Lexington Green

Site of the first battle of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775. When British troops marching from Boston to seize colonial weapons in Concord encountered Captain John Parker’s militia company of approximately 70 men on this triangular common at dawn, a shot was fired – to this day, no one knows by whom. The ensuing British volley killed eight militiamen and wounded ten, making this the ‘first shot’ of the Revolutionary War. Originally purchased in 1711 as militia training ground, the Green now features the iconic Minuteman Statue by Henry Hudson Kitson (1900), the Revolutionary War Monument (1799) – the oldest memorial to the Revolution, and markers commemorating the battle. Part of Minute Man National Historical Park, the flag here is authorized to fly 24 hours a day.