Spanning the Concord River in Concord, Massachusetts, this wooden crossing is the North Bridge, often called the Old North Bridge. On April 19, 1775, provincial minutemen and militia companies numbering approximately 400 engaged roughly 90 British Army troops at this spot. That clash was the first instance in which American forces advanced in formation on the British regulars, inflicted casualties, and routed their opponents — a pivotal moment in the Battles of Lexington and Concord and in American history that inspired Ralph Waldo Emerson to call it the “shot heard round the world.”
This crossing you face has been rebuilt many times: at least eight iterations of the North Bridge were constructed over four centuries. The wooden pedestrian bridge you stand on now is an approximate replica of the bridge that stood at the time of the battle; it was built in 1956 and extensively restored in 2005. The bridge and the surrounding 114 acres make up the North Bridge unit of Minute Man National Historical Park, managed by the National Park Service, and have long been a popular tourist destination.
Notice the wooden bridge underfoot, rebuilt in 1956, and the 114 acres that make up this historic park.