Historic Buttrick Gardens BY KATHLEEN FAHEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FRIENDS OF MINUTE MAN NATIONAL PARK
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The stunning blooms of the Buttrick Gardens offer a colorful respite to visitors of Minute Man National Historical Park. Developed during the early 20th century, the gardens were tended by several generations of the Buttrick family until 1963 when the National Park Service acquired the property. The Buttrick house now serves as the North Bridge Visitor Center and the gardens overlook the North Bridge, the location of one of the first battles of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775. The gardens attract 500,000 visitors annually from near and far and are regularly enjoyed by the local community. With the support of the Town of Concord Community Preservation Act funds, the Friends of Minute Man National Park
has engaged Nobles Stone Masonry to rehabilitate the hardscape of the Buttrick Gardens. The park plans to showcase the Buttrick landscape and host events for the upcoming 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution in 2025. The preservation project encompasses the Formal Garden, Sunken Garden, Terrace Garden, and West Slope Garden. The rehabilitated hardscape will reflect the original condition of the property while allowing for minor modifications to improve visitor safety, accessibility, and alleviate maintenance demands. The project includes resetting, repairing, and stabilizing paths and steps, and installing handrails. Visit the Friends’ website to learn more at friendsofminuteman.org/buttrick-gardens.
ABOVE: Stedman Buttrick and his wife Caroline admire iris cultivars in the flower bed along the lower east terrace garden near the Concord River, June 1958.
Your donation to the Buttrick Gardens supports seasonal maintenance, removal of invasive species, rejuvenation of historic plants, and reestablishing native pollinators. Visit friendsofminuteman.org/ buttrick-gardens for information on how you can help preserve these stunning gardens. The Friends is a private non-profit 501(c)3 organization and donors will receive an acknowledgment
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for tax purposes.
©National Geographic, May 1959
©Friends of Minute Man National Park
Daylilies in bloom at the Buttrick Gardens
