Discover Concord's 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

Discover

CONCORD

2021Guide to theGreat Outdoors TRAIL HIGHLIGHTS

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A S K U S A B O U T B U Y B E F O R E YO U S E L L

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Welcome to the first edition of Discover Concord’s Guide to the Great Outdoors. Perhaps one of the silver linings of the past year has been a rediscovery of the joy found in time spent in nature. It restores, heals, and inspires us. Even a short, ten-minute stroll can reinvigorate your day. Concord is blessed with some of our nation’s most beautiful outdoor places and experiences and we are eager to introduce you to them. Some may be old, much-loved haunts that you’ve roamed since childhood. Others may be new to you. Either way, come with us and explore Concord’s Great Outdoors.

In this issue, you’ll find articles on many of our area’s best trails for walking, including a special fold-out section highlighting nine of our favorites. Don’t miss A Stroll Along the Concord River (p. 16), Encountering History (p. 48), and The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (p. 52). Or follow the map of Concord’s African American history in Mapping Concord’s African American History: What’s in a Name? (p. 42).

If cycling is your passion, Monsters in the Basement: Cycling in Concord (p.27) has the latest on where to ride and “the monsters” would love to have you join them! Or head out onto the water where the world looks different, as you’ll see in Concord’s Wild and Scenic Rivers and Ponds (p. 56). Why not wrap up your day with dinner al fresco? Discover some of our favorite outdoor dining spots (and ideas to load up your own picnic basket) on page 22 and sip something cool and bubbly as the sun sets.

Concord’s ecology is truly amazing and thanks to the efforts of so many, it is being protected for future generations.

Concord’s Commitment to Conservation (p. 10) recognizes the efforts and accomplishments of the many organizations at federal, state, and local levels that are dedicated to protecting our fragile environment. You may know Peter Alden, the celebrated author, naturalist, and Concordian who has helped protect and preserve many of Concord’s unique habitats. Learn more about this remarkable person in Peter Alden: Local Traveler (p. 18).

Whether your passion is hiking, cycling, kayaking, or just dining outdoors, the warmer weather is finally here - so let’s go outside and celebrate!

Cynthia L. Baudendistel Co-Founder

Jennifer C. Schünemann Co-Founder

Some of you may wonder why you’ve received Discover Concord’s Guide to the Great Outdoors in your mailbox. Normally, you’d pick up copies of the Guide around town, just like the regular issues of Discover Concord. Our Guide is a new concept – and we wanted to share it with our friends and neighbors by sending you a complimentary copy. We hope that you enjoy it and take advantage of the many unique, historic, and beautiful outdoor features that our area has to offer. If you’d like to keep receiving Discover Concord in the mail, we invite you to subscribe at discoverconcordma.com

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| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

If you want an average agent, then we’re simply not a good fit.

Zur Attias

HIGHEST

9.75

AVERAGE UNITS SOLD PER AGENT compared to

ALL LOCAL FIRMS & FRANCHISES

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Thank you, Concord & Carlisle!

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p. 12

contents p. 38

p. 18

p. 20

10

Concord’s Commitment to Conservation

12

Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

14

Peter Alden: Local Traveler

16

18

Historic Buttrick Gardens

20

Dining Al Fresco in Concord

24

26

Stroll Along the Concord River: The A Ecological and Historical Significance of October Farm Riverfront

Monsters in the Basement: Cycling in Concord Keeping it Personal: The Attias Group Takes a Family Approach to Real Estate in Concord

29

List of Shops & Restaurants

30

Walking Maps of Concord

36

Conquering Concord: Where to Start?

38

Welcome to the Bug Hotel

40

Glimpsing Ecology Around Walden Contents continued on p. 6

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| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

Discover CONCORD discoverconcordma.com CO-FOUNDER

Cynthia L. Baudendistel CO-FOUNDER

Jennifer C. Schünemann ART DIRECTOR

Beth Pruett DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR

Wilson S. Schünemann ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

p. 58

Olga Gersh MY SIDE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT PROFESSIONALS

ADVISORY BOARD

p. 50

p. 60

Bobbi Benson

Alida Orzechowski

NORTH BRIDGE ANTIQUES

CONCORD TOUR COMPANY

Patricia Clarke

DEBRA’S NATURAL GOURMET

SARA CAMPBELL

Marie Foley REVOLUTIONARY CONCORD

Michael Glick CONCORD’S COLONIAL INN

Maria Madison THE ROBBINS HOUSE

Jennifer McGonigle JOY STREET LIFE + HOME

42 44 48

Mapping Concord’s African American History: What’s in a Name?

The Temptation of Wilderness Encountering History: The Witness Houses of Battle Road Trail

56 58 58 60

Debra Stark Carol Thistle CONCORD MUSEUM

Jan Turnquist LOUISA MAY ALCOTT’S ORCHARD HOUSE

Steve Verrill VERRILL FARM

Jerry Wedge THE UMBRELLA ARTS CENTER

Robert Munro

Jim White

THE ROBBINS HOUSE

MILLBROOK TARRY

COVER PHOTO:

Concord’s Wild and Scenic Rivers and Ponds Preserving White Pond Reservation Concord Museum’s Summer Under the Stars Film Series Bringing Color to Concord via Gardening

50

Bites, Bumps, and Bruises

52

The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

62

Concord Coupons

54

Favorite Picnic Spots in Concord

63

Advertiser Index

© 2021 Voyager Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISSN 2688-5204 (Print) ISSN 2688-5212 (Online) For reprint and permission requests, please contact cynthia@voyager-publishing.com | 314.308.6611

Canoe on Walden Pond ©istock.com/Kirkikis AUTHORS/CONTRIBUTORS:

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Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. ©2021 Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Operated by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker, the Coldwell Banker logo, Coldwell Banker Global Luxury and the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury logo are service marks registered or pending registration owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.

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Concord’s

Commitment to Conservation

W When someone says, “Concord is a special place,” they could likely be referring to its history, whether that be its role in the American Revolution or its literary tradition.

But those things belong, after all, to the past, and so they are more reasons for saying Concord was a special place than that it is.

Many towns have history, especially in New England, but few of them, like Concord, retain the sense of a living historical legacy. Concord, then, is a special place, as much as it was a special place, because of a long and ongoing tradition of conservation. Conservation in Concord means caring both for historical sites and indigenous natural beauty, protecting lands from development, and keeping away pollution and invasive species. The shared commitment of residents, nonprofits, and state agencies has made the quality and extent of conservation in Concord exceptional, or, put otherwise, special.

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Like everything else in Concord, its conservation has a deep history. In fact, the conservation movement in Concord is arguably as old as the modern conservation movement itself. The writings of the Transcendentalists were among the first to champion the preservation of nature against encroachments from industry. Thoreau’s maxim, “In wildness is the preservation of the world,” continues to be a mission statement for conservationists all over the world. But the Transcendentalists did not only write about conservation. When, in 1879, the State of Massachusetts announced the extension of the Lexington and Arlington Railroad to where it would destroy a wooded area in Concord called the Leaning Hemlocks, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Amos Bronson Alcott, and others signed a petition against “building the new line through what is to us and to all lovers of nature most precious ground.”

| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

BY SAM COPELAND

The foundations for the conservation movement in Concord have consistently been laid by private individuals. A generation after the Transcendentalists, American ornithologist William Brewster purchased the land known as October Farm to protect it from being developed. Many of Concord’s historical sites, like the Old Manse and Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, were cared for by private families before being handed over to conservatorial organizations.

More recently, in 1989, over 60 acres of the woods around Walden Pond came under threat when a real estate company proposed to bulldoze it and build offices and condos. The National Trust for Historic Preservation had listed Walden Woods as one of America’s most endangered historic places when Don Henley of the Eagles heard about the controversy. Henley, who had been inspired by Thoreau’s writings as a college

©Teresa Ferraiolo

Sunset on Walden Pond

public domain

Woods and Upper Spencer Brook Valley; the Sudbury Valley Trustees steward the lands of Gowing’s Swamp and Dugan Kames; the Massachusetts Trustees of Reservations keep the land surrounding the Old Manse and part of the land of Estabrook Woods; and the National Park Service maintains the land of Minute Man National Historical Park by the Old North Bridge. Other institutions conduct conservation programs in Concord as well, such as the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Refuge, and Harvard University. Their protected lands are not only for the preservation of ecosystems, they are also open to the public, and many of them have extensive trails. These trails have

really rich history here of people who were observing and caring for the environment.

And then to have all the conservation groups working here makes it an incredibly unique place.” But the true testament to Concord’s history of conservation is the land itself, whose beauty is available to anyone fortunate enough to be near it.

Concord is a town that has been blessed with a rich history and a beautiful natural environment. But these blessings cannot be enjoyed without the efforts of the townspeople to conserve them. In that sense, Concord is also a town that is blessed with a certain kind of townspeople, people who care deeply for conservation. This culture of

Henry David Thoreau

Volunteers at the 24th Annual Assabet River Cleanup

been an invaluable resource to the people of Concord during the pandemic when quarantine would otherwise have meant being cramped inside all day.

