Concord, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature
.
and Assabet
rivers. Native Americans had cultivated corn crops there; the rivers were rich with fish and the land was lush and arable. However, the area was largely depopulated by the smallpox
plague that swept across the Americas after the arrival of Europeans. In 1635, a group of British settlers led by Rev. Peter Bulkley
and Simon Willard
negotiated a land purchase with the remnants of the local tribe; that six-square-mile purchase formed the basis of the new town, which was called "Concord" in appreciation of the peaceful acquisition.
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The Battle of Lexington and Concord was the initial conflict in the American Revolutionary War
. On April 19, 1775, a force of British Army
regulars
marched from Boston
to Concord (pausing for an early-morning skirmish at Lexington
, where the first shots of the Battle were fired) to capture a cache of arms that was reportedly stored in the town. Forewarned of the British troop movements, colonists from Concord and surrounding towns repulsed a British detachment at the Old North Bridge and forced the British troops to retreat. The battle was initially publicized by the colonists as an example of British brutality and aggression: one colonial broadside
decried the "Bloody Butchery of the British Troops." A century later, however, the conflict was remembered proudly by Americans, taking on a patriotic, almost mythic status in works like the "Concord Hymn
" and "Paul Revere's Ride
." In April 1975, the town hosted a bicentennial celebration of the battle, featuring an address at the Old North Bridge by President Gerald Ford
.
Concord has a remarkably rich literary history centered in the mid-nineteenth century around Ralph Waldo Emerson
(1803–1882), who moved to the town in 1835 and quickly became its most prominent citizen. Emerson, a successful lecturer and philosopher, had deep roots in the town: his father Rev. William Emerson
(1769–1811) grew up in Concord before becoming an eminent Boston minister, and his grandfather, William Emerson Sr.
, witnessed the battle at the North Bridge from his house, and later became a chaplain in the Continental Army. Emerson was at the center of a group of like-minded Transcendentalists
living in Concord. Among them were the author Nathaniel Hawthorne
(1804–1864) and the philosopher Bronson Alcott (1799–1888), the father of Louisa May Alcott
(1832–1888). A native Concordian, Henry David Thoreau
(1817–1862), was another notable member of Emerson's circle. This substantial collection of literary talent in one small town led Henry James
to dub Concord "the biggest little place in America."
Among the products of this intellectually stimulating environment were Emerson's many essays, including Self-Reliance
(1841), Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women
(1868), and Hawthorne's story collection Mosses from an Old Manse
(1846). Thoreau famously lived in a small cabin near Walden Pond
, where he wrote Walden
(1854). After being imprisoned in the Concord jail for refusing to pay taxes in political protest, Thoreau penned the influential essay "Resistance to Civil Government," popularly known as Civil Disobedience
(1849).
The Wayside
house, located on Lexington Road, has been home to a number of authors. It was occupied by scientist John Winthrop
(1714–1779) when Harvard College
was temporarily moved to Concord during the Revolutionary War. The Wayside was later the home of the Alcott family (who referred to it as "Hillside"); the Alcotts sold it to Hawthorne in 1852, and the family moved into the adjacent Orchard House
in 1858. Hawthorne dubbed the house "The Wayside" and lived there until his death. The house was purchased in 1883 by Boston publisher Daniel Lothrop and his wife, Harriett, who wrote the Five Little Peppers
series and other children's books under the pen name Margaret Sidney
. Today, The Wayside and the Orchard House are both museums. Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and the Alcotts are buried on Authors' Ridge in Concord's Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
.
Ephraim Bull developed the now-ubiquitous Concord grape
at his home on Lexington Road, where the original vine still grows. Welch's
, the first company to sell grape juice, maintains a small headquarters in Concord.
, the town has a total area of 25.9 square miles (67.1 km²), of which, 24.9 square miles (64.5 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (2.6 km²) of it (3.75%) is water.
