Last updated: January 31, 2022
Place
The Groton Road
NPS photo
Quick Facts
Location:
North Bridge battle site, Concord MA
Significance:
The Groton Road is a historic roadway that leads from the current-day North Bridge Visitor Center down to the North Bridge battle site. It is the route taken by the minute men and militia on April 19, 1775 as they marched into battle against the British regulars who held North Bridge.
Amenities
10 listed
Accessible Sites, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Information - Maps Available, Parking - Auto, Pets Allowed, Restroom - Seasonal, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Trailhead, Wheelchair Accessible
Today, when you walk from North Bridge Visitor Center down the wide, dirt path to the North Bridge battle site you are actually walking on a colonial road that is over three centuries old! This is the same route taken by the minute man and militia companies when they advanced upon a party of British soldiers at North Bridge on April 19, 1775.
The area today occupied by the North Bridge unit of Minute Man National Historical Park was once an Indigenous settlement known as Musketaquid. In 1635 the land was purchased by the English from the indigenous inhabitants and incorporated into the town of Concord. The area beyond the river became known as the North Quarter.
By 1654 the town laid out a road from the main village out to the North Quarter and constructed a bridge across Concord River. The route of this road follows much of modern-day Monument Street until you get to the entrance to the North Bridge site. At this point Monument Street continues straight north while the old road (now closed to vehicles) turns west to the North Bridge.
At this same time the town constructed a one-rod (16.5’) wide elevated gravel and stone causeway which led west from the bridge about 400 feet through a meadow. The purpose of the causeway was to improve passage across the low, wet land along the riverbank.
In 1699 the farm road beyond the causeway was extended and improved. The new road followed the causeway west of the bridge then turned north and east “up ye hill” (towards the current-day North Bridge Visitor Center) then turned westerly and continued to the town of Groton. This westerly turn is located at the top of the hill as you approach North Bridge Visitor Center.
There was also a west branch that split off at the western end of the causeway just before the east branched made the turn “up ye hill." The west branch, little more than a narrow bridleway (horse path) followed the river past the Brown family house lot. Around 1750 the town widened this bridleway into a road. Both the east and west branch rejoined further west and continued passed the Barrett Farm to Groton.
The causeway itself was also improved. It was originally located just south of the present-day walking path west of the North Bridge along the muddy riverbank. A 1748 petition from John Hunt and others claimed the causeway was “very long and low and narrow” and “very uncomfortable in the winter season...by reason of the drifts of snow which crowdeth people on to this river.” Two years later, Captain Jonathan Buttrick sold a strip of his land on his southern boundary to the town to build a new causeway. The town also paid for the construction of a low stone wall along the northern edge of the new causeway to separate it off from Buttrick’s property and protect his land from traffic. The new causeway ran for 400 feet west from the bridge then turned to the north under the ridge overlooking the river.
In 1770 the town hired David Brown, whose home was at the western end of the causeway, to construct a wooden handrail to allow people to walk along it in times of flooding, which would remain an issue for the next two decades. The bridge was rebuilt in 1760. It was the one in use at the time of the battle on April 19, 1775.
On April 19, 1775, David Brown commanded one of Concord’s two minute man companies. Key events of that momentous day would be taking place on his property within yards of his own house.
Soon after arriving in Concord around 7:30 a.m. approximately 125 British soldiers crossed the North Bridge. They left 96 men behind to guard the bridge and the road. The rest continued along the west branch of the Groton Road, passed David Brown’s house, to Colonel Barrett’s farm to search for arms and supplies. The colonial soldiers, whose numbers grew to over 400 men from Acton, Concord, Bedford and Lincoln, watched and waited on high ground northwest of the bridge at a place now known as the Muster Field, which at the time was a pasture that belonged to Captain David Brown.
Sometime around 9:30 a.m. the colonial soldiers noticed smoke rising from Concord center and the decision was made to march. Captain Isaac Davis, commander of the Acton minute man company, posted himself at the head of his command which was chosen to lead the advance, drew his sword and declared “I haven’t a man who’s afraid to go!” Colonel Barrett issued the order to march but not to fire first.
