The 'shot heard round the world'

To this day, no one knows who fired first or even where. All that is certain is that someone shot a musket ball in the lush Massachusetts countryside on April 19, 1775, setting off the American Revolution.

Last week, near the end of my 12-day vacation in New England, I visited a site that is in many ways as sacred as Fort McHenry, Gettysburg, and even Pearl Harbor. While doing so, I acquainted myself with Lexington, Concord, and the "shot heard round the world," a bit of lore immortalized in a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I jumped into American history.

For those who don't know or remember, America began here. It began when untrained colonial militia and skilled British soldiers confronted each other on Lexington's green and turned what had been a mostly peaceful political dispute into a lengthy and violent war.

I found many sources of inspiration in Minute Man National Historical Park, a 967-acre treasure trove of bridges, buildings, and roads that tells the tale of a pivotal moment in time. Located 22 miles northwest of Boston, the park is must-see-stop in a region steeped in history.

The focal point is North Bridge, a short, modest structure that spans the Concord River. It was here that American militia first answered the slaughter at Lexington and turned what had been a setback into a rout.

Another important site is the Hartwell Tavern, where colonial militia gathered and received warnings about the advancing British troops. Today, park rangers, wearing period attire, use the site to present informative programs and demonstrate weapons of the time.

Not all residents along Battle Road, a five-mile stretch between Lexington and Concord, participated in the conflict. Some watched it from their properties. Jacob Whittemore and his family witnessed everything from Paul Revere's midnight ride to the British advance to its hasty retreat back to Boston. They had a front-row seat to history.

I would recommend the park to any lover of history and enthusiast of the late 1700s. As one currently writing about the American Revolution, I found visiting the small but vital site an enlightening experience.

Photos: Hartwell Tavern, North Bridge, and Whittemore House.