Nearest Cities
Massachusetts state routes 2, 2A, 62, 126, 119, 111, and 117 pass through Concord.
Concord borders the towns of Carlisle
, Bedford
, Lincoln
, Sudbury
, Maynard
and Acton
.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 16,993 people, 5,948 households, 4,988 trucks, and 4,437 families, residing in the town. The population density
was 682.0 people per square mile (263.3/km²). There were 6,153 housing units at an average density of 246.9 per square mile (95.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.64% White, 2.24% African American, 0.09% Native American, 2.90% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.12% from other races
, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.80% of the population.
There were 13,090 households out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $135,897, and the median income for a family was $161,240. Males had a median income of $92,374 versus $67,739 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $51,477. About 2.1% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
Speakers with a Boston accent
often pronounce "Concord" with the [ə] in the second syllable replaced by ʏ ([ˈkɒŋkʏd]).
, Japan Saint-Mandé
, France San Marcos, Nicaragua Torreón
, Coahuila
, Mexico
Concord is also part of the Boston media market.
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature
American literature
American literature is the written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and its preceding colonies. For more specific discussions of poetry and theater, see Poetry of the United States and Theater in the United States. During its early history, America was a series of British...
.
History
The area which became the Town of Concord was originally known as "Musketaquid", situated at the confluence of the SudburySudbury River
The Sudbury River is a tributary of the Concord River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States.Originating in the Cedar Swamp in Westborough, Massachusetts, near the boundary with Hopkinton, it meanders generally northeast to its confluence with the Assabet River at Egg Rock in...
and Assabet
Assabet River
The Assabet River is a small river about west of Boston, Massachusetts. The river is long. The , headquartered in West Concord, Massachusetts, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, protection, and enhancement of the natural and recreational features of the Assabet River and...
rivers. Native Americans had cultivated corn crops there; the rivers were rich with fish and the land was lush and arable. However, the area was largely depopulated by the smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
plague that swept across the Americas after the arrival of Europeans. In 1635, a group of British settlers led by Rev. Peter Bulkley
Peter Bulkley
Peter Bulkley or Bulkeley was an influential early Puritan preacher who left England for greater religious freedom in the American colony of Massachusetts...
and Simon Willard
Simon Willard (First generation)
Simon Willard was born at Horsmonden, County Kent, England, in 1605; he was baptized in this same town on April 7, 1605. He died at an age of 71 years on April 24, 1676, in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He moved from England to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1634. At the time he was a Major in...
negotiated a land purchase with the remnants of the local tribe; that six-square-mile purchase formed the basis of the new town, which was called "Concord" in appreciation of the peaceful acquisition.
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. On April 19, 1775, a force of British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
regulars
Regular army
A regular army consists of the permanent force of a country's army that is maintained under arms during peacetime.Countries that use the term include:*Australian Army*British Army*Canadian Forces, specifically "Regular Force"*Egyptian army*Indian Army...
marched from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to Concord (pausing for an early-morning skirmish at Lexington
Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
, where the first shots of the Battle were fired) to capture a cache of arms that was reportedly stored in the town. Forewarned of the British troop movements, colonists from Concord and surrounding towns repulsed a British detachment at the Old North Bridge and forced the British troops to retreat. The battle was initially publicized by the colonists as an example of British brutality and aggression: one colonial broadside
Broadside (printing)
A broadside is a large sheet of paper printed on one side only. Historically, broadsides were posters, announcing events or proclamations, or simply advertisements...
decried the "Bloody Butchery of the British Troops." A century later, however, the conflict was remembered proudly by Americans, taking on a patriotic, almost mythic status in works like the "Concord Hymn
Concord Hymn
"Concord Hymn" is an 1837 poem by American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson. It was written for a memorial to the Battles of Lexington and Concord.-Background:...
" and "Paul Revere's Ride
Paul Revere's Ride (poem)
"Paul Revere's Ride" is a poem by an American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that commemorates the actions of American patriot Paul Revere on April 18, 1775.-Overview:...
