Tag Archives: Massachusetts

Patriot’s Place on Patriot’s Day

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I’ve been meaning to check out a nature trail I heard about but just haven’t had the time. It’s at Patriot’s Place in Foxboro, home of Gillette Stadium and the New England Patriot’s Football team. The complex houses a shopping mall and conference centers as well. This is where the AAA marketplace was held last month. Bottom line, it’s hard to believe there’s a nature trail amid the asphalt.

As I left Lexington I noticed my gas gauge was getting kind of low. I expected I would need to get gas after making that trip to Lexington. I stopped at a service center with a  McDonald’s for a breakfast sandwich. While there I checked their gas prices…$3.95 + / gal for regular. I shouldn’t have been surprised. The  egg McMuffin and orange juice w/ a small water came to $7.99! Friendly’s has a whole breakfast for $2.99. I thought McDonald’s was supposed to be cheap!

Anyway, I decided to try to get to a gas station I know on RT 1. It usually has less expensive gas and I could go home by way of RT 1 instead of RT 128. In fact when I got there the gas was $3.73/ gal.  Big difference!

So with a bit more gas in my tank I headed off down RT 1. On the way I drove by Patriot’s Place and for the first time saw a sign for the Nature Trail and Cranberry Bog. It was still so early I decided to take the time to check it out. It’s located behind Bass Pro Shop and be warned, the dirt road to the dirt parking area has pot holes big enough to swallow your car.

For the most part the parking lot was empty. There were some construction vehicles and a port-o-potty on the far end of the lot. I didn’t take all the camera stuff, just my monopod that doubles as a walking stick, the new super telly and my 55-200. I left the backpack and the kit lens in the car locked in the trunk.

 The path is well-marked. The upper portion is brick-paved and there is a little sitting area and a man-made water feature (waterfall). It’s a pretty little spot. The trail itself is dirt but well maintained. Much better than the access road! It’s a short loop, only about 1/2 mile. To the left is a gentle downslope to a bridge/boardwalk over the marsh to the bog. To the right the trail is more steep. Going right would be the easy way so of course I went left first!

I loved the boardwalk over the pond. It even has a little bench where you can sit and watch the birds. There were the Canadian Geese , of course, a pair of swans, quite a few red-winged blackbirds and a variety of finch/sparrow type birds. I didn’t see any ducks this trip but I am sure there must be some around.

I followed the path through the Cranberry bog. There are two statues of Elk set on the shore and another bridge that crosses the irrigation canal on one side and the pond on the other.

 At that point  you enter the woods and the terrain changes again. It’s still an easy walk but now you climb a couple of hills.

There’s another little bridge over a brook that feeds the pond. In here I spotted squirrels playing hide and seek but that was about all.

Back at the start I took advantage of the seating area to set up my new lens. I need to get used to using such a heavy lens and the monopod. I found the swans on the pond and was amazed at how big they came out with the super telly. The only thing is it’s a bit cumbersome. I think it will be great if I’m looking to shoot from a blind or someplace where I will be sitting or standing for a bit, in other words, where I can set up housekeeping. 🙂 It’s not a lens to just snap on the camera and go hiking. I’ll stick to my 55-200 for that. It will definitely travel with me when we go to Alaska.

The day seemed to be warming up a bit but that wind was still cold so I wrapped up my morning and it’s only 9 am!

 Just as I took the lens off and packed up the geese started honking like crazy and the whole gaggle took off in formation! A very impressive sight  and me with no camera ready! Why is it that this always seems to happen to me! Oh well, another picture that got away 🙂

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The “Shot heard ’round the world”

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The phrase was first used in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s  Concord Hymn and refers to the first shots fired by the Patriots at  the North Bridge. 

 The first shots were actually fired at sunrise at Lexington. No one knows which side actually fired first. Some say it wasn’t the militiamen or the British, but rather a  spectator behind a hedge. Both sides generally agreed that it did not come from any of the men facing each other on the green that morning.  Still another theory was that there were multiple simultaneous shots. But whatever happened the militia was outnumbered and fell back. The British  proceeded on to Concord, where they searched for supplies. As the militia gathered at the North Bridge they saw wisps of smoke begin to rise over the village of Concord.

The Patriots at the bridge seeing the smoke thought that the Redcoats were burning the town. As they debated what to do, more and more men were streaming in from the surrounding towns, swelling the ranks of the militia. Captain Isaac Davis of Acton is credited with  saying “I’m not afraid to go, and I haven’t a man that’s afraid to go.”

