The Road to Concord to Lexington and Back to Boston

"Here in New England, the character is strong and unshakable."

Norman Rockwell

One of the challenges of a bus trip are some stops at  places of interest are brief. I REALLY wished we could have stopped and toured Louisa May Alcott's house where she wrote the book Little Women.  Unfortunately, all I got was a pictures taken from the bus.

I could have spent all afternoon at The Norman Rockwell Museum since there was so much to see. The museum is located on 36 scenic acres in the Berkshires of Western MA. Rockwell's original Stockbridge studio has been moved to the museum's property.

  

The Norman Rockwell Museum is the place to learn about the important and far reaching art forms. In addition to Rockwell's work there are changing exhibitions that explore illustration masters. 
Rockwell wanted his illustrations to tell a story. Norman Perceval Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening Post for more than four decades. Among the best-known of Rockwell's works are the 'Four Freedom Series'. He is also noted for his 64 year relationship with the Boy Scouts of America producing covers for their publication Boys' Life, calendars, and other illustrations. Some of my favorites include these two paintings;

   

As guests exit they are encouraged to ring the bell if they enjoyed their visit.  

Time set aside for Concord and Lexington was quite short. So I mostly got pictures of well known areas.  History was made in this area when Minute Men set out to defend their homes and farms by challenging the British Redcoats in what would become the Battles of Lexington and Concord-the beginning of the American Revolution. 

Concord's North Bridge, the place where "the shot heard round the world was fired," is hallowed ground. 

In Concord. the homes of authors Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne have been maintained and are open to visitors. Walden Pond, the inspiration for Henry David Thoreau's "Walden" is as idyllic as it was 150 years ago.  
Lexington Battle Green 

Buckman Tavern 1710-Militia Headquarters 
A surprise discovery- check out this gravestone on the edge of the Battle Green. The soldier's last name is the same as mine. I need to do some research on this discovery. 

You can always find a knowledgeable person in a period costume on the Battle Green to answer your questions. 

Travel opens your eyes, soul and mind. It's not about seeing-it's about experiencing. 

Thanks for tagging along with me on my New England adventures. Next week Ever Ready postings will take you on a culinary journey back through places visited in the New England region.