." In April 1975, the town hosted a bicentennial celebration of the battle, featuring an address at the Old North Bridge by President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
.
Concord has a remarkably rich literary history centered in the mid-nineteenth century around Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
(1803–1882), who moved to the town in 1835 and quickly became its most prominent citizen. Emerson, a successful lecturer and philosopher, had deep roots in the town: his father Rev. William Emerson
William Emerson (minister)
The Rev. William Emerson was one of Boston's leading citizens, a liberal-minded Unitarian minister, pastor to Boston's First Church and founder of its Philosophical Society, Anthology Club, and Boston Athenaeum, and father to Ralph Waldo Emerson.-Biography:Emerson was born in Concord,...
(1769–1811) grew up in Concord before becoming an eminent Boston minister, and his grandfather, William Emerson Sr.
William Emerson Sr.
Reverend William Emerson Sr. was a minister and grandfather of Ralph Waldo Emerson.Emerson Sr. served as chaplain of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and chaplain of the Continental Army. Emerson died in 1776.- External links :...
, witnessed the battle at the North Bridge from his house, and later became a chaplain in the Continental Army. Emerson was at the center of a group of like-minded Transcendentalists
Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the New England region of the United States as a protest against the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard University and the doctrine of the Unitarian...
living in Concord. Among them were the author Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
(1804–1864) and the philosopher Bronson Alcott (1799–1888), the father of Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist. She is best known for the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women was set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and published in 1868...
(1832–1888). A native Concordian, Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
(1817–1862), was another notable member of Emerson's circle. This substantial collection of literary talent in one small town led Henry James
Henry James
Henry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
to dub Concord "the biggest little place in America."
Among the products of this intellectually stimulating environment were Emerson's many essays, including Self-Reliance
Self-Reliance
Self-Reliance is an essay written by American Transcendentalist philosopher and essayist, Ralph Waldo Emerson. It contains the most thorough statement of one of Emerson's repeating themes, the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his or her own instincts...
(1841), Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women
Little Women
Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott . The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869...
(1868), and Hawthorne's story collection Mosses from an Old Manse
Mosses from an Old Manse
Mosses from an Old Manse was a short story collection by Nathaniel Hawthorne, first published in 1846.-Background and publication history:...
(1846). Thoreau famously lived in a small cabin near Walden Pond
Walden Pond
Walden Pond is a 31-metre-deep lake in Massachusetts . It is in area and around, located in Concord, Massachusetts, in the United States...
, where he wrote Walden
Walden
Walden is an American book written by noted Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau...
(1854). After being imprisoned in the Concord jail for refusing to pay taxes in political protest, Thoreau penned the influential essay "Resistance to Civil Government," popularly known as Civil Disobedience
Civil Disobedience (Thoreau)
Civil Disobedience is an essay by American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau that was first published in 1849...
(1849).
The Wayside
The Wayside
The Wayside is a historic house in Concord, Massachusetts. The earliest part of the home may date to 1717. Later, it successively became the home of the young Louisa May Alcott and her family, author Nathaniel Hawthorne and his family, and children's literature writer Margaret Sidney...
house, located on Lexington Road, has been home to a number of authors. It was occupied by scientist John Winthrop
John Winthrop (1714-1779)
John Winthrop was the 2nd Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in Harvard College. He was a distinguished mathematician, physicist and astronomer, born in Boston, Mass. His great-great-grandfather, also named John Winthrop, was founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony...
