Concord - Senators Edward
M. Kennedy and John
F. Kerry and Representative Niki
Tsongas have announced the passage of legislation in the House of
Representatives to protect Col. James Barrett’s Farm
in Concord by adding it to Minute
Man National Park. The farm had a central role in the first battle
of the Revolutionary War in 1775. The legislation passed the Senate on
March 19, and will now be sent to President Barack Obama for his
signature.
Kennedy said, “Most Americans don’t know that when
British soldiers marched on Concord on that famous day in 1775, their
mission was to capture the weapons that our patriot ancestors had been
amassing and hiding on Barrett’s Farm. Col. James Barrett, who was
commander of the colonial Middlesex Militia at the time, had advance
notice of the British plan, however, and successfully hid the
munitions. His five-acre farm was two miles from the Old
North Bridge in Concord, where the ‘embattled farmers stood and
fired the shot heard round the world’ that day. The farm thus had a
central role in America’s founding, but unfortunately it was left
out of the 1959 legislation creating Minute Man National Park. I’m
delighted that the current bill corrects that omission and will
preserve the Farm for the benefit of future generations.”
“This legislation will permanently preserve Col. Barrett's
farm and help future generations share in a critical moment of the
American Revolution," Kerry said. "It was great working with
Senator Kennedy, Congresswoman Tsongas and her predecessor Congressman
Marty Meehan to help protect this historic Massachusetts treasure.”
Tsongas said, "The legislation passed today will
permanently protect this historic site, so that current and future
generations can learn about the important role it played in the birth
of our nation. Every year, thousands visit Minute Man National Park to
see first hand where the American Revolution began, and the addition
of Barrett's Farm to the Park will contribute greatly to their
appreciation and understanding of this historic event. I want to thank
Senators Kerry and Kennedy, as well as my predecessor Marty Meehan for
their hard work in protecting this important part of our rich
revolutionary history."
Barrett's Farm is two miles from the famous Old North Bridge
in Concord, and spans approximately five acres. The farm is listed in
the National Register of Historic Places and is certified as a
nationally significant site.
The farm belonged to Col. James Barrett, one of the primary
figures in the first battle of the American Revolution. As commander
of the Middlesex Militia, he used his farm to store cannons, gunpowder
and other munitions. When British forces marched on Concord in 1775,
their principal purpose was to search Barrett's Farm and confiscate
the colonial militia’s weapons, but Col. Barrett received advance
notice of the British plan and successfully hid the weapons.
The legislation authorizes a boundary adjustment to add 67
acres to the current National Park in Concord and Lincoln. The
expansion doesn’t involve a federal taking of private property.
Instead, it allows the Park Service to purchase private properties
from willing sellers, such as the local, non-profit organization Save
Our Heritage, which now owns Barrett’s Farm.
In 2006, legislation sponsored by Kennedy and Kerry was
enacted authorizing a boundary study of the park to establish the
suitability and feasibility of including Barrett’s Farm. The study
completed in 2007, concluded that the addition of the farm would be
consistent with the park’s mission to preserve significant historic
resources and it would be feasible for the Park Service to manage. In
response to the study, Kennedy, Kerry and Tsongas sponsored the
legislation just approved by Congress to add the farm to the park.
