Travel Back in Time: A Historical Primer at the Concord Museum

In a town extremely well known for its rich history, it can be hard to pinpoint one location that a history buff should go see. However, there is one location in town that will allow you to travel back in time and gain an overall glimpse into Concord’s importance to the rest of the world --

While serving as a gateway to the treasures that one can find within town (and where to find them), the museum also serves as a resting place for historical pieces that could rival items at the Smithsonian Institute. The museum is also home to period rooms that transport visitors to another era, as well as an introductory film entitled “Exploring Concord.”

Exhibitions are ever changing and often explore a specific time period in great detail. A current exhibit, entitled “When Duty Whispers: Concord and the Civil War,” showcases uniforms, arms, swords, flags, portraits and other relics to recreate an era that saw a unified Concord, ready for battle whenever President Lincoln gave notice. The exhibition also features a portrait of abolitionist Mary Merrick Brooks, a letter from Frederick Douglass and a kettle used by Louisa May Alcott while she served as a nurse at the Union Hotel Hospital in Washington, D.C.

The Concord Museum is also home to a series of exhibits that the entire family can enjoy. “Establishing Concord” finds Native American stone tools and an archaeological took kit; “Defending Concord” features American Revolution items, including a fife once played by a young boy in the army; a Henry David Thoreau exhibit offers a look through he author’s spyglass; and treasure hunts afford younger children hands-on activities.

“(Concord) is a small town with a lot of history packed in. People expect lots of things to happen in a big city, but more than a fair share of memorable events happen in this little town," Concord Museum Curator David Wood told Patch last month. "Concord has a way of making it seems that it is happening over and over again.”

Notable Exhibits/Items at The Concord Museum

• When Duty Whispers: Concord and the Civil War (running through Sept. 18)
• Home of the Brave Quilt Project (through Sept. 15)
• The desk on which Henry David Thoreau wrote “Civil Disobedience” and Walden
• The lantern hung in the church steeple the night of Paul Revere’s April 1775 ride
• A silver cann made by Concord silversmith Samuel Bartlett
• Two important Revolutionary-era tax stamps
• A diamond-head timepiece created by Daniel Munroe

Hours

• Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Sunday Noon – 5 p.m
• Open Sundays in July and August 9 a.m.– 5 p.m.

Admission

• Members Free
• Adults $10
• Seniors (62 & over) $8
• Students (18 & over with valid id) $8
• Children (6-17) $5
• Children under 6 Free
• Active Military (with valid id): Free