(1714–1779) when Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
was temporarily moved to Concord during the Revolutionary War. The Wayside was later the home of the Alcott family (who referred to it as "Hillside"); the Alcotts sold it to Hawthorne in 1852, and the family moved into the adjacent Orchard House
Orchard House
Orchard House is an historic house museum in Concord, Massachusetts. It was the longtime home of Amos Bronson Alcott and family, including his daughter Louisa May Alcott who wrote and set her beloved novel Little Women there.-History:...
in 1858. Hawthorne dubbed the house "The Wayside" and lived there until his death. The house was purchased in 1883 by Boston publisher Daniel Lothrop and his wife, Harriett, who wrote the Five Little Peppers
Five Little Peppers
The Five Little Peppers book series was created by Margaret Sidney from 1881 to 1916. It covers the lives of the five children of Mamsie and the late Mister Pepper who are born into poverty in a rural "little brown house." The series begins with the Peppers in their native state and develops with...
series and other children's books under the pen name Margaret Sidney
Margaret Sidney
Margaret Sidney was the pseudonym of American author Harriett Mulford Stone Lothrop . In addition to writing popular children's stories, she ran her husband Daniel Lothrop's publishing company after his death...
. Today, The Wayside and the Orchard House are both museums. Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and the Alcotts are buried on Authors' Ridge in Concord's Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is a cemetery located on Bedford Street near the center of Concord, Massachusetts. The cemetery is the burial site of a number of famous Concordians, including some of the United States' greatest authors and thinkers, especially on a hill known as "Author's...
.
Ephraim Bull developed the now-ubiquitous Concord grape
Concord grape
Concord grapes are a cultivar derived from the grape species Vitis labrusca which are used as table grapes, wine grapes and juice grapes....
at his home on Lexington Road, where the original vine still grows. Welch's
Welch's
Welch Foods Inc. is an American company, headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts. It is owned by the National Grape Cooperative Association, a co-op of grape growers....
, the first company to sell grape juice, maintains a small headquarters in Concord.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 25.9 square miles (67.1 km²), of which, 24.9 square miles (64.5 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (2.6 km²) of it (3.75%) is water.
Nearest Cities
- LowellLowell, MassachusettsLowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
MA (13 miles) - Boston MA (19 miles)
- NashuaNashua, New Hampshire-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 86,494 people, 35,044 households, and 21,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.9 people per square mile . There were 37,168 housing units at an average density of 1,202.8 per square mile...
NH (23 miles)
Massachusetts state routes 2, 2A, 62, 126, 119, 111, and 117 pass through Concord.
Concord borders the towns of Carlisle
Carlisle, Massachusetts
Carlisle is an affluent, rural town northwest of Boston located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the town is 4,852.-History:...
, Bedford
Bedford, Massachusetts
Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, north-west of the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 13,320 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, Lincoln
Lincoln, Massachusetts
Lincoln is a town in the historic area of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,362 at the 2010 census, including residents of Hanscom Air Force Base that live within town limits...
, Sudbury
Sudbury, Massachusetts
Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, population 17,659. The town was incorporated in 1639, with the original boundaries including what is now Wayland. Wayland split from Sudbury in 1780. When first incorporated, it included and parts of Framingham, Marlborough, Stow...
, Maynard
Maynard, Massachusetts
Maynard is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 10,106.- History :Maynard, located on the Assabet River, was incorporated as an independent municipality in 1871. Prior to that it was known as 'Assabet Village' but was legally...
and Acton
Acton, Massachusetts
Acton is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States about twenty-one miles west-northwest of Boston along Route 2 west of Concord and about ten miles southwest of Lowell. The population was 21,924 at the 2010 census...
.
Demographics
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 16,993 people, 5,948 households, 4,988 trucks, and 4,437 families, residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 682.0 people per square mile (263.3/km²). There were 6,153 housing units at an average density of 246.9 per square mile (95.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.64% White, 2.24% African American, 0.09% Native American, 2.90% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.12% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.80% of the population.
