Concord History

John Barber, Concord, 1839

For over 10,000 years, Native Americans had used the rivers in the place they called Musketaquid for transportation and a rich source of food. The English settlers also selected the site for the rivers and for the open meadows which could be made into productive fields. During the 140 years between its founding in 1635 and the battle at the North Bridge, Concord became the hub of the region's political, commercial and military activities.

Concord is best known as the site of the first organized armed resistance to the British rule. On April 19, 1775, British soldiers marched out to this town to destroy the arms, ammunition and other provisions which the colonials had stored here. At the North Bridge in Concord, the command was given to return fire: the “shot heard round the world.” The American Revolution had begun.

In 1834, Ralph Waldo Emerson moved to Concord, the town where his grandfather had served as minister at the time of the Revolution. Emerson's stature as a writer, thinker, poet and philosopher drew other intellectuals to the town during America's literary renaissance. Within the town today are the homes of the Alcotts, Emerson, Hawthorne and Henry D. Thoreau. During the 1850s Concord was a center of anti-slavery activity and was a stop on the underground railroad for slaves escaping to freedom.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Concord was primarily an agricultural community. The farm land surrounded the two major commercial centers; the Milldam (now Concord Center) and West Concord Junction. Over the past century, farming has declined as a significant factor in Concord's economy.

Nearly 16,000 people live in Concord today. Many have chosen to live here for its historical significance, its excellent educational and cultural institutions, proximity to Boston, and rural beauty. In spite of dramatic changes to Concord’s landscape, economy, and composition, Concord maintains a strong sense of its own history, expressing it in a number of monuments, historic houses and protected land. The town’s inhabitants continue to preserve and adapt Concord's cultural heritage for succeeding generations.

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