Concord has long received praise for its exceptional conservation efforts. In 1999, when the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers were designated as part of the National Wild and Scenic River System, then-president Bill Clinton commented how “the rivers are remarkably undeveloped” and expressed his confidence in “the strong local support and commitment for preservation.”

Christa Collins, director of land protection for the Sudbury Valley Trustees, holds a similar sentiment, saying, “We have a

conservation has deep roots that are as old as the modern conservation movement itself, going all the way back to Concord’s great nature writers like Emerson and Thoreau. The culture has only grown since then, and it has brought with it countless conservation efforts involving all manner of groups and institutions.

Concord’s commitment to conservation is bound to continue and grow, as the pandemic has shown more than ever the value of protected lands. And so what is special about Concord will belong to the future as much as it does to the present and past.

———————————————————————— Sam Copeland is a Concord native and a writer based in New York.

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©David Griffin Photography

student, brought together celebrities like Billy Joel and Meryl Streep to raise the money to buy the property and found the Walden Woods Project, a nonprofit that conserves the land to this day.

But it is everyday residents of Concord who form the lifeblood of conservation efforts.

“A lot of Massachusetts towns value their history,” says David Santomenna, associate director of the Trustees of Reservations, “But Concord takes it to the next level.” The land trusts active in Concord work with volunteers to maintain protected lands and educate the public about them. Every year volunteers participate in efforts like the Concord Bird Count and the Assabet River Cleanup. Small, community-led initiatives, such as clearing away invasive plants like the vine bittersweet, are not uncommon either.

Whether they are marching in the Earth Day Parade, voting in environmental laws at Town Meeting, or picking up litter, the people of Concord consistently show a deep concern for the beauty and conservation of the town. As important as are the large-scale efforts, it is the persistent attention of the residents of Concord, born of a longstanding culture of conservation, that keeps the town exceptionally well conserved.

The history and ongoing culture of conservation have left Concord with an extensive and varied range of protected lands. Organizations at the local, state, and national levels all own and manage lands in Concord. The Concord Land Trust keeps nearly 1,000 acres of land, including Wright

Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

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Coyote reflected in the pool

passion, and money to maintaining the land, waterways, and woods as resting and feeding places for migratory birds.

He was quick to purchase abutting parcels of undeveloped properties from private landowners as they came on the market, only to turn around and gift those, too, to the federal government.

His generosity and foresight helped create one of the most comprehensive wildlife resource management programs in the world.

Who Calls Great Meadows Home?

More than 220 species, from the chickweed geometer moth to the redtailed hawk, call Great Meadows home. It is estimated that the careful observer will encounter at least 40 species on a single visit. That number does not include the invasive plants and wildlife that have found their way to Great Meadows. Left untreated, nonnative species will endanger the delicate ecosystem Mr. Hoar strived to create.

Two examples of invasive species are carp and water chestnuts. While guests may enjoy the aerial show carps put on as

| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

©Don Willette

C

Concord has a reputation for being the epicenter of both the American and literary revolutions as well as home to classic authors, philosophers, and artists. But this small town of barely 17,000 residents boasts another wonder - Great Meadows, a world-renowned refuge dedicated to the preservation of native plants, insects, fish, birds, and animals.

Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, a 3,800-acre network of lands and waters managed specifically for the protection of wildlife and wildlife habitat, is one of eight wildlife refuges in Eastern Massachusetts that is part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, a bureau of the Department of the Interior, manages the property that meanders 12 miles along the Sudbury and Concord Rivers and through six other communities: Billerica, Bedford, Carlisle, Lincoln, Sudbury, and Wayland.

Great Meadows began in 1944 when the first parcels were donated to the federal government by Samuel Hoar, a Concord native, lawyer, outdoor enthusiast, and naturalist. Mr. Hoar dedicated his time,

Dawn at Great Meadows

©Brenda Chia

BY MAUREEN BELT

they jump two feet in the air, the fish is not native to the United States and is among the top 100 invasive species in North America. They make their way to the pools of Great Meadows when the Concord River swells each spring. Carp have no predators and compete in large numbers for the same food sources as native species. Their high mercury content, a byproduct of the Concord River, prevents them from being fileted into meals for the hungry or used as fertilizer.

©Brenda Chia

©Brenda Chia

©Don Willette

©Don Willette

Red tailed hawk

Great blue heron

Water chestnuts blanket the water’s surface and prevent light and oxygen from nurturing the plants needed for the survival of native life. The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has ongoing programs to reduce, if not eradicate invasive species.

Currently, Great Meadows is a haven for threatened species such as the Blanding’s turtle, whose numbers are dwindling as their freshwater habitats are lost to development and invasive plants.

A A Blanding’s Blanding’s turtle, turtle, aa threatened threatened species, species, is is making making aa comeback comeback at at Great Great Meadows Meadows

A regal swan glides across the water

Visitors From Near and Far While no daily tallies are taken, tens of thousands of visitors are drawn to the refuge each year, according to Kelsey R. Mackey of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Great Meadows, like all refuges in the network, saw increased visitor traffic since COVID-19, Ms. Mackey added. Some travel from other parts of the world, and others merely step outside their backyard.

Some visitors arrive to saunter peacefully the 2.5-mile dirt trail around a fresh-water impoundment. Others to photograph a red-winged blackbird perched on a cattail. Some prefer to simply sit on a bench and watch a muskrat bob along the surface, its nearby domeshaped lodge made from marsh plants.

Spring showers may limit human activity temporarily, as increased water levels routinely submerge the trails. The flooding recedes within weeks, creating vernal pools

or ephemeral rain-filled “ponds.” Vernal pools are critical to native amphibians and invertebrates. Fish cannot survive in vernal pools, and therefore cannot harm eggs laid there. The pools dry up by summer as the newest generation of amphibians and invertebrates make their way into the world.

Great Meadows is open every day, including major holidays, from sunrise to sunset. Public access to Concord’s portion, which features two freshwater marsh-like impoundments and a path to the Concord River, is tucked unassumingly between two single-family homes on Monsen Road, a cul-de-sac off Route 62 near the Bedford line.

Take all the photographs you like, but please do not take anything else from the reserve. Gathering samples of plants and wildlife is off-limits as this is disruptive to conservation efforts and violators may be fined.

Service animals are allowed and much of the reserve is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Dog walking is prohibited, as is jogging, cycling, and horseback riding. Visit the Great Meadows website for more information. fws.gov/refuge/great_meadows ——————————————————————— Former Concord resident Maureen Belt has worked as a journalist for more than 20 years and is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association.

She is also a guide at the Louisa May Alcott Orchard House.

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©Ko Baryjames

Great blue heron at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

Peter Alden:

I

©Jay Copeland

Local Traveler

BY SAM COPELAND

“I have traveled a good deal in Concord,” said Thoreau, with his usual Yankee irony.

To explore this small town, far away from any oceans or urban centers, would not seem to qualify as “travel.” But Thoreau was a man who could see Homeric drama in the movements of an ant colony; a New England town, then, with its social and natural life, was more than enough to have “traveled a good deal” in. Thoreau belongs to a long line of Concordians who have taught us how to travel a good deal in seemingly quiet places.

Peter Alden, naturalist and writer, is a living member of that line. He has spent a lifetime enjoying, studying, and preserving Concord’s unique natural heritage. As a naturalist he has instigated major scientific initiatives to study Concord’s ecosystem,

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and also led thousands of ordinary people on nature tours in Concord and around the world. As a writer he has likewise penned both scientific articles and field guides that open up the natural world to his readers. Like Thoreau, Alden has not only traveled a good deal, but he invites us to travel with him.

Born in the most estimable place in the world

Alden’s roots reach deep into local history, as he is a descendent of Mayflower crewman John Alden. He was born in Concord at Emerson Hospital. Growing up in the town, his birdwatching father taught him to love nature from an early age. Alden fondly remembers hiking with his father and borrowing his binoculars when they spotted a great blue heron. Soon he was birding by

| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

himself, and he recalls, “When I saw my first cardinal I ran home to tell my father.”

These childhood experiences in Concord set Alden on the path that would define his adult life. Today, he likes to quote the saying of Thoreau: “I have never got over my surprise that I should have been born in the most estimable place in the world.”

By the time Alden was in high school he was already looking for ways to bring his love of nature to his community. While still a sophomore he instigated the Concord Christmas Bird Count, an annual event where volunteers count and identify all of the birds within the town’s proximity. “By the time I came on the scene there were maybe 100 bird counts around the country,” says Alden, “And I thought, ‘Gee, why don’t we have one in Concord with our great tradition?’” When

©Ko Baryjames

Red-tailed hawk at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

Alden applied to the Massachusetts Audubon Society with his idea, he was so young that he had to enlist a neighbor to be the sponsor in his stead. The first bird count commenced in his backyard, and the event carries on to this day. “We usually lead the nation in the number of birdwatchers participating in our event,” Alden asserts with pride.