There were 13,090 households out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $135,897, and the median income for a family was $161,240. Males had a median income of $92,374 versus $67,739 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $51,477. About 2.1% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
Pronunciation
The town's name is usually pronounced by its residents as , ˈkɒŋkərd, in a manner indistinguishable from the American pronunciation of the word "conquered."Speakers with a Boston accent
Boston accent
The Boston dialect is the dialect characteristic of English spoken in the city of Boston and much of eastern Massachusetts. The accent and closely related accents can be heard commonly in an area stretching into much of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and areas of south-western Nova Scotia...
often pronounce "Concord" with the [ə] in the second syllable replaced by ʏ ([ˈkɒŋkʏd]).
Sister cities
NanaeNanae, Hokkaido
is a town located in Kameda District, Oshima, Hokkaidō, Japan.In 2009, the town had an estimated population of 28930 and a density of 133.6 persons per km². The total area is 216.61 km².-Geography:...
, Japan Saint-Mandé
Saint-Mandé
Saint-Mandé is a commune of the Val-de-Marne department in Île-de-France in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe.-History:...
, France San Marcos, Nicaragua Torreón
Torreón
Torreón is a city and seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Coahuila. As of 2010, the city's population was 608,836 with 639,629 in the municipality. The metropolitan population, including Matamoros, Coahuila, and Gómez Palacio and Lerdo in adjacent Durango,...
, Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
, Mexico
Points of interest
- Concord MuseumConcord MuseumThe Concord Museum is a museum of local history located at 200 Lexington Road, Concord, Massachusetts, USA, and best known for its collection of artifacts from authors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. It is open daily except major holidays; an admission fee is charged.Founded in 1886,...
- Old North BridgeOld North Bridge, Concord, MassachusettsThe North Bridge, often colloquially called the Old North Bridge, across the Concord River in Concord, Massachusetts, is a historical site in the Battle of Concord, the first day of battle in the Revolutionary War....
- The Old ManseThe Old ManseThe Old Manse is an historic manse famous for its American literary associations. It is now owned and operated as a nonprofit museum by the Trustees of Reservations...
, home of Emerson and Hawthorne - Egg RockEgg RockEgg Rock is an outcrop of Silurian Straw Hollow Diorite at the confluence of the Assabet and Sudbury rivers, where they form the Concord River in Concord, Massachusetts. The outcrop is located on a roughly oval intermittent island of about 100 by 50 meters...
, accessible by water or land - Ralph Waldo Emerson HouseRalph Waldo Emerson HouseThe Ralph Waldo Emerson House is a house museum located at 28 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, Massachusetts, and a National Historic Landmark for its associations with American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. The museum is open mid-April to mid-October; an admission fee is charged.-History:The house...
- The WaysideThe WaysideThe Wayside is a historic house in Concord, Massachusetts. The earliest part of the home may date to 1717. Later, it successively became the home of the young Louisa May Alcott and her family, author Nathaniel Hawthorne and his family, and children's literature writer Margaret Sidney...
, home of Louisa May Alcott, Hawthorne, and Margaret Sidney - Orchard HouseOrchard HouseOrchard House is an historic house museum in Concord, Massachusetts. It was the longtime home of Amos Bronson Alcott and family, including his daughter Louisa May Alcott who wrote and set her beloved novel Little Women there.-History:...
- Minute Man National Historical ParkMinute Man National Historical ParkNot to be confused with Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.Minute Man National Historical Park commemorates the opening battle in the American Revolutionary War. It also includes The Wayside, home in turn to three noted American authors...
- Walden PondWalden PondWalden Pond is a 31-metre-deep lake in Massachusetts . It is in area and around, located in Concord, Massachusetts, in the United States...
- Wright's TavernWright's TavernWright's Tavern is a historic tavern located in the center of Concord, Massachusetts. It is now a National Historic Landmark owned by the Society of the First Parish, Concord, with important associations with the Battle of Lexington and Concord at the start of the American Revolution.Wright's...
- Reuben Brown HouseReuben Brown HouseThe Reuben Brown House is a colonial style house located in Concord, Massachusetts.-Colonial era:The house was built in 1725 by the town saddler, Rueben Brown...
