Massachusetts Battle Road Byways

The Battle Road begins where “the shot heard round the world” was fired on April 19, 1775. It marked the start of the American Revolution and the Birthplace of the nation.

The Byway passes through historic towns dating back to the very founding of America, including Lexington, settled in 1642 and Concord, the first inland settlement in Massachusetts dating from 1635.

There are many locations of historic significance along the road. These include the three units of Minute Man National Historical Park, located in Lexington, Concord, and Lincoln, where the opening battle of the Revolutionary War comes to life as you explore the battlefields and historic structures where the fighting occurred.

All-American Road

The Battle Road Scenic Byway was recently named an All-American Road through the Federal Highway Administration’s National Scenic Byways Program. The designation, which constitutes Route 2A, Massachusetts Avenue, is the first All-American Road in Massachusetts.

The Battle Road follows the approximate path of the British regulars during the battles that marked the start of the American Revolution. The Byway runs along approximately fifteen miles of roads in the communities of Arlington, Lexington, Lincoln, and Concord, including part of the Minute Man National Historical Park.

Walk along the historic downtowns or leave the bustle for solitude on the many adjacent walking trails. Both stone dust and paved off-road bike paths parallel the Byway. Or rent a canoe on the Concord River and glide under the historic Old North Bridge.

Not only is this route famous for its role in the American Revolution, the Battle Road Byway is a “Road to Revolutions” because of literary, environmental, and technological revolutions that have occurred throughout its history that continue today.

More than 200 significant places lie along the fifteen miles of the Battle Road Byway that spans the four historic towns of Arlington, Lexington, Lincoln and Concord.

Arlington, incorporated as a town in 1807, was a village of Cambridge known as Menotomy in the Revolutionary period. Paul Revere and William Dawes traversed this area on their way to Concord and the bloodiest battles of April 19, 1775 took place in this town. Today Arlington is a lively suburb with a burgeoning local arts scene, beautiful parks and open spaces, and business districts that boast unique local retailers and two theaters.

Concord, signifying agreement and harmony, was incorporated as the first inland settlement in Massachusetts through a grant from the Massachusetts General Court dated September 12, 1635. It was the scene of the first resistance battle of the American Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775.

It is considered by many the birthplace of the nation, where the “shot heard ’round the world” for liberty and self-government was fired. During the middle of the 19th century, Concord was home to some of the greatest literary and transcendental minds in America. Authors Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bronson and Louisa Alcott, and Nathaniel Hawthorne all lived, worked and wrote in Concord.

Lexington was settled in 1642 as Cambridge Farms and incorporated in 1713. On April 19, 1775, local militia faced the British regulars and the first shot of the American Revolution was fired on the town’s Battle Green. It, like Concord, is considered by many the birthplace of the nation, as the “Lexington Alarm…evoked a common spirit of American patriotism from Maine to Georgia”.

Lincoln has its roots in ingenuity, action and perseverance going back to 1729 when the town fathers began a 25-year struggle to form a separate community from Concord, Lexington and Weston. Their efforts were rewarded and the Legislature established the Town of Lincoln in 1754. On the night of April 18, 1775, during his historic ride to Concord, Paul Revere was captured in Lincoln by a British patrol. The next day, as the Redcoats marched along the Battle Road, over 100 Lincoln minute men and militia rallied for independence. These men were the first to reach Concord where they joined the Battle of Concord at the Old North Bridge.

At Minute Man National Historical Park, the opening battle of the Revolution is brought to life as visitors explore the battlefields and structures associated with April 19, 1775, and witness the American revolutionary spirit through the writings of the Concord authors. The three distinct units of the Park are located within the Towns of Concord, Lincoln, and Lexington. https://www.nps.gov/ mima/index.htm

The Battle Road Byway is rife with architectural gems. From humble colonial mills and homesteads to the selfdesigned homes of famous modernists like Walter Gropius, a broad section of America’s architectural history is on display on the Byway.

Innovators of cutting edge technologies from the 1600s through today have thrived within these communities. Visit the historic Old Schwamb Mill that survives as a continuously operating site where, for more than three hundred years, immigrant Puritan, Yankee, and German entrepreneurs harnessed the free water power of a narrow, fast moving brook to run machines and develop a series of family-owned businesses.

The nation’s World War II technologic efforts in developing radar and the beginnings of the hightech movement have roots within these communities. Residents along the Byway include a former Englishman who invented the World

Visitor centers

The Lexington Visitor Center, operated by the

Lexington Chamber of Commerce, is located near the Lexington Battle Green and the Buckman Tavern. At the Center, you can view a diorama of the Battle of Lexington and pick up brochures and directions to area attractions. Public restrooms are available.

The Minute Man National Historical Park Visitor Center on route 2A in Lincoln offers orientation programs, exhibits, information, ranger programs, and a bookstore. This is a good place to begin your visit to the Park. One feature of the exhibit design is a specially-commissioned mural by artist John Rush that depicts Colonists and British Redcoats fighting along the Battle Road. Public restrooms are available.

The North Bridge Visitor Center at Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord is in the former mansion of Major Buttrick of the Concord Minute Men. The Center offers an exhibit of clothing, uniforms, and accoutrements of Colonial militia and British regulars as well as information, ranger programs, and a bookstore. Public restrooms are available.

The Concord Visitor Center, operated by the Concord Chamber of Commerce, is located on Main Street in the center of Concord behind the Middlesex Savings Bank. At the beautiful new Center, brochures and information for Concord area attractions are available. Public restrooms are located at the Visitor Center.

The Wayside

Over more than three hundred years, The Wayside and its families witnessed and influenced both Concord’s and America’s recorded history. Early occupants of the house included Samuel Whitney, member of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in 1775 and muster master for Concord’s minute man companies.

On April 19, 1775 the house was directly mentioned by General Thomas Gage as a place to be searched for arms and supplies. Despite British soldiers marching right past the house as they entered Concord, there is no evidence they stopped and searched it. The Wayside is among the park’s 11 April 19th Witness Houses.

During the 19th century a succession of authors called this house home, most notably Louisa May Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne. They, along with their neighbors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, and other authors such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Herman Melville, began a literary tradition recognized as distinctly American.

The Alcotts, who owned the house from 1845-1852, called it “Hillside”. Here Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, and her sisters lived much of the childhood described in the book.

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter, House of the Seven Gables, Twice Told Tales, and other novels and publications. He and his family owned the house from 1852 through 1869 and called it “The Wayside”.

For more information, visit:

https://battleroadbyway.org