To live deliberately

During and after college, Alden continued working with the Audubon Society. They hired him to organize nature tours across all seven continents. He led safaris to the Outback, the pacific coast of Mexico, the mountains of India, and anywhere that there were birds to be seen. He also began to write books about wildlife from around the globe, including a best-selling series of field guides to the United States. Alden’s activities eventually brought him into contact with the renowned naturalist E.O. Wilson, who has been called “the new Darwin” and “the father of biodiversity.” Alden and Wilson shared a love for Concord and for Thoreau, and in 1998 they organized the world’s first bioblitz in Concord.

The bioblitz took the bird count a step further by bringing together experts in a

wide range of species from around the country to catalogue the full diversity of Concord’s ecosystem. At the same time, it allowed insect experts and mushroom experts, or plant experts and frog experts, to communicate outside of the siloed academy.

The event began at Walden Pond on July 4th, to commemorate not just Independence Day, but the day that Thoreau moved into his cabin. Alden and Wilson’s bioblitz model was subsequently picked up by the state of Massachusetts and then by National Geographic. There are now bioblitzes taking place in 40 countries around the world.

Preservation of the world

Alden works with residents and conservation groups to protect Concord’s unique and diverse habitats. On the whole, Alden believes that Concord’s habitats are exceptionally well protected, saying “a lot of unselfish people in the past have donated money, land, and estates to preserve as much as we can of the rural and natural character of Concord.” But for Alden, conserving Concord’s habitats matters on scientific as well as environmental grounds.

No other town’s ecosystem has been documented as Concord’s has by Thoreau

and his successors. “We have the oldest record in the country of what was going on for over 170 years here in Concord because of Thoreau and other people around him in the 1800s making notes on the wildlife.”

That record makes Concord a living resource for the study of migration, climate change, and other phenomena, which is why Alden believes “that protecting habitat here is more important than in any other place in the inland United States.”

Despite having traveled a good deal all over the world, Peter Alden has ended up back in his childhood home of Concord.

But the town has more than a personal significance to him; he also regards it as a highly “estimable place” to be a naturalist.

As important as Concord’s birds, trees, and flowers are its people, both living and dead, who have learned and taught how to see such things with a more appreciative, penetrating eye. “Our habitats are important, our literary tradition is important,” Alden says, “and the fact that so many great naturalists have lived here, written about things here, and organized things here makes it a very special place.” And Alden belongs to that ongoing tradition which keeps Concord a very special place.

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Map by Joan Ferguson, ©Concord Land Conservation Trust.

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A Stroll Along Concord River:

The Ecological and Historical Significance of October Farm Riverfront

©Concord Land Conservation Trust

BY LANEY WILDER

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| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

Concord’s October Farm Riverfront is a special place.

Its 80 acres include more than a mile of river frontage, where the Concord River makes its great bend and turns to the north around Ball’s Hill. More than 100 years ago, noted ornithologist William Brewster purchased this land to save it from the developer’s axe, but it was not finally protected in perpetuity until 2016, when the Concord Land Conservation Trust and the Town of Concord teamed up to acquire the property with the generous support of many private donors and town and state funds.

October Farm has important historical significance. It is one of five sites where Concord’s original pre-Algonquian inhabitants hunted, fished, and gathered and the only one of those five identified in a survey by the Concord Historical Commission as “undisturbed.” Henry David Thoreau records a visit to October Farm in A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, and William Brewster’s stone boathouse and cabin foundation can still be seen along the river trail, where Brewster and his assistant, Robert A. Gilbert, loved to observe the variety of birds.

The property also supports a wonderful array of ecological diversity. With varying topography, ample water, and riverfront habitats, the biodiversity at this site is remarkable. Nine certified vernal pools are important breeding grounds for amphibians and state-listed species of concern. The sandy slopes, low wet areas, and high dry eskers created during the ice age support a variety of tree, shrub and herbaceous species that call October Farm home.

A network of trails, suited for walking, running, crosscountry skiing, and horseback riding, extends throughout the property. The steep slopes allow for vigorous hikes, yet a flat trail offers an easy and beautiful stroll along the river for the whole family. A trail map and more information about October Farm Riverfront can be found on the Concord Land Conservation Trust’s website, concordland.org. October Farm Riverfront is also included in Ecology along Concord Trails, a book published this spring offering more details about the trails and the natural resources at the site. It’s available for purchase at the Concord Visitor Center (please call first at 978-318-3061 to make sure someone is in the office).

The Concord Land Conservation Trust depends on the support of members to acquire, steward, and protect special places like October Farm Riverfront. Please join us in continuing to preserve critical open spaces, and care for them, by becoming a member today. Visit our website for more information on ways to give. concordland.org.

—————————————————————————————— Laney Wilder is the executive director for the Concord Land Conservation Trust and an enthusiastic botanist. She holds a master’s degree in plant biology and conservation, with a focus on rare species and land stewardship. Laney is passionate about protecting and caring for natural and historical lands in light of our changing landscapes and connecting people with nature.

Visitor Center Information

Open 7 days a week, 10 AM to 4 PM

Information, Tours and much more!

Concord Visitor Center 58 Main Street Concord, MA 01742

978-318-3061 www.visitconcord.org Email: visitors@concordma.gov

Wooded Path at Walden Pond

Concord Trail Guide: An Invitation to Enjoy Some of Our Favorite Nature Walks

Concord has long been a community that cherishes the great outdoors. This past year of the COVID pandemic has made our connection to nature even stronger, with hiking, biking, running, and walking outside becoming an important source of relief to long and lonely days of isolation. The discovery of new and fascinating trails has been a real pleasure – and will surely endure even as we are able to gather safely once more.

To help us all get out and explore more of our beautiful

town and surroundings, we partnered with Concord’s Division of Natural Resources to put together highlights of some of our favorite walking trails. Dogs are welcome on many of these trails (either on leash or under firm verbal control – please check individual trail rules for details), but please be responsible and remove any pet waste so that all may continue to enjoy these trails.

Each of these beautiful trails has something special to offer, and we hope you will explore them all! Ready to start? Just scan the QR code next to the trail description with the camera on your phone and be connected with an online map to guide your way. Enjoy!

©Alexander Farnsworth

ANNURSNAC-BAPTIST BROOK With 118 acres of terrain along walking paths ranging from a half hour to a 50-minute trek, there is a lot to explore here. Climb to the top of Annursnac hill and enjoy the clear view of Concord from 361 feet up. Trails invite you to discover ruined buildings from WWII, the remains of a downed radio tower from when the site was used as an antenna research and test site, a path along the Tennessee Gas Pipeline right-of-way, a babbling brook, hilly woodlands, and swampy lowlands.

The nearby Black Horse Place is a nod to this area’s history.

The Robbins Family Communication Building Ruins Farm was established

by John Robbins (the Captain of Acton’s Minuteman Company at the time of the American Revolution) in the 1700s. His grandson Webster Robbins was a purveyor of horses.

Your trusted guides on the trail to and from home

Photo courtesy of Concord Division of Natural Resources

C

BY JENNIFER C. SCHÜNEMANN

Wikipedia commons

EMERSON-THOREAU AMBLE Literary fans will appreciate this unique opportunity to combine a delightful stroll outdoors with the chance to see both the home of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the site of Henry David Thoreau’s cabin on Walden Pond. Other points of interest include the Heywood Meadow, a stroll through the wet, low-lying area along Mill Brook, and a view of the “Ice House” where various companies since 1906 supplied block ice until refrigeration became commonly available.

Connections to other popular trails are accessible as well. With a walking time of 40 to 60 minutes each way, hikers are wise to bring water (and bug spray) for this lovely amble through history, Ralph Waldo Emerson literature, and nature.

Photo courtesy of Concord Division of Natural Resources

MATTISON FIELD Forty-five acres of land stand as permanent testimony to Concord’s agrarian past in this beautiful, open, rolling hilltop setting, thanks to the work of the Concord Land Conservation Trust, the Trust of Public Land, and the Concord Natural Resources Commission.

In 1998, they worked together to purchase the remaining land from what was originally a 300-acre farm. Today, trail enthusiasts can enjoy a 30-minute or 45-minute walk that includes rolling fields, a visit to the wooden stave tank water tower that dates back to the 1920s, views of the Captain Charles Miles House built in the early 1700s, a glimpse of the Bobolink nesting grounds (dogs must be kept on leash here, to protect these grassland birds during nesting season), as well as beautiful views of the Sudbury River.

Be sure to take a moment to explore Jennie Dugan Brook – named after the second wife of Thomas Dugan, a selfemancipated African American man from Virginia. The Dugans farmed their seven acres along this area, and were a significant influence on the community.

Their son, George Dugan, was the only Concordian of African descent to serve in the Civil War. He gave his life for his country, as part of the 54th Regiment, at the attack on Fort Wagner in South Carolina.