, home of notable revolutionist - Concord Free Public LibraryConcord Free Public LibraryThe Concord Free Public Library is a public library in the town of Concord, Massachusetts. The main building is located at 129 Main Street, and the Fowler branch is located at 1322 Main Street in West Concord.-History:...
- First Parish Church
- Thoreau Farm, birthplace of Henry David Thoreau
- Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Concord
- Northeastern Correctional Center
- West Concord Supermarket (Mandrioli's)
Education
- Concord Carlisle Regional High SchoolConcord-Carlisle High SchoolConcord-Carlisle Regional High School is a public high school located in Concord, Massachusetts, USA, northwest of Boston. The school serves grades 9-12, and as part of the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District, has students from both Concord and Carlisle, Massachusetts...
, the local public high school - Concord Middle School (consisting of two buildings about a mile apart: Sanborn and Peabody)
- Alcott School, Willard School, and Thoreau School, the local public elementary schools
- Concord AcademyConcord AcademyConcord Academy is a coeducational, independent, college preparatory school for grades nine through twelve, located in Concord, Massachusetts...
and Middlesex SchoolMiddlesex SchoolMiddlesex School is an independent secondary school for grades 9 - 12 located in Concord, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1901 by a Roxbury Latin School alumnus, Frederick Winsor, who headed the school until 1937. Winsor set up a National Scholarship Program for the school, the first of its kind...
, private preparatory schools - The Fenn School and The Nashoba Brooks School, private primary schools
Transportation
- Commuter railRegional railCommuter rail, also called suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates between a city center, and the middle to outer suburbs beyond 15km and commuter towns or other locations that draw large numbers of commuters—people who travel on a daily basis...
service to Boston's North Station is provided by the MBTA with two stops in Concord on its Fitchburg LineFitchburg LineThe Fitchburg Line is an MBTA line that runs from Boston's North Station to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. It is one of the...
. - Yankee Lines provides a commuter bus service to Copley SquareCopley SquareCopley Square is a public square located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, named for the donor of the land on which it was developed. The square is named for John Singleton Copley, a famous portrait painter of the late 18th century and native of Boston. A bronze statue of...
in Boston from Concord Center
Media
- Concord Journal
- Concord Patch
Concord is also part of the Boston media market.
Notable residents and natives
- Chris AbeleChris AbeleChristopher Seton Abele is the current Milwaukee County Executive, an American business owner and philanthropist and president of the Milwaukee based Argosy Foundation. On December 15, 2010, media reports began to emerge of Abele's intentions to run for the County Executive seat in Milwaukee County...
, County Executive of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin - Seth AbramsonSeth AbramsonSeth Abramson is an American poet, attorney, editor, and freelance journalist.-Life:Abramson is a graduate of Dartmouth College, Harvard Law School, and the Iowa Writers' Workshop...
, poet - Bronson Alcott, teacher and writer
- Louisa May AlcottLouisa May AlcottLouisa May Alcott was an American novelist. She is best known for the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women was set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and published in 1868...
, novelist - Laurie BakerLaurie Baker (ice hockey)Laurie Baker is an American ice hockey player. She won a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics.-Awards and honors:...
, USA Hockey gold medalist - Paget BrewsterPaget BrewsterPaget Valerie Brewster is an American actress. She is currently known for playing Special Agent Emily Prentiss on the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds. In June 2010, it was said that her role on Criminal Minds would be reduced in the sixth season. In March 2011, Brewster's character left the series...
, actress - Ephraim Bull, inventor of the Concord grape
- Steve CarellSteve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
, comedian (lived in Acton but attended boarding school at Middlesex) - Darby ConleyDarby ConleyDarby Conley is an American cartoonist best known for the popular comic strip Get Fuzzy.-Background:Conley was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1970, and grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee....
, cartoonist - Patricia CornwellPatricia CornwellPatricia Cornwell is a contemporary American crime writer. She is widely known for writing a popular series of novels featuring the heroine Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner.-Early life:...
