11 Most Endangered Historic Places

Minute Man National Historical Park and Environs

Year Listed: 2003
Location: Massachusetts
Threat: Development, Poor Public Policy

The Minute Man National Historical Park and Environs in Bedford, Concord, Lincoln, and Lexington, Massachusetts was on the 2003 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

Credit: National Trust for Historic Preservation

Significance

On April 19, 1775, a series of bloody skirmishes along the road from Boston to Concord marked a momentous turning point in America's struggle for independence. The Hanscom Field civilian airport straddles the towns of Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, and Bedford, Massachusetts, and is adjacent to Minute Man National Historical Park, among the most historically significant places in the Commonwealth. Over 1,000 sites on the National Register of Historic Places are located within the four towns, including numerous sites associated with the first battle of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775, Walden Woods and Pond, and the historic homesteads of Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and the Alcotts.