Wikipedia commons

HAPGOOD WRIGHT TOWN FOREST With three different loops ranging from 20 minutes to an hour, hikers will discover the Brister Freeman Homesite (home of a formerly enslaved man in the late 1700s), Brister’s Spring (documented by Thoreau), and Fairyland Pond (where Thoreau, Emerson, and the Alcott girls would go on berry-picking trips). A trail connects the town forest with Brister’s Hill, an 18-acre site stewarded by The Walden Woods Project. There, a one-mile, interpretive loop trail highlights Thoreau’s environmental and social reform legacy through quotations from Thoreau and other prominent leaders and thinkers that are incised in granite markers and in stones at a “Reflection Circle.”

Brister’s Spring

OLD RIFLE RANGE The terrain that comprises the Old Rifle Range Conservation Land, too hilly and swampy for farming, had a distant past as a rifle range in the early 1900s.

No longer active as a shooting range, this trail tracks along the side of a wooded ridge, passing the remains of four target berms that were built here a century ago. The wetlands section on the opposite side of the range is known as Ministerial Swamp (named for wood lot set aside for the Minsters of the First Parish Church in the 1600s). If you look carefully, you might catch a glimpse of an extremely rare climbing fern first documented by Henry David Thoreau in 1851.

The mixed landscape, together with crumbling concrete berms and rusting steel targets, frames evokes images of Concord Volunteer Militia and of WWI soldiers training before leaving for the front.

A walk along this trail takes about 30 minutes each way.

POWDER MILL WOODS This trail provides some fascinating insights into the war manufacturing history of Concord. In 1835, Nathan Pratt converted a sawmill into a gunpowder manufacturing operation. Milling, mixing, graining, and glazing were housed in separate buildings as

F.J. Taylor, Photographer, Boston, Mass., “Smokeless Powder Mills - ca 1910,” Maynard Historical Society Archives Wikipedia commons

Walden Pond State Reservation is an extremely popular destination in the warm summer months.

To protect this precious natural resource, the park closes to the public once it reaches a set capacity – so please check the website or twitter feed for updates before heading out for your next adventure here.

Powder Mill

a precaution in this highly dangerous industry. The hilly, glacial terrain and many kettle holes found in the surrounding area provided natural barriers and isolation of the different stages of production. If one building exploded, it was less likely that the entire operation would follow suit. Buildings were constructed of heavy wooden beams pinned together with thick steel rods. The exterior walls and roofs were intentionally lightweight so that the walls would blow out in the event of an explosion (infrequent, but deadly when it did occur) – leaving the core structure intact.

Together with other facilities in Acton, Maynard, and Sudbury, the powder mills produced 1000 lbs. of gunpowder per day during the American Civil War. This 35-minute walk provides glimpses of powder mill ruins, old mill rails that once supported the horse-drawn carts carrying raw materials and product, and traces of the roads that connected the buildings.

WALDEN POND One of the most iconic nature walks in the Concord area, Walden Pond provides an enchanting combination of ecology, literature, and history.

Walden ‘pond’ is actually a 102-foot-deep kettle hole – formed by a melting glacier more than 12,000 years ago. It is Massachusetts’ deepest natural body of fresh water.

There are several walking trails around Walden Pond, including side trails that will bring you to the site of the cabin where Henry David Thoreau famously spent two years, two months, and two days living simply in nature and discovering what it could teach him. In addition to several trail options, visitors can enjoy a refreshing swim or a (non-motorized) boating adventure. The

WEST CONCORD PARK For a brisk, 25-minute walk, head to this conservation area in West Concord to enjoy a 21-acre haven of woodland and marsh in this mixed commercial and high-density residential area. This pretty park was revitalized in 2014, when trails were cleared and blazed, invasive plants removed, and new access developed through Warner Woods from Laws Brook Road. The topography of this trail varies greatly, from the high ground of Pigeon Hill to the large bogs 60 feet below. A small parking lot and an information kiosk can be found on Conant Street.

WHITE POND Formed by the same glacier responsible for Walden Pond, this 39.68-acre kettle pond is adjacent to the White Pond Reservation in West Concord. The terrain here consists of glacial till with steep banks down to the water. Please stay on the marked trails to avoid erosion of these sandy soils, which are populated with pine, oak, hemlock, and birch trees.

Nature lovers will enjoy the plethora of wildlife to be found here.

Mammals include deer, coyote, fox, racoon, red and grey squirrels, chipmunk, and skunk. Painted turtles, frogs, salamanders, tree frogs and water snakes are among the reptiles and amphibians to be found. And birds are abundant – from herons, ducks, and kingfishers, to the less commonly spotted wood ducks, osprey, and even bald eagle.

While Henry David Thoreau is almost synonymous with Walden Pond, he was very familiar with – and greatly admired- White Pond as well. He once wrote, “…perhaps the most attractive, if not the most beautiful of all our lakes, the gem of the woods, is White Pond.” This area remains a true gem, with Concord Conservation Land and Town land providing more than 70 acres of welldeveloped hiking trails for all to enjoy.

These are just a few of the many beautiful places to walk or hike in Concord. If you’re looking for additional fascinating places to explore, drop by the Concord Visitor Center at 58 Main Street, where you can pick up individual trail maps. You can also purchase a copy of Ecology Along Concord Trails: Exploring Fourteen Areas by Richard T.T. Forman, Delia R.J. Kaye, and Robert White.

For e-access to the full edition of the Discover Concord 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors, visit

discoverconcordma.com Happy trails to you!

Your trusted guides on the trail to and from home

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead to where there is no path and leave a trail.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

private trailhead to: Punkatasset Preserve

private trailhead to: Annursnac - Baptist Brook Conservation

STONEYMEADE FARM | Acton, MA 14.3± Acres | $2,499,000 | Abby White and J Stanley Edwards

695 MONUMENT STREET | Concord, MA 10.23± Acres | $5,995,000 | Abby White

steps to: Thoreau Leave No Trace Trail

63 CEDAR WAY | Concord, MA 4.31± Acres | $2,750,000 | Abby White

103 MERIAM STREET | Lexington, MA .34± Acres | $2,149,000 | J Stanley Edwards

109 WAVERLEY STREET | Belmont, MA 2,710 Sq. Ft. | $1,295,000 | Abby White

612 & 614 BARRETTS MILL ROAD | Concord, MA 1.25± Acres | $1,295,000 | Abby White | Artist rendition of new construction.

With deep Concord roots since our founding over a half century ago, LandVest stays true to the informed, thoughtful decision-making of our historic, progressive community. We are proud to serve as trusted land and property advisors in a place we call home.

Here to Help You with Your Next Adventure! Contact us.

HQ - B�����: Ten Post Office Square, Suite 1125 | COMING SOON to 24 Main Street, Concord • 857-321-8465

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steps to Barrett’s Mill Finigan Way Trail

GET OUTSIDE! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO And wherever you go, bring al fresco lunch from

This and other custom-made, overstuffed sandwiches available daily, along with a wide array of out-of-the-ordinary chips, cookies, candy, cold beverages, beer and wine. Order by phone and pickup curbside, or come to the deli counter.

29 Walden Street | Concord Center, MA | 978-369-5778 | www.concordcheeseshop.com

Seeking to Blaze a New Trail? private trailhead to: Punkatasset Preserve

WE’RE MOVING TOO!

Check out our new location at

24 Main Street, Concord.

Stop by for a free water bottle to take with you on the trails.

With deep Concord roots since our founding over a half century ago, LandVest stays true to the informed, thoughtful decision-making of our historic, progressive community. We are proud to serve as trusted land and property advisors in a place we call home.

Here to Help You with Your Next Adventure! Contact us.

HQ - Boston: Ten Post Office Square, Suite 1125 | COMING SOON to 24 Main Street, Concord • 857-321-8465

www.landvest.com

T HREE S T O N E S G A LL E RY AND I NTRODUCING S UN S TONE S TUDIO

“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” – Vincent Van Gogh Expressing the world of nature has inspired artists throughout the ages. Three Stones Gallery and Sun Stone Studio showcase many artists whose love of nature truly informs their work.

At each of our three locations, our clients discover art that speaks uniquely to them, adding beauty and inspiration to their personal and professional spaces.

(Top) Jonathan MacAdam, Summer Creek at Dusk, oil on canvas, 39x75, Three Stones Gallery, Concord; (Inset above) Emily Passman, Picnic, oil and acrylic on canvas, 31x41, Three Stones Gallery, Rockport

T HREE S TONES G ALLERY

• 115 Commonwealth Ave, Concord, MA Tuesday – Saturday, 11 am–6 pm; Sunday, 12–5 pm

• 10c Main Street, Rockport, MA Open May–December. Check website for hours.

S UN S TONE S TUDIO

A New Offspring of Three Stones Gallery We invite you to visit Sun Stone Studio and experience our new collection of painting, fine art photography, mixed media and small sculpture. We also carry beautiful handmade jewelry, textiles, ceramics, turned wood, and selected paper items.

Joan Kocak, Pond 1, encaustic photo, 12x12, Sun Stone Studio

Follow us! @threestonesgallery @sunstonestudioarts

107 Commonwealth Ave, Concord, MA Wednesday – Saturday, 11 am–6 pm; Sunday, 12–5 pm

www.threestonesgallery.com • 978.254.5932

Historic Buttrick Gardens

BY KATHLEEN FAHEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FRIENDS OF MINUTE MAN NATIONAL PARK

T

The stunning blooms of the Buttrick Gardens offer a colorful respite to visitors of Minute Man National Historical Park.