, contemporary American crime writer and author - Harrison Gray DyarHarrison Gray Dyar-Early life:Dyar grew up in Concord, Massachusetts. As a young man he initially made a living as an apprentice watchmaker, working for the Concord clockmaker Lemuel Curtis from 1818 to 1825. For many years he lived in Paris where he made a good living as a chemist. In 1858 he returned to America...
, chemist and inventor - Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
, essayist, poet and philosopher - Will EnoWill EnoWill Eno is an American playwright based in Brooklyn, New York.His plays include Tragedy: a tragedy, The Flu Season, King: a problem play, Thom Pain , Middletown, Oh, the Humanity and other good intentions and an adaptation of Ibsen's Peer Gynt titled Gnit...
, author and playwright - Daniel Chester FrenchDaniel Chester FrenchDaniel Chester French was an American sculptor. His best-known work is the sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Life and career:...
, sculptor - Michael FucitoMichael FucitoMichael Fucito is an American soccer player who currently plays for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.-High School and College:...
, MLSMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
player - John HoarJohn HoarJohn Hoar was a militia leader & Indian liaison in colonial Massachusetts during King Philip's War. A founding settler of Concord, Massachusetts, he is best known for securing the release of Mary Rowlandson from Indian captivity at Redemption Rock.-Ransom of Mary Rowlandson:On Feb...
, redeemer of famed captive Mary RowlandsonMary RowlandsonMary Rowlandson was a colonial American woman who was captured by Native Americans during King Philip's War and held for 11 weeks before being ransomed. After her release, she wrote a book about her experience, The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: Being a Narrative of the Captivity and...
during King Philip's WarKing Philip's WarKing Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the... - Kevin GarnettKevin GarnettKevin Maurice Garnett is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . After a high school basketball career at Farragut Career Academy which included winning a national player of the year award, he...
, NBA player - Hal GillHal GillHarold Priestley "Hal" Gill III is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and an alternate captain of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
player - Doris Kearns GoodwinDoris Kearns GoodwinDoris Kearns Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American biographer and historian, and an oft-seen political commentator. She is the author of biographies of several U.S...
, historian and writer - Richard N. GoodwinRichard N. GoodwinRichard N. Goodwin is an American writer who may be best known as an advisor and speechwriter to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson and to Senator Robert F. Kennedy.-Life and career:...
, advisor and speechwriter to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson - Nathaniel HawthorneNathaniel HawthorneNathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
, novelist and short story writer - Dick HustvedtDick HustvedtRichard Irvin Hustvedt was a renowned software engineer, designer and developer of several operating systems including the RSX-11, and VMS systems of Digital Equipment Corporation...
, software engineer - Alan LightmanAlan LightmanAlan Lightman is an American physicist, writer, and social entrepreneur. He is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of the international bestseller Einstein's Dreams. He was the first professor at MIT to receive a joint appointment in the sciences and the...
, physicist, novelist and essayist - Gregory MaguireGregory MaguireGregory Maguire is an American writer. He is the author of the novels Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and many other novels for adults and children...
, author - Andrew McMahonAndrew McMahonAndrew Ross McMahon is a singer/songwriter. He is the vocalist, pianist and primary songwriter for the bands Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin; he also performs solo.-Early life:...
, musician and lead singer of Something CorporateSomething CorporateSomething Corporate is an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 1998. Their current line-up includes pianist and vocalist Andrew McMahon, guitarist Josh Partington, bassist Kevin Page and drummer Brian Ireland....
and Jack's MannequinJack's MannequinJack's Mannequin is an American rock band formed in 2004, originally hailing from Orange County, California. The band began as a side project of Andrew McMahon, the frontman for Something Corporate, and is composed of guitarist Bobby Anderson, bassist Mikey "The Kid" Wagner, and drummer Jay... - Russell MillerRussell MillerRussell Miller is an award-winning British journalist and author of fifteen books, including biographies of Hugh Hefner, J. Paul Getty and L. Ron Hubbard.-L. Ron Hubbard biography:...
