to the town of Concord, about 20 miles inland, and seize the cannon and raid the arsenal at the provincial farm. The British met resistance at both Lexington, Massachusetts and Concord. Before the British arrived and searched, the stores had been concealed in a field nearby, and the British never found them.[4]
The farm was built in 1705 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The farmhouse was in disrepair and was restored over eight years by Save Our Heritage. The restoration was funded by local and private funding as well as a Department of the Interior grant.[5]
In March 2009, Congress passed legislation to add Barrett's Farm to Minute Man National Historical Park.[6] In August 2012, the National Park Service obtained ownership of the Barrett House and surrounding 3.4 acres from Save Our Heritage. In October, 2012 Minute Man National Historical Park and Save Our Heritage hosted a celebration of completion of the restoration and transfer of ownership of the Col. James Barrett House to the Minute Man Park. Congresswoman Niki Tsongas helped make Barrett's Farm part of the national park system and spoke at the event.[5][7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ Richard Frothingham, Jr, History of the Siege of Boston and of the Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill, Little and Brown, 1903, p. 65.
- ^ French, Allen (1925). The Day of Concord and Lexington. Boston: Little, Brown & Co.
- ^ Allen French, pp. 156, 179.
- ^ a b Laura Franzini, Restored Revolutionary War home set to open, Boston Globe, October 26, 2012.
- ^ Legislation passes to add Barrett's Farm to Minute Man National Park Archived 2009-08-11 at the Wayback Machine, Concord Journal, March 25, 2009.
- ^ Minute Man National Park news announcement, October 2012.
External links
edit- Save Our Heritage website
- Minute Man National Historical Park website
- Friends of Minuteman National Park website
- Why We Remember Lexington and Concord and the 19th of April
- Rescued cannon returns to Concord
- Battles of Lexington and Concord
- Articles about the Concord Fight in Concord Magazine
- SAR Sons of Liberty Chapter Website resource
- Concord Massachusetts
- Merriam's Corner
- Library of Congress Guide to the American Revolution
- American Revolution Digital Learning Project
- PBS Television Series Archived 2021-05-11 at the Wayback Machine
- Historic marker