The colonial soldiers marched “in very good order and in double file.” Their route of march was down the east branch of the Groton Road, then onto the causeway leading to the North Bridge. As they approached, the British soldiers retreated across the bridge and prepared for action.
In the ensuing fight the minute men and militia were constrained by the narrowness of the old causeway. Their column was hemmed in by the river on their right and a stone wall topped with a rail on their left, beyond which was a wet meadow. A veteran of Captain David Brown’s Company, Amos Barrett, wrote that “we then was all ordered to fire and not kill our own men.” Thus constrained they could not form a proper line of battle. They remained in column, elevated their muskets and fired over each other’s heads and shoulders. It turns out the old causeway was no better suited for fighting than it was for travel!
In 1793, after years of petitioning from local residents, the town of Concord finally relented and moved the river crossing to its present location, further north on current-day Monument Street. At this same time a new road was constructed which is today Liberty Street. The old Groton Road, river crossing and causeway, which played such a key role in the battle on April 19, 1775 were abandoned after the 1793 realignment and reverted to pasture and meadow.
In 1836 a granite obelisk was erected at the battle site, on the east bank where the British soldiers stood. In 1874 a bridge was built on the site of the old North Bridge. In 1875, marking the 100th anniversary of the battle, the Minute Man statue by Daniel Chester French was unveiled and dedicated. However, the land west of the North Bridge beyond the Minute Man statue remained privately owned. Visitors were prevented from exploring further by an iron fence.
In 1959 the old Concord battleground became part of Minute Man National Historical Park. Eventually, the land west of the North Bridge, which had been closed off, was reopened. Historical research and archaeology were done to determine the route of the long-vanished roads. Parts of the causeway were excavated and the route of the eastern branch of the Groton Road was also uncovered. The route of the western branch was also studied. The eastern branch was then reopened as a walking trail from North Bridge Visitor Center to the North Bridge. Reopening the Groton Road allows you to more fully explore the North Bridge battle site and better understand its context within the historic landscape. As you do you are walking in the footsteps of history!
The area today occupied by the North Bridge unit of Minute Man National Historical Park was once an Indigenous settlement known as Musketaquid. In 1635 the land was purchased by the English from the indigenous inhabitants and incorporated into the town of Concord. The area beyond the river became known as the North Quarter.
By 1654 the town laid out a road from the main village out to the North Quarter and constructed a bridge across Concord River. The route of this road follows much of modern-day Monument Street until you get to the entrance to the North Bridge site. At this point Monument Street continues straight north while the old road (now closed to vehicles) turns west to the North Bridge.
At this same time the town constructed a one-rod (16.5’) wide elevated gravel and stone causeway which led west from the bridge about 400 feet through a meadow. The purpose of the causeway was to improve passage across the low, wet land along the riverbank.
In 1699 the farm road beyond the causeway was extended and improved. The new road followed the causeway west of the bridge then turned north and east “up ye hill” (towards the current-day North Bridge Visitor Center) then turned westerly and continued to the town of Groton. This westerly turn is located at the top of the hill as you approach North Bridge Visitor Center.
There was also a west branch that split off at the western end of the causeway just before the east branched made the turn “up ye hill." The west branch, little more than a narrow bridleway (horse path) followed the river past the Brown family house lot. Around 1750 the town widened this bridleway into a road. Both the east and west branch rejoined further west and continued passed the Barrett Farm to Groton.
The causeway itself was also improved. It was originally located just south of the present-day walking path west of the North Bridge along the muddy riverbank. A 1748 petition from John Hunt and others claimed the causeway was “very long and low and narrow” and “very uncomfortable in the winter season...by reason of the drifts of snow which crowdeth people on to this river.” Two years later, Captain Jonathan Buttrick sold a strip of his land on his southern boundary to the town to build a new causeway. The town also paid for the construction of a low stone wall along the northern edge of the new causeway to separate it off from Buttrick’s property and protect his land from traffic. The new causeway ran for 400 feet west from the bridge then turned to the north under the ridge overlooking the river.