, author and historian - Robert B. ParkerRobert B. ParkerRobert Brown Parker was an American crime writer. His most famous works were the novels about the private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the late 1980s; a series of TV movies based on the character were also...
, author - Uta PippigUta PippigUta Pippig is a female long-distance runner, and the first woman to win the Boston Marathon three consecutive times . She also won the Berlin Marathon three times , the New York City Marathon once , and she represented Germany in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics...
, marathon runner - Sam PrestiSam PrestiSam Prestigiacomo is an American basketball executive. Since June 7, 2007, he has been the General Manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics...
, NBANational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
executive - Amelia Atwater-RhodesAmelia Atwater-RhodesAmelia Atwater-Rhodes is an American author of fantasy and young adult literature. She was born in Silver Spring, Maryland and lived most of her life in Concord, Massachusetts. Her debut novel, In the Forests of the Night, was published in 1999, when she was just fourteen years old...
, novelist - David Allen SibleyDavid Allen SibleyDavid Allen Sibley is an American ornithologist. He is the author and illustrator of The Sibley Guide to Birds, considered by many to be the most comprehensive guide for North American field identification....
, ornithologist and author - Margaret SidneyMargaret SidneyMargaret Sidney was the pseudonym of American author Harriett Mulford Stone Lothrop . In addition to writing popular children's stories, she ran her husband Daniel Lothrop's publishing company after his death...
(Harriett Mulford Stone), author - Henry David ThoreauHenry David ThoreauHenry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
, author, naturalist and philosopher - John TortorellaJohn TortorellaJonathan "John" Tortorella is an American professional ice hockey coach and is now the head coach of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He is perhaps best known for his tenure as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning when he led the team to the 2004 Stanley Cup championship...
, New York RangersNew York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
head coach - Will TuttleWill TuttleDr Will Tuttle, PhD, is an award-winning American author, speaker, educator, pianist and composer. He is a former Zen monk and a PhD graduate from the University of California, Berkeley. He has been awarded a Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience award His wife Madeleine is a visual artist...
, author, educator and composer - Jonas WheelerJonas WheelerJonas Wheeler was an American politician and lawyer. Born in Concord, Massachusetts, Wheeler graduated from Harvard College in 1810. He served as Justice of the Peace, the first representative of Camden, Maine to the Maine House of Representatives and Camden's State Senator. He was the President...
, Maine Senate President - Samuel WillardSamuel WillardReverend Samuel Willard was a Colonial clergyman. He was born in Concord, Massachusetts; graduated at Harvard in 1659; and was minister at Groton from 1663 to 1676, whence he was driven by the Indians during King Philip's War. The Reverend Willard was pastor of the Third Church, Boston, from...
, 17th century colonial minister - Gordon S. WoodGordon S. WoodGordon S. Wood is Alva O. Way University Professor and Professor of History Emeritus at Brown University and the recipient of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for History for The Radicalism of the American Revolution. His book The Creation of the American Republic, 1776–1787 won a 1970 Bancroft Prize...
, historian and author
Further reading
- 1871 Atlas of Massachusetts. by Wall & Gray. Map of Massachusetts. Map of Middlesex County.
- History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Volume 1 (A-H), Volume 2 (L-W) compiled by Samuel Adams Drake, published 1879-1880. 572 and 505 pages. Concord article by Rev. Grindall Reynolds in volume 1 pages 380-405.
External links
- Town of Concord, MA Official Town Government Website
- Concord Public School System Official Website (includes Concord-Carlisle district)
- Concord Chamber of Commerce
- The Concord Life A Concord blogsite for the visitor. Also a Travel Book published in 2009.
- MCI-Concord overview of Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Concord
- Concord’s African American & Abolitionist History Map from the Drinking Gourd Project