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It was on the morning of April 19th, 1775 that 77 farmers and tradesmen, as part of the Lexington militia, assembled on the Common to defend their town. They wanted to prevent about 750 British light infantry from destroying a supply of arms in Concord. A statue looking like Captain John Parker stands proudly on the Green today; he was quoted as saying “Stand your ground; don’t fire unless fired upon; but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here”.

Captain Parker, noticing he was outnumbered, ordered his men to disperse and not to fire. As they started to leave, a shot of unknown origin rang out, and the British fired a return volley killing 8 Minutemen (7 are buried under the obelisk) and wounding 10, with 1 Redcoat wounded.

George Washington wrote in his diary “the first blood was spilt in the dispute with Great Britain". The Revolutionary War had started. After the battle, Samuel Adams exclaimed to John Hancock, “What a glorious morning for America!”

Lexington Visitors Center: First take a look at the historic diorama depicting the battle on the Green, ask about FREE Battle Green tours (Apr-Oct) and then check out the things you can see, find places to sleep, eat and use the clean rest rooms.

You can enjoy the Liberty Ride Trolley(www.libertyride.us) opened Apr- Oct with 15 stops amongst Lexington and Concord.
There’s a wee gift shop.Daily Apr-Nov 9-5; Dec-Mar 10-4.