The militia began to advance, 5 full companies from Acton, Concord, Bedford, and Lincoln, over 400 men, approaching a British force of  only 90-95 men. The militia had orders to load their guns but not to fire unless fired upon. The British were ordered to form up for street-firing but it was not an appropriate formation for the open path beyond the bridge. In the confusion a shot rang out, possibly a warning shot from British troops exhausted by the overnight march and early morning skirmish at Lexington. No matter, the damage was done and a volley of musket fire rang out.

At least 3 were killed and 9 wounded. the British regulars found themselves outnumbered and outmaneuvered. With their leaders wounded or dead, they broke ranks and retreated.

Meanwhile in the town, the accidental fire in the meeting-house was being extinguished by a bucket brigade that included  the British regulars. The routed British returned to Concord and instead of continuing their retreat stayed in town where they went back to searching for supplies and ate lunch. This allowed the patriots time to position themselves along the road back to Boston.

Through out the march back to Boston the British were harried and fired upon by the militia using what we would call today, guerrilla tactics. They shot from behind stone walls and fences and trees. they tracked through swamps and fields.  The ranks of the militia swelling as more and more men arrived from all over New England.

In the morning the British, now safely back in Boston, found that they were surrounded by a huge militia of over 15,000. This was the beginning of the Continental Army. The war of Independence had begun.

Much has been written about the running battle along Battle Road, far too much for this post or this blog, but this is the history behind the reenactment that takes place each Patriot’s Day in Lexington. With any luck, I will be one of the many who will be gathering this Monday in the early morning hours to take a step back in time.

Lexington and Concord…The Backstory

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The story of the Battle of Lexington and Concord has always sent chills down my spine. As I sat in that theater listening to the Road to Revolution I found myself tearing up. From Paul Revere’s ride to the “Shot heard ’round the World” there is something in this story that strikes a very deep chord.

On April 14, 1775 General Thomas Gage received the fateful instructions that would lead to the first blood being spilled in what would become the revolutionary war. The orders were to disarm the rebels and imprison their leaders, especially Samuel Adams and John Hancock. The orders gave a great deal of leeway to General Gage in executing these orders. This was to be handled with utmost secrecy so as not to alert the rebels.

On April 18, a contingent of 20 horsemen was sent out into the countryside in an attempt to intercept rebel messengers who might be traveling on horseback. The patrol was not as discrete as they might have been. They acted differently than patrols in the past. They stayed out late and openly questioned travelers about the whereabouts of Adams and Hancock with the unintended result of raising the alarm and alerting many of the residents thereby increasing the rebels’ preparedness.

The Lexington Militia started to muster that evening without any word from Boston.

On the afternoon of April 18, the British regulars aka “Redcoats” received the orders “to proceed from Boston “with utmost expedition and secrecy to Concord, where you will  seize and destroy… all Military stores… But you will take care that the soldiers do not plunder the inhabitants or hurt private property.” No written orders were issued for any arrests for fear of sparking an uprising.

The rebellion’s ringleaders with the exception of Paul Revere and  Joseph Warren had all left Boston by April 8 having received word from London that orders for their arrest were imminent. Adams and Hancock were staying in Lexington with relatives of Hancock where they thought they would be safe. Some weapons had indeed been stashed in Concord but the largest stores were much farther west in Worcester.

On the evening of April 18 the news finally came that the Redcoats were on the move. Joseph Warren told William Dawes and Paul Revere to ride to Lexington to warn Hancock and Adams of the troop movements, spreading the word along the way.

I’m sure everyone has heard of the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere…One if by land and two if by sea while I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and spread the alarm, through every Middlesex Village and Town…. poetic yes, actual truth, well perhaps a bit exaggerated. In actual fact, Paul Revere was detained by a British Patrol. William Dawes and Samuel prescott were the riders that made it through. Revere was released serveral hours later but without his horse.

As the British marched through the night and the colonial militia began to gather on the green at Lexington, the stage was now set for the first skirmish of what would prove to be a long and bloody conflict before a new country would emerge, the United States of America.

My history teacher would be proud. Just proves I didn’t always sleep in class! In tormorrow’s post I’ll summarize the events of that morning. All in the hopes of setting the stage for my trip to Lexington on Monday.

