Hartwell’s Memory: Photograph by Will Tenney

Hartwell’s Memory

Hartwell Tavern in Lincoln is on the old Bay Road from Boston through central Massachusetts to Crown Point, New York. It was on this road and past the tavern that the British regulars marched on that fateful day, April 19, 1775, in their attempt to confiscate patriot munitions stored at Concord. They failed in their mission and had to run back to the safety of Boston while fending off patriot Minutemen firing on them as they fled. Needless to say, the British regulars didn’t have time to stop at the tavern for any refreshment. Now part of Minuteman National Historical Park, the building has been restored to its 1775 appearance.