Originally intended to be sited in the town’s historic center, Concord’s 1836 Battle Monument stands within the boundaries of Minute Man National Historical Park on land donated by Reverend Ezra Ripley, D. D., minister of Concord’s First Parish Church and a resident of the nearby Old Manse. While at the time the North Bridge had fallen into disrepair, the parcel also included the original roadbed leading to the bridge site, and the grave of two British soldiers killed during the battle.

After acquiring the land, a town committee worked with Solomon Willard, construction supervisor of the Bunker Hill Monument, to design the obelisk, and artisan James Wilkins to construct the monument. The project was inspired by the 50th anniversary of the War of Independence in the Greater Boston region with preliminary funding provided by the Bunker Hill Monument Association.

Construction of the monument began in 1836 and concluded with a dedication ceremony on July 4th, 1837, at 4PM. Described in the July 10th issue of the Boston Courier as “a scene calling forth sensations mingled with joy and sadness,” the dedication brought together people of “all ages and classes” to “calmly remember the deeds of their fathers while consecrating a memorial to their moral worth.”

The dedication service included a prayer by Reverend Barzillai Frost; Address by the Honorable Samuel Hoar; Prayer by Reverend Dr. Ripley; Original Hymn, sung to “Old Hundred” and a Benediction by Reverend Dr. Ripley. In his address, Samuel Hoar urged the young to study the lives of those who participated in the American Revolution and follow the principles for which they stood noting that “this modest but appropriate and beautiful monument is creditable to us, but a good adherence to law, order, and good principles would be a better memorial of our veneration for our fathers than any we could offer.”

Unveiled at the dedication was Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous poem, “The Concord Hymn,” commissioned by the Battle Monument Committee for the dedication. Its opening lines, “By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flags to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood, And fired the shot heard round the world” have become synonymous with the battle.

The twenty-five-foot Battle Monument consists of four pieces of white granite cut from a single boulder placed on top of a granite foundation. Inset into the east face of the obelisk is a white marble slab inscribed with a brief account of the battle at the North Bridge.

The text reads as follows:

HERE
on the 19th of April
1775
was made
the first forcible resistance
to British aggression.
On the opposite bank
stood the American Militia.
Here stood the Invading Army
and on this spot
the first of the Enemy fell
in the War of that Revolution
which gave
Independence
to these United States.
In gratitude to GOD
and
in the love of Freedom
this monument
was erected
AD 1836.

For additional information on the legacy of Concord’s 1836 Battle Monument visit: https://www.nps.gov/places/1836-battle-monument.htm

This story is featured in How We Remember: Monuments, Memorials & Markers in the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area, part of our semiquincentennial initiative, Freedom’s Way 250, made possible with support from the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati and the National Park Service.