Photo: Carl Stevens/WBZ NewsRadio
CONCORD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Thousands of people from across the nation have descended up Boston to celebrate the Fourth of July and the land that became known as America.
As a state with deep historic ties, there are several museums and attractions in and around the city of Boston that tell the story of how the United States came to be. Some of those commemorations include the Freedom Trail, the Patriots of Color Monument, the Peter Salem Monument and the Concord Museum. Voted the best small-town museum in the country by the USA today, the museum gives a glimpse into the birth of America.
"Boston is so rich with history but just right outside of the city limits in Concord, you can some see the original lantern from Paul Revere's famous midnight ride. And the start of the American revolution," said Katie Morris with Concord Museum.
From portraits to garments, the museum uses relics of the past to tell the tale of how the revolution came to be.
"We tell the story of the beginnings of the American Revolution through our eyewitness objects, really take you right back to the moment — pieces that were really there. Muskets, flints, the lantern, all kinds of historic objects that witness these incredible moments in history," said Morris.
Known as a museum with an informative collection of history, Morris wants attendees to indulge in all the artifacts from the night Lexington and Concord discovered the British were coming.
"It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the real lantern from that night. There's a piece of the original glass still in one side. You can see how small the light would have been and how different a landscape it was that you can see that signal on a clear night. And it just, it's an incredible experience to see the real thing."
Visitors can also commemorate the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution with Concord's latest exhibition, "Whose Revolution." The exhibit offers a more inclusive take on this pivotal moment in history, centering the experiences of Indigenous communities and free and enslaved Black people and women who continue to grapple with the meaning of the Fourth of July.
WBZ NewsRadio's Carl Stevens (@CarlWBZ) reports.