Victor Curran

Concord's Secret History This film reveals how slavery in the North was brought back into focus since the Bicentennial.

Thanks to Elise Lemire for sharing this preview of “Concord’s Secret History,” an upcoming PBS program that examines the experience of slavery in a town that takes pride in being the birthplace of American freedom.

Daniel Chester French put a plow in his Minute Man statue because the Minute Men were citizen soldiers--they weren’t a standing army. The founders mistrusted standing armies. They believed we should wield military force for the safety of our fellow Americans, not the whims of a ruler.

Margaret Fuller: Asking the Right Questions In a world where men claimed to have all the answers, Margaret Fuller made it her mission to ask all the right questions. “How came I here?” she wrote as a young adult. “How is it that I seem to be th...

Happy 215th Birthday to Margaret Fuller, born May 23, 1810, in Cambridge, MA. As an author, editor, journalist, critic, and educator, she earned her place among the leading intellectuals of antebellum America.
www.discoverconcordma.com/articles/679...

tinyurl.com/Concord1861

🎂❤️ Happy Birthday to my dear daughter Marcelia! ❤️🎂

For almost 400 years, West Concord has supplied produce and manufactured goods to the world. This enterprising spirit still flourishes in our independent businesses. On May 17, join me for the story of West Concord’s generations of thriving activity. Details here: visitconcord.org/visit/walkin...

Summer hours are back at the Old Manse. Concord's most historic house (in my opinion) will be open every Thursday through Monday. Check website for hours, tour schedule, and special events/programs thetrustees.org/place/the-ol...

Barrow Book Store

Concord’s own Barrow Bookstore, proudly independent since 1971, has been nominated for USA Today’s list of 10 Best Independent Bookstores. You can vote once a day until June 2. Please do so (link below).

When I was a kid if we saw one of those I would tease my dad that it was his giant golf ball.

Getting ready to take a dive down the rabbit hole. (Visitors often ask about this.)

An errand to Verrill Farms yielded a bonus—the Spring issue of Discover Concord Magazine, with my Margaret Fuller piece on page 52. Also looking forward to reading articles by many friends and colleagues.
It’s available for free at your favorite shop, café, museum, or visitor center.

Last week was the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Concord. I gave tours and welcomed visitors from all over the U.S. Some visitors were just a few months old. I hope they’ll come back for the 300th anniversary. Let’s make sure they’ll still have the freedoms that were bought with blood in 1775.

‘Not everyone was Paul Revere’: Mass. historians reimagine America’s founding tale - The Boston Globe Historians around the state are revisiting the nation's origin story with fresh eyes, centering on communities that have often been left out.

It was great to see my Concord Visitor Center colleague Joe Palumbo quoted in today’s Boston Globe, in an article that highlights his Patriots of Color tour.

Extraordinary Accomplishments of Ordinary People Today Concord celebrates the 250th anniversary of the battle that launched the war for American independence. Describing that day, one of my students spoke of “the extraordinary accomplishmen…

Today Concord celebrates the 250th anniversary of the battle that launched the war for American independence. Describing that day, one of my students spoke of “the extraordinary accomplishments of ordinary people.”

Concord Women Who Answered the Call in 1775 As Concord prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Minutemen’s victory over the Redcoats at the North Bridge, let’s remember that many of those who made a difference on April 19, 1775 we…

As Concord prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Minutemen’s victory over the Redcoats at the North Bridge, let’s remember that many of those who made a difference on April 19, 1775 were neither Minutemen nor Redcoats.

YouTube video by J4cksHacks KISS - New York Groove Live At The Brooklyn Bridge - 1996

youtu.be/D_hvAp23sOk?...

For nearly 30 years, Raffaelle Nicoletta has cut my hair. Today he cut it for the last time; he’s retiring this month. Enjoy your retirement, Raffaelle, and thank you for making me look sharp for all these years.

(Raffaelle’s shop will remain open, with his colleague David wielding the shears.)

Every April, students in the Concord History/Guide Course gather at our town’s historic sites to present interpretations they have researched and written.
Yesterday Meg Winslow photographed our class showing they have the right stuff to give an engaging, informative tour under any conditions.

The United States won the Cold War by spending so much on defense that the Soviet Union went broke trying to keep up. Now Russia has figured out a way to turn the tables and destroy the U.S. economy.

❤️🎂 This granddaughter is 7 years old today! 🎂❤️

Rental unit in Concord · ★4.93 · 1 bedroom · 1 bed · 1 bath Cottage Suite "A" - Walk to Shops, Train, History

Looking for a place to stay in Concord for the 250th anniversary Patriots’ Day? A friend has an airb&b vacancy just a short walk from the parade route, historic sites, restaurants, shops, and more. Click link for details: airbnb.com/h/concordmac...

Cultural Site Interpreter - The Trustees of Reservations Who We Are: Founded in 1891 by a group of visionary volunteers, The Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees) is Massachusetts’ premier conservation and preservation organization. The Trustees’ pre...

The Old Manse is hiring seasonal historic house interpreters. Click link for details and application. apply.workable.com/thetrustees/...

TOMORROW!
Don’t miss the book launch of “Concord Stories: Indigenous Musketaquid to Colonial Concord” with author Jim Sherblom, Tuesday, April 1. Details and registration at tinyurl.com/ConcordNative

On Tuesday morning, I had the honor to give a talk on Concord history to an audience from the Concord Housing Authority. It was a very engaged group, who kept me on my toes with thoughtful questions. Thanks to Executive Director Jennifer Polito for arranging this program.

The Squire and the Spies Isabel Bliss hurried her three children, aged four through seven, off to bed on the night of March 20, 1775. The two men who had come to her door looked like local farmers seeking counsel from her …

250 years ago tonight—March 20, 1775–two spies from the British Army had a clandestine meeting with a prominent Concord lawyer to gather intelligence for a coming raid on the town's hidden arsenal.

YouTube video by Jesse Colin Young - Topic Light Shine

You know the world is dark with fear
People scared to let you near
They need you need to shine on and on
All night and day
—Jesse Colin Young (1941–2025)

A St. Patrick’s Day Misadventure “On the morning of the 17th, Mrs. Brooks’s Irish girl Joan fell down the cellar stairs, and was found by her mistress lying at the bottom, apparently lifeless. Mrs. Brooks ran to the st…

One of my favorite entries in Thoreau’s journal tells us about a St. Patrick’s Day mishap in Concord 169 years ago.

The quiet Massachusetts towns that sparked a revolution Two hundred and fifty years ago, several small farming communities rose up against the British and helped form a new nation. Now, the towns are gearing up to party like it's 1775.

News item from across the pond, where apparently there are no hard feelings about the beef we had with them back in the day.