Developed during the early 20th century, the gardens were tended by several generations of the Buttrick family until 1963 when the National Park Service acquired the property. The Buttrick house now serves as the North Bridge Visitor Center and the gardens overlook the North Bridge, the location of one of the first battles of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775. The gardens attract 500,000 visitors annually from near and far and are regularly enjoyed by the local community.

With the support of the Town of Concord Community Preservation Act funds, the Friends of Minute Man National Park

has engaged Nobles Stone Masonry to rehabilitate the hardscape of the Buttrick Gardens. The park plans to showcase the Buttrick landscape and host events for the upcoming 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution in 2025.

The preservation project encompasses the Formal Garden, Sunken Garden, Terrace Garden, and West Slope Garden.

The rehabilitated hardscape will reflect the original condition of the property while allowing for minor modifications to improve visitor safety, accessibility, and alleviate maintenance demands. The project includes resetting, repairing, and stabilizing paths and steps, and installing handrails.

Visit the Friends’ website to learn more at friendsofminuteman.org/buttrick-gardens.

ABOVE: Stedman Buttrick and his wife Caroline admire iris cultivars in the flower bed along the lower east terrace garden near the Concord River, June 1958.

Your donation to the Buttrick Gardens supports seasonal maintenance, removal of invasive species, rejuvenation of historic plants, and reestablishing native pollinators.

Visit friendsofminuteman.org/ buttrick-gardens for information on how you can help preserve these stunning gardens. The Friends is a private non-profit 501(c)3 organization and donors will receive an acknowledgment

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Discover CONCORD

| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

for tax purposes.

©National Geographic, May 1959

©Friends of Minute Man National Park

Daylilies in bloom at the Buttrick Gardens

39 Main Street, Concord MA 01742 | 1734 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA 02420 Artinianjewelry.com

al Virtu

Concord Museum

Garden Tour Presented by Mahoney’s Garden Center

Join the Concord Museum Guild of Volunteers for a six-episode series showcasing Concord’s creative garden designs, gorgeous flowers and landscapes, and endless inspiration for outdoor living and entertaining.

Tickets and Information

www.concordmuseum.org Series released the weekend of June 25; available for registrants to watch anytime thereafter.

Thank you to our generous sponsors

Pumpkin Brook Organic Gardening Alden Landscape Design Jane Rupley Landscape Design LandVest Russell’s Garden Center Laurel Gardens Little Leaf Farms William Raveis Cambridge Savings Bank Seasons Four Coldwell Banker

Discover CONCORD

| discoverconcordma.com

19

Photo courtesy of Concord’s Colonial Inn

© Pierre Chiha Photographers

Lobster Roll at The Colonial Inn

Dining Al Fresco in Concord

S

BY JENNIFER C. SCHÜNEMANN

ADELITA - Enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine at this fun and fabulous taco and margarita bar.

Patio seating is first come, first served and is open seven nights a week. Sister restaurant to Woods Hill Table, Adelita takes a casual, family-friendly cue with fun décor and lively music. A farm to table twist features healthy ingredients in a range of delicious dishes, and is a hit with kids and adults alike. More information available at adelita.com CONCORD’S COLONIAL INN - Lunch, dinner, or cocktails on the porch at the Colonial Inn is a wonderful way to welcome spring!

Sip on rosé wine, an ice-cold beer, or enjoy

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Discover CONCORD

a tasty cocktail as you watch the world stroll by. It’s hard to choose between their spectacular lobster rolls, steaks, burgers, salads, or seafood. Chilly evenings are no problem – installed heaters keep you nice and cozy as you Adelita soak up the history of this Inn established in 1716. More at concordscolonialinn.com FIORELLA’S CUCINA - Who says you have to get on a plane to experience amazing Italian cuisine? You’ll feel like you’re at a European piazza at one of Fiorella’s charming bistro tables, tucked in between big pots of flowers and surrounded by bistro lights. Creative cocktails from the mixology bar are just the beginning. Wood oven pizzas, homemade pasta dishes, and delectable seafood dishes will have you saying ‘grazie mille’!

Patio hours, menus, and more at fiorellascucina.com

| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

WOODS HILL TABLE - Owner Kristin Canty opened Concord’s first farm-to-table restaurant out of a passion for sustainably farmed produce and pasture raised meats, Continued on p. 22

© Pierre Chiha Photographers

Spring is here! Warmer days and beautiful flowers call us outside to enjoy the fresh air.

And Concord’s restaurants are responding with inviting terraces, refreshing cocktails, and delicious foods to entice us to gather around the table al fresco style! With so many restaurants to choose from, we’ve put together highlights of some of our favorite places to watch the world go by while enjoying a delicious meal. Bon appétit!

“We would have every path laid open to Woman as freely as to Man.”

Margaret Fuller, 1845

In Concord, generations of women have organized and advocated to expand their liberties and the liberties of others. In honor of the recent 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, this exhibition celebrates their remarkable achievements.

Mary Brooks

Sophia Thoreau

Anne French

on exhibit through November 7, 2021 Timed-entry tickets available online

www.concordmuseum.org Corporate Sponsors

Lead Sponsor

Community Grants Concord Cultural Council

Corporate Sponsors

For a full list of supporters please go to: www.concordmuseum.org

Fiorella’s

cupcakes, cookies, brownies, bars, and bundts will make your mouth water! You’ll also find breakfast treats, coffee and tea drinks, and sandwiches to go. Hours and menus at concordteacakes.com

© Pierre Chiha Photographers

WEST CONCORD WINE & SPIRITS – The friendly and helpful team at West Concord Wine & Spirits can help you find just the right wine or beer to pair with your picnic.

Looking to create your own al fresco dining experience with an outdoor BBQ or party with friends and family? They even have beverage catering and delivery services – they will bring the wine, beer, and liquors to you (one less item on your party prep list). Find out more or order online for in-store or curbside pickup at westconcordwine.com

PICNIC FAVORITES Want a more casual al fresco experience?

There are SO many wonderful places for a picnic in Concord (see article on p. 54). Stock up on tasty treats at these favorite shops, grab a picnic blanket, and head outside: THE CHEESE SHOP OF CONCORD – Call ahead for curbside pickup, or head on in for an amazing experience. The talented staff at the Cheese Shop can deftly guide you through the hundreds of cheeses to find the perfect match for your taste buds. Fill out that picnic basket with charcuterie, stuffed grape leaves, cornichons, dried fruits and nuts, imported chocolates, and more. Freshly made sandwiches put a gourmet spin on a picnic favorite. And delicious wines and beers will make your picnic picture perfect. For hours and menus, visit concordcheeseshop.com 22

Discover CONCORD

© istock.com/KatarzynaBialasiewicz

predominantly from the 265-acre Farm at Woods Hill, and locally sourced seafoods.

Under Chef Charlie Foster’s careful eye, these healthful, nutritionally dense ingredients are transformed into works of art – appealing to the eye, the sense of smell, and of course, taste. A rotating menu embraces the freshest harvest available, and is thoughtfully prepared to reflect the changing seasons. Pair your meal with a creative cocktail or a glass of wine for an exceptional evening out. Evening service is open Thursday through Saturday. Check the website for hours. woodshilltable.com

DEBRA’S NATURAL GOURMET – The amazing kitchen at Debra’s uses the freshest ingredients from their incredible store to bring you delicious foods to go. Their café and takeout menu changes daily and includes soups, salads, entrees, sandwiches, wraps, organic smoothies, raw juices, luscious desserts, and more. They are no stranger to specialized diets – vegan, vegetarian, non-gluten, dairyfree, paleo, FODMAP, you name it! Hours and menus at debrasnaturalgourmet.com CONCORD TEACAKES – If you have a sweet tooth, this is the place to go! Cakes,

| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

VERRILL FARM – A well-stocked cooler section features delicious salads and heatat-home options. Made to order sandwiches go perfectly with the bakery delights at the next counter over (try one of their amazing homemade pies!). Grab a chilled beverage and you are ready to enjoy an outside meal – they even have picnic benches overlooking this beautiful farmland. Menus and hours at verrillfarm.com For a comprehensive list of restaurants in Concord, please see our “Where to Shop, Where to Eat” guide on page 29.

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She not only sold value add in the staging, repairs value add in the staging, repairs our recommendations house in Sudbury, she helped and on what and recommendations on what needed beperfect done tonew be most us findtoour home. needed to be done to be most successful.

Her experience both Her experience in both realinestate successful. Her experience in both real and construction and estate construction makes hermakes much real estate and construction makes her much more knowledgeable more knowledgeable than the her much more knowledgeable than the average agent. on average agent. Both onBoth the buy than the average agent. Both on the as the sell sidebuy as side well as as well the sell side.

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Also, Cheryl was accessible Cheryl was accessible 24/7! (She side. Also, Cheryl was accessible 24/7!! (she will alway will always take yourtake call)your She is 24/7!! (she will alway take your call) is not a “part time” agent. not She a “part time” agent.