Minute Man National Historical Park

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Boy when it rains around here it pours…buckets…and it was a cold rain. I wore my hoodie and brought my winter jacket plus a rain poncho. I still got cold and soaked but it’s a good thing I came up or I’d be in big trouble on Monday!

It’s easy to find the park but not so easy to find the Visitor Center. I made 3 stops before I found it and even then it’s quite a walk from the parking lot. On a nice day I am sure it’s beautiful but in the cold rain, not so much. It didn’t seem to stop the visitors. I saw quite a few with umbrellas and there were school buses of kids  at every stop I made.

Even so when I got to the Visitor Center it was quiet.

 I chatted with the rangers and took come pictures of the life-size cut-outs on exhibit.

 One of the rangers was asking me questions about my camera because I was taking pictures without the flash. As much as possible I prefer to use ambient light. (Of course that may change when I upgrade the flash) I demonstrated it to him by taking one shot with a flash and one without. Then I asked him which he liked better. He picked the one without the flash.

There was a woman dressed in period dress carrying ing a gun. I think they called them flint locks.

 I asked her if I could take her picture and if it was ok for me to post it. She said sure as long as I told everyone that she was a Park Ranger, not a volunteer.  So here’s the picture of the Park Ranger in period attire. 🙂

I found the National Park cancellation stamp and got my Passbook verified. Then I started asking questions. Turns out that the National Park does all of their events for Patriot’s Day on this weekend and it’s only done this time of year. They had a list of events on the desk and I asked them why it showed a whole list of things including a craft fair for Monday. The rangers explained that those events were by the town of Lexington and were not connected to the Park. With the ranger’s blessing I took a schedule of events for Monday. He told me that if I had never seen the reenactment that I should see it at least once because it is quite impressive.

They suggested I stick around and watch the movie The Road to Revolution. I was the only one in the theatre and one of the rangers remarked that I might be getting private showing. It was not to be. A group of kids came in. They were pretty rowdy at first but I have to give the chaperone’s credit. Once the movie started they quieted the kids down  right away.The movie was really good. I found it very moving as they explained the events that led up to the bloody battle and the start of the Revolutionary War. It story was presented in a multi media format. A holographic type figure narrated and comments came from invisible men in the tavern. The battle was shown in a movie to the right of the central figure. It’s hard to explain but it was very well done.

After the movie I headed back to the car and went in search of the places on the agenda in Lexington.  I found the Stop and Shop which is where the ranger suggested I park. I found the Green where the reenactment takes place. There is a sloping hill to the right of the green. I hope I can set up there because I should be able to shoot over the heads of the crowd.

I stopped for gas in Lexington and asked the attendant about the events. He wasn’t too enthusiastic at first but then he kind of perked up and said that if I had never seen it, that it was worth the early morning wake-up call.

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With that I turned my car back south toward home. I was wet and cold and ready to call it a day.

Boston Light

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In my post about Hull, Ma and Nantasket Beach I included pictures of Boston Light. I decided to do a little research to see if I could get some more information about the lighthouse. Even in the bright sun I was able to see that the light was working.

The island that is home to Boston Light is known as Little Brewster Island and is located in outer Boston Harbor. The first lighthouse built on the island was built in 1716 and was the first lighthouse to be built in what is now the United States. Boston is just full of “firsts”!

This lighthouse is not the original. This one dates back to 1783 and it’s the 2nd oldest working lighthouse in the US. (Sandyhook Lighthouse in NJ is the oldest). This is also the only lighthouse  to be actively staffed by the Coast Guard.

In 1964 Boston Light became a National Historic Landmark.

The first lighthouse keeper drowned along with his wife and daughter while returning to the island in 1718.

During the American Revolution the lighthouse was held by the British. American forces attacked and burned the original structure not once but twice. When the British withdrew in 1776 they finished it off by blowing up the structure which completely demolished it.

The lighthouse was rebuilt in 1783 to its original height of 75 ft. In 1859 it was raised to its present height of 89 ft.

The light was automated in 1998 but is still staffed by a resident civilian keeper and volunteer watchstanders from the Coast Guard auxiliary. It’s light flashes white every 10 seconds and can be seen for a distance of 27 nautical miles.

A tour offered of the Boston Harbor Islands includes a stop a Little Brewster to visit Boston Light. You will also view Long Island Light and Graves light.

I think that tour will go on my “must-do” list for a summer excursion!