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The Soldiers’ Grave Near The Josiah Nelson Farm

Battle Road Trail, Lincoln, MA

A large boulder near the former Josiah Nelson Farm at the Lincoln-Lexington town line was the purported hideout of Patriot William Throning, who claimed to have killed two British soldiers along this stretch of the Battle Road on April 19, 1775. While Throning’s story is difficult to verify, other accounts by 19th century historian Frank Coburn indicated that two British soldiers were buried in this area. One soldier reportedly dropped on the doorstep of the Nelson home, and was buried nearby after succumbing to his injuries. A stone with a bronze plaque placed by the National Park Service as part of the Battle Road Trail project in 2000 indicates the likely resting place of these casualties.

This marker’s inscription reads:

Near Here Are Buried
British Soldiers
April 19, 1775

 

Image courtesy of NPS

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.