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Real estate agents affiliate with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are independent sales associates and are not employees of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (c) 2020 Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

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Coldwell Residential Brokerage fully supports principles ofand theare Fair Opportunity Act. Operated by aColdwell subsidiary of NRT LLC, Coldwell Banker (R) and the Coldwell Real estate agents affiliate with Coldwell Banker Residential BrokerageBrokerage are independent sales associatessales notHousing employees of and Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (c) 2020 Banker Residential Brokerage.

All Rights Reserved.

Coldwell Banker Residential Real estate agents affiliate withBanker Coldwell Banker Residential arethe independent associates andAct are not Equal employees of Coldwell Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (c) 2020 2020 Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

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Discover CONCORD

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23

Monsters in the Basement: Cycling in Concord

H

Have you ever seen a Monster? Odds are, if you drive through Concord Center early on a weekday, or West Concord on a Saturday morning, you probably have. Maybe more than one! Monsters in the Basement is a cycling club based in Concord and has about 200 active members, mostly from Concord and surrounding towns but some from all over the country.

The club took its first steps in 2002 when Dan Holin, a newcomer to Concord, met his new neighbor Mark Prior and they started riding stationary bikes together in Mark’s basement. When the spring came, they invited others from their neighborhood to join, and the Monsters were born. The group holds organized rides for anyone who likes to ride. Every Saturday morning the group meets in West Concord to ride 30-100 miles. They split into four groups of riders to accommodate different speeds:

and the Harvard General Store in Harvard.

Concord also has bike-friendly drivers, who considerately share the road!

Cycling in Concord doesn’t have to be for serious fitness nuts, though, as there are lots of opportunities to ride for fun and sightseeing around town. While the streets may be intimidating for some, there are also the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and the Reformatory Branch Trail which take you on more sheltered rides.

and occasional mud that you’ll encounter.

On both trails, you’ll need to be aware of pedestrians, and make sure to warn them before you pass!

Lots of folks ride around Concord for exercise, fun, or just transportation. On any warmish day, you will see people riding bikes heading into town for shopping, coffee, or more. Concord also has a Biketo-School program, which many riders (including Monsters) have sponsored to

The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail currently starts at Powder Mill Road near Stone Root and takes you to the prison. An extension to Acton, with a bridge over Route 2, is in the works, and that will join with the older part of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in 2022, but for now, you can start in Acton and ride the trail all the way to Lowell!

The Reformatory Branch Trail begins at Lowell Road opposite Concord Market and will take you on a dirt trail all the way to Bedford, at the start of the Minuteman Bikeway. It is a beautiful and historic ride, but make sure your bike can handle the ruts

help kids get in the habit of riding to school.

If you do ride, you are encouraged to wear a helmet and put lights on your bike (front and back) to increase your visibility. Being seen makes you safer!

If you are interested in riding with The Monsters, please join the mailing list via the link on our site for more details.

———————————————————————— David Rosenbaum is a Concord resident and a proud Monster since 2018. When he’s not cycling, brewing beer, or heading up the Concord Carlisle Neighbors Club, his day job is Solutions Engineer for Kaltura, Inc.

Hubsters: 14-16 mph average Shifters: 16-18 mph average Cranksters: 18-20 mph average Spinsters: 20-22 mph average

Shifters and above ride in packs called “pacelines”, while the Hubsters tend to be a bit more relaxed, and not packed as tightly. Monsters also have rides on other mornings, and there is a group that rides from West Concord to the top of Mount Wachusett and back before 9:00 am regularly during the summer.

Concord is an incredibly popular place to ride for cyclists from all over the Boston area. Because it is outside Route 128, historic, and darned pretty, you will see groups from all over come through on weekends. Fern’s in Carlisle is a well-known stop for cyclists, as is Monument Square

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Monsters in the Basement: monsterscycling.com | Bruce Freeman Rail Trail: brucefreemanrailtrail.org

Reformatory Branch Trail: traillink.com/trail/reformatory-branch-trail | Minuteman Bikeway: minutemanbikeway.org

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| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

Photo courtesy of Monsters in the Basement

• • • •

BY DAVID ROSENBAUM

&

GUESTROOMS ROOMS– — INDOOR & OUTDOOR DINING —–GROUPS GUEST LIVE ENTERTAINMENT – DINING GROUPS& EVENTS EVENTS

All in the Heart of Historic Concord All in the Heart of Historic Concord SEASONAL FUNCTION TENT

Make the Inn your home while visiting Concord. Walk to Concord

Make the Inn your home while visiting Concord. Walk to Concord Center’s charming Center’s charming sights and Thenunique come home to afternoon tea, meal. sights and shops.

Then come home toshops. a relaxing cocktail and a delicious a unique cocktail, a delicious meal.

Welcome to Concord!

We or look forward to your visit.

Welcome to Concord! We look forward to your visit.

www.concordscolonialinn.com www.concordscolonialinn.com 48 Monument Square - Concord, MA 01742 48 Monument Square – Concord, MA 01742

Hotel: 978.369.9200

Hotel: 978.369.9200

Restaurants: 978.369.2373

Restaurants: 978.369.2372

Groups & Events: 978.341.8201

Groups and Events: 978.341.8201

Keeping it Personal

The Attias Group Takes a Family Approach to Real Estate in Concord team and I use our aptitude and wisdom to be as creative and strategic as possible to get to that perfect outcome.”

I

Zur Attias of The Attias Group

In a town with a plethora of franchise real estate agencies, Zur Attias’ family business wanted to create a space for a more personal, thoughtful approach to buying or selling a home in and around Concord. Their unique approach combines cutting edge strategies, calculated and quick responses to real world market conditions, and laserfocused attention to the unique needs of each individual client. The Attias Group is distinguished by its family business model, where every detail reflects on the reputation of the owner, his sons, and a team consisting of talented colleagues, who live in Concord and want to see their friends and neighbors succeed with all of their real estate needs.

A Family Business Zur Attias isn’t just the owner of The Attias Group, he’s a father to two sons who work with him and learn from him every day. “I take my role model responsibility seriously,” said Zur. “I have to lead by

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example for my sons. Our business is about the people we serve in a community we live in and care about deeply. I have a 30year reputation for fairness, creativity, and effectiveness that I would like to see my sons adopt and carry on at The Attias Group.”

After years of operating a successful, traditional, multi-agent model, The Attias Group decided to bring things back to a more direct and personal approach. Zur changed the model to a team approach, where each specific aspect of the transaction is managed at the highest standard. This allows for individual attention for each and every client under Zur and his team’s watchful eye. Any unique needs a client has are attended to with precision, thoughtfulness, and care.

“When we meet a new client – the boutique style of our firm allows us to take the time and the focus needed to achieve each clients’ objective,” said Zur. “We get invited into people’s lives for a short term, and it is of the utmost importance that we achieve the very best outcome for them. The

| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

Innovative Selling Strategies “Every single listing starts with me,” Zur continued, “and my clients have full access to me through the whole process. When you call our agency, I’m the guy who shows up at your door. I provide that personal guidance, personal representation, and a fountain of wisdom gleaned over a long career. I make sure that the very highest standards are kept at every level – and my team of dynamic and creative people supports the entire process – from research, to staging, to marketing, and more.”

Zur and his team leverage unique technologies that help better align each listing with customers who are actively looking. They apply those disruptive technologies to get more qualified people through the door as soon as the listing becomes available. “The shorter time on market, the more convenient for our seller clients (especially during COVID). Efficiency of process is everything.” Together with their unique technologies, this approach results in higher offers and better terms.

From a marketing perspective, The Attias Group can offer all of the assets of a franchise, but the smaller group is more nimble and produces better results.

“When you are in control of the marketing assets you aren’t in a queue of 70 other listing agents,” said Zur. “I don’t have to wait to get to marketing assets. The way I look at this business, every week a house stays on the market could cost my client money by impacting their selling price.

The length of time a home is on the market is extremely important. We have weekly strategy meetings to assess every active listing because responding to the needs of

our clients in real-time is essential. Shuffling marketing assets in order to align with mission on a weekly basis creates real-time accountability.”

An example of applying this insightful strategy is a listing that came to The Attias Group after two years with another agency that had been unable to sell it. The home was beautiful – but the 10-car garage was a stumbling block for many potential buyers.

The Attias Group stepped back and did a thoughtful profile analysis of who would be the right fit for a home with such a unique feature. They started exhibiting at car shows – connecting with car enthusiasts who were in search of a home to house their collection.

The result? A very happy seller.

“Success comes to you when you focus on the people,” said Zur. “This is a fiduciary business with a tight set of responsibilities.

Confidentiality, responsibility to our clients, and ethical interactions are what shape our family reputation. Ultimately, the relationship is more important than the transaction.

I want every client to have experienced something unique and highly rewarding so that we gain their highest praise with their friends and neighbors.”

