History of Lexington, Massachusetts, USA

First battle of American Revolution fought at Lexington and Concord

The Battles of Lexington and Concord signaled the start of the American Revolutionary war on April 19, 1775. The British Army set out from Boston to capture rebel leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington as well as to destroy the Americans store of weapons and ammunition in Concord. The colonists were warned however, by riders including Paul Revere, that the British Army was approaching. Sam Adams and John Hancock were able to escape and the local militia was able to hide much of their ammunition and weapons.

The Battle of Lexington was a very small fight... Neither side expected to actually fight, but in the midst of the confusion a gunshot went off forcing the British to attack. Some of the colonists were killed and the rest fled.

The gunshot was the first shot of the American Revolution and the start of the war. It was called the "shot heard around the world" by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his poem ...

Lexington, Massachusetts
Middlesex county. This pleasant town lies 10 miles N.W. from Boston, and 7 E. from Concord. Incorporated, 1712. Population, 1837, 1,622. There are some excellent farms in this town, large tracts of meadow on some of the branches of the Shawsheen, which rises here, and some valuable woodland. The manufactures consist of boots, shoes, caps, clocks, cabinet ware, and calico printing; annual value, about $100,000.

Lexington will ever be an interesting place, as here the first blood was shed in the cause of American Independence. "A detachment of British soldiers were sent at daylight on the morning of the 19th of April, 1775, to take or destroy a quantity of military stores collected at Concord. They were under the command of Col. Smith and Maj. Pitcairn. On reaching this place, a militia company were exercising on the common. A British officer rode up and ordered them to disperse, but not being instantly obeyed, he discharged his pistol and ordered his men to ...

Lexington is famed for being the spot where the first American blood was shed, at the commencement of the war of Independence. The British troops, on their way to destroy the military stores at Concord, fired upon the citizens and killed eight of them. A monument is erected on the spot where they fell.

The inhabitants are chiefly farmers, but they pay some attention to manufactures, especially articles of fur.

Distance from Concord, 7 miles; from Boston, 10.

This town was incorporated in 1712. The face of t.he town is rather rough and uneven, and the soil is not of the first quality for cultivation. There are, however, some good farms and extensive meadows on the branches of the Shawshine river, several of which rise in this town. In 1837. the value of boots and shoes manufactured in this place was $12,278; fur caps manufactured, 60,000; muffs and neck ties, 600: fur capes, 400; fur gloves, 1,000 pairs; value of these articles, $73,000; males employed, 25; females, 75; capital invested, $55,000. There was also an establishment for calico printing. Population, 1,622. Distance, 7 miles from Concord, 13 from Lowell, and 10 from Boston.

The following is a representation of the far famed spot where the first blood was shed at the opening of the great drama of the Revolution. The engraving is a western view from the Concord road, showing the Unitarian church, and the monument on Lexington green, or common. The monument is situated on a small ...

Lexington, a post-village of Middlesex county, Massachusetts, on the Lexington and West Cambridge Branch railroad, 11 miles N. W. from Boston. It contains 2 or 3 churches, which with the principal dwellings and stores are arranged around a pleasant green. Lexington is memorable as being the place where the first blood was shed in defence of American liberty. A monument with an appropriate inscription has been erected by the state, to commemorate the patriotism and valor of the eight persons who fell in the battle fought April 19th, 1775. It stands on the green. Population of the township, 1894.

Mrs. W. A. Tower, of Lexington, Mass., took the first premium offered by the Middlesex Agricultural Society, for the best unbolted wheat flour bread, and made the following statement: For yeast I take four mashed potatoes, one cup of white sugar, one cup of flour, and pour on this mixture one quart of scalding water, in which a handful of hops has been boiled; then add a pint of lukewarm water, stir, strain, and let it rise over night.