Concord Commemorative Revolutionary War Markers
July 4, 1837 at Old North Bridge
The Concord Hymn, written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, was sung at the dedication of the Memorial Obelisk located on the eastern side of Old North Bridge on July 4, 1837. By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood And fired the shot heard round the world. The foe long since in silence slept; A like the conqueror silent sleeps; And Time the ruined bridge has swept Down the dark stream which seaward creeps. On this green bank, by this soft stream, We set today a votive stone; That memory may their deed redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone. Spirit, that made those heroes dare To die, and leave their children free, Bid Time and Nature gently spare The shaft we raise to them and thee. |
At Concord’s centennial celebration the Minuteman statue, on the western side of Old North Bridge, was dedicated on April 19, 1875. At the base of the Minuteman statue, the first stanza of Concord's Hymn is inscribed. It was made with seven American Civil War cannons donated by Congress and is a Daniel Chester French statue. It stands on a 7-foot-tall granite pedestal. |
Last edited 01/30/2024