——————————————————————— Out of more than 28,000 real estate agents in the state of Massachusetts, The Zur Attias Team was #25 in the State in 2020 (including Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Beacon Hill). If you would like to work directly with Zur Attias, please contact us today at 978.371.1234.

To learn more, visit TheAttiasGroup.com

©iStock Photo

Buyer Benefits Buyers benefit from a dedicated team that is dynamic, thoughtful, and caring wisdom.

These agents do not work on the sell side – only on the buyer side. Zur believes that agents who work on both the buying and selling side can’t control the quality as closely. This unique approach allows the team to focus entirely on optimizing the buyer experience. Every day, the dedicated buyer team meets together to combine the power of their experience to find the perfect fit for clients in a truly challenging and competitive market.

The team leverages guerilla marketing tactics to not just align the the right property to the right buyer, but gets down to a micro-level of the right family/ personality with the right property.

Everything happens in real time.

There are no set rules on how we get it done – the robust team with broad experience operates with permission and encouragement to think outside the box.

The original farmhouse and barn at Concord Culinary Homes

Celebrating Nature While Giving Back

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The Attias Group believes strongly in the importance of giving back. In addition to ongoing philanthropic work, Zur Attias develops properties in Concord and the surrounding communities with an eye to preserving and promoting the unique cultural heritage and building vernacular of the town.

Centered on an old farmhouse and barn (which will be renovated, not torn down), Concord Culinary Homes is a development community from The Attias Group with a farmto-table spirit built into the association. This garden-based community (located at 430 Old Bedford Road, Concord, MA) will have four homes that offer extensive vegetable and flower gardens, protected natural views, restored wetlands (invasive plants are removed), and access to a portion of the land for neighbors to enjoy as well.

Concord Culinary Homes features vegetable gardens for the residential community to enjoy – promoting healthy living and a passion for fresh foods. Any excess vegetables produced by the association are to be donated to a local food pantry. Outdoor space is further celebrated with an apple orchard, a hammock stand, and a trail for the residents and surrounding neighbors to enjoy – including access to a pond and wild grown berries. An outdoor cooking shed and a wildflower cutting garden encourage social time in nature.

“With development in such a beautiful town, it’s important to be thoughtful about how a property fits in a neighborhood or a community,” said Zur Attias of The Attias Group. “The social structure of Concord Culinary Homes prioritizes using the land to tap into the farming and traditions of the community in which we live.

This project breaks ground shortly and we’re thrilled about it.”

Discover CONCORD

| discoverconcordma.com

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Exceptional Results Require Exceptional Efforts James Peltier has been delivering exceptional results for his clients for more than 25 years. He brings his extensive corporate experience and ability to empower clients through accountability, his attention to detail, and an uncompromising and continuous pursuit of excellence to his clients’ real estate needs.

Originally from Rhode Island, James now resides in Concord with his partner Alyssa whose family are long-time residents of Concord. Having originally settled in the area over 100 years ago, the family established a working farm in 1885 that is still providing fresh produce to residents. James fell in love with the community and is looking forward to helping you find your new home.

Life’s taking you places.

We’ll help you get there.

Direct: 857.500.0564 james.peltier@evrealestate.com www.jamespeltier.evrealestate.com

CONCORD& Surrounding Areas WHERE TO STAY Concord Center Concord’s Colonial Inn North Bridge Inn

West Concord 48 Monument Sq 21 Monument Sq

Best Western Residence Inn by Marriott

740 Elm St 320 Baker Ave

WHERE TO SHOP Concord Center Albright Art Supply Artinian Jewelry Artisans Way Barrow Bookstore Blue Dry Goods Brine Sporting Goods Cheese Shop of Concord Comina Concord Bookshop Concord Lamp and Shade Concord Market The Concord Toy Box Copper Penny Flowers The Dotted i Fairbank and Perry Goldsmiths FatFace Footstock Fritz & Gigi French Lessons George Vassel Jewelry Gräem Nuts and Chocolate Grasshopper Shop Irresistables J McLaughlin Jack & Toba (New Location) Lucy Lacoste Gallery Nesting North Bridge Antiques Patina Green Priscilla Candy Shop Revolutionary Concord Sara Campbell Ltd Tess & Carlos Thistle Hill Thoreauly Antiques Vanderhoof Hardware Viola Lovely Walden Liquors Walden Street Antiques

West Concord 32 Main St 39 Main St 18 Walden St 79 Main St 16 Walden St 69 Main St 29 Walden St 9 Walden St 65 Main St 21 Walden St 77 Lowell Rd 32 Main St 9 Independence Court 1 Walden St 32 Main St 4 Walden St 46 Main St 79 Main St 8 Walden St 40 Main St 49 Main St 36 Main St 16 Walden St 14 Walden St 10 Walden St 25 Main St 44 Main St 28 Walden St 59 Main St 19 Walden St 32 Main St 41 Main St 81 Main St 13 Walden St 25 Walden St 28 Main St 38 Main St 18 Walden St 23 Walden St

Nine Acre Corner Colonial Gardens Verrill Farm

442 Fitchburg Tpke 11 Wheeler Rd

Thoreau Depot ATA Cycles Concord Optical Concord Provisions Frame-ables Juju Period Furniture Hardware

93 Thoreau St 80 Thoreau St 75 Thoreau St 111 Thoreau St 82 Thoreau St 113 Thoreau St.

A New Leaf Belle on Heels Concord Firefly Concord Flower Shop Concord Outfitters *Debra’s Natural Gourmet Forever Tile Joy Street Life + Home Rare Elements Reflections Three Stones Gallery West Concord Pharmacy West Concord Wine & Spirits

74 Commonwealth Ave 23 Commonwealth Ave 33 Commonwealth Ave 135 Commonwealth Ave 113 Commonwealth Ave 98 Commonwealth Ave 45 Commonwealth Ave 49 Commonwealth Ave 33 Bradford St 101 Commonwealth Ave 115 Commonwealth Ave 1212 Main St 1215 Main St

WHERE TO EAT Concord Center Caffè Nero Comella’s Concord’s Colonial Inn 1 Fiorella’s Cucina 1 Haute Coffee Helen’s Restaurant Main Streets Market & Café 1 Sally Ann’s Bakery & Food Shop Trail’s End Cafe 1

55 Main St 33 Main St 48 Monument Square 24 Walden St 12 Walden St 17 Main St 42 Main St 73 Main St 97 Lowell Rd

Thoreau Depot 80 Thoreau 1 Bedford Farms Ice Cream Chang An Restaurant *Dunkin’ Farfalle Italian Market Café Karma Concord Asian Fusion 1 New London Style Pizza Sorrento’s Brick Oven Pizzeria Starbucks

80 Thoreau St 68 Thoreau St 10 Concord Crossing 117 Thoreau St 26 Concord Crossing 105 Thoreau St 71 Thoreau St 58 Thoreau St 159 Sudbury Rd

West Concord Adelita 1 Club Car Café 1 Concord Teacakes Dino’s Kouzina & Pizzeria *Dunkin’ Nashoba Brook Bakery Reasons to Be Cheerful Saltbox Kitchen Walden Italian Kitchen Woods Hill Table 1

1200 Main St 20 Commonwealth Ave 59 Commonwealth Ave 1135 Main St 1191 Main St 152 Commonwealth Ave 110 Commonwealth Ave 84 Commonwealth Ave 92 Commonwealth Ave 24 Commonwealth Ave

1 Call for al fresco dining options

* Discover CONCORD

Money Saving Coupon on p. 62

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Appleton Design Group

Dunkin (two locations) Joy Street Life + Home Lincoln Physicians Three Stones Gallery

Woods Hill Table * Money Saving Coupon on p. 62

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WELCOME TO THE BEST JUST GOT BETTER

RAVEIS ESSENTIALS At William Raveis Real Estate, we’ve always been in the business of better. We provide our sales associates with better technology, tools, teamwork, and training to help them be the best that they can be. We provide homeowners with the best possible experience to maintain their loyalty to William Raveis when thinking about their new home.

Our sales associates enjoy an industry-leading suite of essential services: · · · · · · ·

Innovative Technology Local Marketing Coordinator Customized Branding Local Market Insights Local Housing Data Transaction Management Raveis Publications

· · · · · · ·

Strategic Growth + Sales Managers Career Development Industry’s Top Talent William Raveis Mortgage William Raveis Insurance Closing Services Raveis Refresh

RAVEIS PREMIUM Raveis Premium is where creative excellence meets cutting-edge technology and takes real estate marketing to the next level. Available exclusively to our sales associates, Raveis Premium takes care of every step of selling a property with time-saving, value-adding services — uniquely customized for agents and their listings. Raveis Premium is simply the smartest way to sell property. Our sales associates enjoy an industry-leading suite of premium services: · · · · ·

RAMP with Real-Time Client Analytics Coming Soon Listings Lifestyle Photography Personalized Agent Videos Raveis Bridge

· · · · ·

Social Media Assistant Customized Media Production Property Website Design William Raveis Luxury Properties Raveis Purchase

978.610.6369 | 85 MAIN STREET | CONCORD | MA 01742

Coldwell Banker’s parent company, Realogy Holdings Corp., has been named one of the world’s most ethical companies for the 10th year in a row by the Ethisphere Institute, which recognizes organizations that continuously raise the bar on ethical leadership and corporate behavior.