In 1770 the town hired David Brown, whose home was at the western end of the causeway, to construct a wooden handrail to allow people to walk along it in times of flooding, which would remain an issue for the next two decades. The bridge was rebuilt in 1760. It was the one in use at the time of the battle on April 19, 1775.
On April 19, 1775, David Brown commanded one of Concord’s two minute man companies. Key events of that momentous day would be taking place on his property within yards of his own house.
Soon after arriving in Concord around 7:30 a.m. approximately 125 British soldiers crossed the North Bridge. They left 96 men behind to guard the bridge and the road. The rest continued along the west branch of the Groton Road, passed David Brown’s house, to Colonel Barrett’s farm to search for arms and supplies. The colonial soldiers, whose numbers grew to over 400 men from Acton, Concord, Bedford and Lincoln, watched and waited on high ground northwest of the bridge at a place now known as the Muster Field, which at the time was a pasture that belonged to Captain David Brown.
Sometime around 9:30 a.m. the colonial soldiers noticed smoke rising from Concord center and the decision was made to march. Captain Isaac Davis, commander of the Acton minute man company, posted himself at the head of his command which was chosen to lead the advance, drew his sword and declared “I haven’t a man who’s afraid to go!” Colonel Barrett issued the order to march but not to fire first.
The colonial soldiers marched “in very good order and in double file.” Their route of march was down the east branch of the Groton Road, then onto the causeway leading to the North Bridge. As they approached, the British soldiers retreated across the bridge and prepared for action.
In the ensuing fight the minute men and militia were constrained by the narrowness of the old causeway. Their column was hemmed in by the river on their right and a stone wall topped with a rail on their left, beyond which was a wet meadow. A veteran of Captain David Brown’s Company, Amos Barrett, wrote that “we then was all ordered to fire and not kill our own men.” Thus constrained they could not form a proper line of battle. They remained in column, elevated their muskets and fired over each other’s heads and shoulders. It turns out the old causeway was no better suited for fighting than it was for travel!
In 1793, after years of petitioning from local residents, the town of Concord finally relented and moved the river crossing to its present location, further north on current-day Monument Street. At this same time a new road was constructed which is today Liberty Street. The old Groton Road, river crossing and causeway, which played such a key role in the battle on April 19, 1775 were abandoned after the 1793 realignment and reverted to pasture and meadow.
In 1836 a granite obelisk was erected at the battle site, on the east bank where the British soldiers stood. In 1874 a bridge was built on the site of the old North Bridge. In 1875, marking the 100th anniversary of the battle, the Minute Man statue by Daniel Chester French was unveiled and dedicated. However, the land west of the North Bridge beyond the Minute Man statue remained privately owned. Visitors were prevented from exploring further by an iron fence.
In 1959 the old Concord battleground became part of Minute Man National Historical Park. Eventually, the land west of the North Bridge, which had been closed off, was reopened. Historical research and archaeology were done to determine the route of the long-vanished roads. Parts of the causeway were excavated and the route of the eastern branch of the Groton Road was also uncovered. The route of the western branch was also studied. The eastern branch was then reopened as a walking trail from North Bridge Visitor Center to the North Bridge. Reopening the Groton Road allows you to more fully explore the North Bridge battle site and better understand its context within the historic landscape. As you do you are walking in the footsteps of history!
Sources
Adams, J. (1850). Letter to Lemuel Shattuck, ESQ in Vindication of the Claims of Captain Isaac Davis of Acton to His Just Share in the Honor of the Concord Fight: Deposition of Solomon Smith/ 1835. Boston: Damrell & Moore.
Alan T. Synenki, S. P. (2002). Traces of the Past: A Guide to Minute Man National Historical Park as Told Through the Archaeological Story. Concord, MA: Eastern National.
Dietrich-Smith, D. (2004). Cultural Landscape Report: North Bridge Unit, Minute Man National Historical Park. National Park Service. Brookline MA: Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation.
Donahue, B. (2004). The Great Meadow: Farmers and the Land in Colonial Concord. New Haven CT.: Yale University.
Kehoe, V. J. (1974). We Were There! April 19th 1775. Account of Thaddeus Blood of Concord.