Patriot's Day Kicks-Off With a Bang at the Concord Museum

The American Revolution was a defining moment in world history and the Concord Museum will commemorate Patriots' Day Saturday, April 15 and Monday, April 17, 2017 with demonstrations, living history with Concord Minutemen, a walking tour, colonial crafts, and gallery talks.

As part of the Museum's Patriot Day celebration - and for the first time this year - the historic Wright Tavern will have an open house on Saturday, April 15, 3:00pm -5:00pm and on Monday, April 17, 9:00am-1:00pm. The Wright Tavern is the location where some of the Committees of the Provincial Congress met on the eve of the Revolution and it was also the headquarters of the Minutemen in the early morning of April 19, 1775. Captain Brown's Minutemen and the Concord Museum's staff will be there to help you learn more about this National Historic Landmark.

Do not miss the Concord Museum's outstanding collections including the famous "one, if by land, two, if by sea" Paul Revere lantern, powder horns and muskets, British cannon balls, and other Revolutionary War objects. On Saturday, the Concord Museum will host free living history with Captain Brown's Company as they camp out on the Museum's lawn. Watch musket demonstrations, cartridge rolling, cooking, and other activities as these Minutemen prepare for the upcoming battle with the British. On both days the Museum will host a variety of gallery talks, demonstrations, and activities.

Many of the activities are FREE, except as noted. See below for a schedule of all the festivities.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

9:30am - 2:30pm Silversmith Demonstration: Drop by the Concord Museum to see craftsmen Steve Smithers as he demonstrates how he creates silver objects inspired by 18th century designs. Free with Museum admission.

11:00am - 4:00pm Quill Pen Writing and Feather Quill Making: Try your hand at using a feather quill and ink to write like a revolutionary. Then make your own feather quill to take home! Free with Museum admission.

12:00 - 3:00pm Captain Brown's Company of Minutemen: Captain David Brown's Company - a group of Concord Minutemen who fought at the North Bridge in 1775 - assembles on the lawn of the Concord Museum. Visit with the Minutemen, watch musket demonstrations, cartridge rolling, camp cooking, and other preparations for battle. Learn about military duty in colonial Massachusetts and what it meant to be "armed according to law." Free.

1:00pm - 3:00pm Defending Concord - Collections Spotlight
Drop by and hear about why the British Regulars marched towards Concord on April 19, 1775. Then learn more about the colonial militia's supplies and arms hidden in Concord prior to the first battle of the American Revolution. Free with Museum admission.

3:00pm - 5:00pm Brown's Company moves to historic Wright Tavern in Concord Center
On the morning of April 19, 1775 many of the Minutemen met at Wright Tavern to prepare for the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Learn more about this National Historic Landmark from Captain Brown's Company and Museum staff. Free.

Monday, April 17, 2017
9:00am Patriots' Day Parade begins

9:00am -1:00pm Wright Tavern Open House: As Concord's Annual Patriots' Day Parade heads through the center of town, stop by Wright Tavern. Play colonial games that were popular with children during the American Revolution. Captain Brown's Minutemen and Concord Museum staff will be there to help you learn about the history of the Tavern and the key role it played on April 19, 1775. Free.

11:00am -4:00pm Colonial Crafts at the Concord Museum
After you explore the history of Concord in the Museum galleries, make your own tricorn hat, thaumatrope, and corn husk doll. Free with Museum admission.

11:00am Defending Concord- Collections Spotlight
Learn about the objects that were common during the historic events of 1775 and get a closer look at the lantern that hung in the steeple of the Old North Church, used to signal the colonial militia that the British regulars were marching towards Concord. Free with Museum admission.

1:00pm Hill Burying Ground Walking Tour from Wright Tavern
Take a walk from Wright Tavern to the Hill Burying Ground to get the same view of Concord depicted in the View of the Town of Concord by Amos Doolittle. Learn about the events of April 19, 1775 and how the colonists and the British experienced the first official battle of the American Revolution. Meet at Wright Tavern, 2 Lexington Road, Concord. Free.

2:00pm Gallery Talk in the 1775 Period Room at the Concord Museum
Learn about culture and daily life at the start of the revolution by taking a closer look at the Concord Museum's 1775 period room. The furnishings and objects in this gallery allow for a better understanding of women's roles in the revolution as well as how the British tax on tea and other goods sparked a revolution. Free with Museum admission.

The Concord Museum is grateful to the Massachusetts Society of Cincinnati for their generous support.

Concord Museum The Concord Museum is open both Saturday, April 15 and Monday, April 17, 2017 from 9:00am to 5:00pm. The Museum is closed on Easter, April 16, 2017.

About the Concord Museum: The Concord Museum is where all of Concord's remarkable past is brought to life through an inspiring collection of historical, literary, and decorative arts treasures. Renowned for the 1775 Revere lantern and Henry Thoreau's Walden desk, the Concord Museum is home to a nationally significant collection of American decorative arts, including clocks, furniture, and silver. Founded in 1886, the Museum is a gateway to historic Concord for visitors from around the world and a vital cultural resource for the town and region. www.concordmuseum.org

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