Our agents are active in many local charities in our surrounding communities:

Harvard Schools PTO

What’s easier than a drink run? Relaxing at home.

Same day delivery means one less item on your to do list. We even offer no-contact curbside pickup for phone or online orders.

1216 Main Street in West Concord westconcordwine.com | 978.369.3872

ng our Introducciation! 4 Digital Way, Suite 3 in Maynard spiritsliquorstore.com | 978.298.5344 new lo Discover CONCORD

| discoverconcordma.com

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©Beth van Duzer

Conquering CONCORD Where toStart?

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A trip to Concord, Massachusetts is a must for any lover of American history.

The town boasts a dazzling literary history and is also home to the celebrated “shot heard ‘round the world,” aka, the first battle in the American War for Independence.

Additionally, there are at least ten thousand years of Native American history to explore, and a remarkably complex African American history beginning in the 1600s.

With several centuries’ worth of attractions in a small geographical area, there is more than enough to keep people of all ages bewitched and busy for days. But, the vast substance of Concord’s history can also be its greatest challenge, especially for visitors.

Let’s say, for instance, you’d like to see where Louisa May Alcott lived, where Emerson wrote Nature, and the birthplace of Thoreau. You would also like to visit the Old North Bridge, Sleepy Hollow, and Walden Pond. To find out which sites are open and when, how much it costs, if there are tours available, and where to park or walk, you’ll need to read through the websites or call more than six locations. As for Sleepy Hollow, while you can walk there from dawn to dusk, how will you find out who is buried where and learn more than just their names on a stone?

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The amount of time and work needed to conquer Concord would make even the most caffeine-fueled and dedicated travel planner swoon upon her fainting couch. Nor does this include researching where you’re going to stay, eat, shop, or any related regional attractions, such as Lexington. And what if you’re differentlyabled? What if you want to bring your dog?

Start Here!

Concord Tour Company to the rescue!

Launched in 2010 with the goal of helping visitors enjoy a stress-free, memorable experience, this independent, local microbusiness has invested over a decade into taking the trouble out of your trip.

Whether it’s guiding three luxury coaches and over 100 guests, or one vision-impaired super-fan of Thoreau fulfilling her life’s dream to sit quietly at Henry’s grave, we provide an unparalleled and unforgettable experience, thanks to our guides, the true soul of Concord Tour Company.

Hailing from a wide variety of Courtesy of Concord Tour Company

| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

backgrounds, we are fortunate to include among our staff nationally licensed professional heritage interpreters with advanced degrees. Others are reenactors that party like it’s 1775 during their free time. Some have spent years conducting intensive, independent research just for the sheer joy of learning. All love what they do and bring a friendly warmth and passion that clearly shows on their tours.

Favorite Itineraries:

If you’re a local: Family or friends visiting and need ideas on how to keep them occupied?

Give us a shout! We can create an experience that guests will remember for years whether they are visiting for an afternoon or a weekend-long event such as a wedding or graduation. Or let us show you hidden local gems that you might not know.

If you only have an hour or two: Might we suggest our best-selling tour, The Real Little Women? During this lively 75-minute walk, discover how Louisa May Alcott modeled the March family on her own...but not exactly.

Beginning at the iconic Colonial Inn, this tour includes much of historic downtown Concord and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where the Alcotts are buried along Authors Ridge.

©Baycolonymedia.com

If you have kids that are tired of looking at boring grown-up stuff or want to try something different during summer vacation: Debuting this summer is Concord Tour Company’s first-ever kid-centered tour, Grave Detectives: Stories in Stone.

This 45-minute graveyard adventure will introduce families to the iconography of tombstones in New England, dating back to the 1600s. Learn the meanings behind the mysterious and sometimes weirdlooking images and epitaphs - or what our professional heritage interpreters call the “bumper stickers” of their day.

©Concord Tour Company

If you love literature and graveyards: Join us for Wide Awake in Sleepy Hollow, a 90-minute walk through one of New England’s most beautiful cemeteries. Find out how Sanborn, French, Bull, and Peabody influenced Alcott, Thoreau, Emerson, and Hawthorne.

If you’re not sure where to start but definitely think you probably want to maybe do something at some point: Yeah, just give us a call - we can absolutely help with that!

No matter if you’re here for an hour or a week, start your planning with Concord Tour Company so we can help you say, “I came, I saw, I Concord!” concordtourcompany.com

Or perhaps find out where your sympathies really lie with The Rude Bridge tour. Whether you would have sided with the Loyalists or the Colonists, the gruesome death of a comrade, a fiery patriot minister, and a prophetic bloody finger might change your mind.

the American Revolution in the first half and famous authors in the second. Finish up with lunch or dinner at one of Concord’s many terrific restaurants and revel in a victorious visit. (If long walks aren’t your thing, both tours can be done in the comfort of your own car.*)

If you have a half-day and really enjoy walking: Delve deep into the history of April 19 with a narrated Battle Road tour.

We start at the picturesque Hartwell Tavern and literally walk the road the Regular Army marched as they were on their way to Concord. Got some bookworms in your group? Our Two Revolutions tour will please the whole party as we cover

If you have a whole day and want to see it all: Just because the Redcoats couldn’t conquer Concord doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Experience the allinclusive, no-stress, mind-blown way to see absolutely everything historic Concord offers in a luxury, chauffeured touring van with your own private guide. Perfect for families and small groups! *

*These tours can be adapted for MA State COVID safety regulations concerning vehicle occupation.

Concord Tour Company is a women-owned and operated micro business. We are LGBTQ+ friendly, culturally sensitive, and accommodating for differently-abled visitors.

In addition, CTC strongly supports the continued education of our guides while encouraging and contributing directly to their individual endeavors whenever possible.

But our contributions to history don’t stop there!

Concord Tour Company also proudly donates a percentage of all tour proceeds to many of the non-profit museums and historic sites in town, helping to preserve their continued enjoyment for everyone.

Discover CONCORD

| discoverconcordma.com

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A classic insect house

A hoverfly finds lunch A ladybug in search of insects

Welcome to the Bug Hotel

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BY CYNTHIA BAUDENDISTEL

some prefer a warm, sunny room, so place Do you love a beautiful butterfly, a busy your hotel where it gets some sun and some honeybee, or an adorable ladybug? What shade if possible. about a spider, or a tiny wasp, or a ground Your bug hotel can be as simple or as beetle with its snapping jaws? They may complex as you’d like. There are hundreds of look scary, but they won’t hurt you and are examples online and most are easy to build. important players in your backyard garden.

The key is to provide a variety of habitats to An average garden can accommodate more attract a wide range of than 2,000 different species of insect! Only about one to A single dahlia, perfect for pollinators beneficial insects. You can use salvaged and three percent of those insects natural materials such are pests that are going to as sticks, straw, pine eat your veggies or nibble cones, dead grass, bricks, on your prize roses. The rest used pallets, old pieces will help keep troublesome of wood, and more to insects in check. So why create different types of not welcome them to your nesting places. garden by building them a So, who will be bug hotel? Whether it’s a checking in to your bug modest little inn or the Ritz hotel? That depends Carlton of bug domiciles, they on the type of nesting areas you provide. will appreciate your care – and you’ll learn a Decaying wood attracts wood-boring beetles lot about these important insects. and centipedes. Packing one section of your Start by finding a nice level spot near some hotel with twigs and small branches will entice shrubs, a wall, or another type of protection. other types of beetles. Native solitary bees, Some insects like a cool, damp place and 38

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| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

which pollinate two to three times better than the non-native honeybee, love hollow stems such as bamboo canes or the dried stems of coneflowers. Ladybugs will also hibernate in hollow stems or leaf litter. And spiders aren’t picky – they’ll nest in just about any dry nook.

While you’re in the garden, consider planting some pollen-rich flowers around your bug hotel so your guests can dine whenever they wish. Stick to single flowers since bees, in particular, have trouble getting to the pollen and nectar in double flowers (those with extra petals). Insects can wake from hibernation very early in the spring, so having something in bloom early, such as crab apples or bluebells, will ensure they can find food. Summer is a banquet for insects but remember that some insects stay up late in the fall, sometimes not hibernating until early winter. Asters and zinnias can provide pollen through the fall.

Building a bug hotel is a great activity for kids and benefits our native flora and fauna.

Be creative and have fun with your bug hotel.

You’ll be surprised how many guests check-in!

Classic insect house ©istock.com/wjarek; Dahlia ©istock.com/Martin Wahlborg; Hoverfly ©istock.com/ viktorkunz; Ladybug ©istock.com/Visual_Intermezzo; Honeycomb shelter ©istock.com/dies-irae

A honeycomb shaped shelter

Experience sustainable farm to table cuisine right here in Experience sustainable farm to table cuisine right here in West Concord. Choose from fine dining at Woods Hill Table West Concord. Choose from fine dining at Woods Hill Table or relaxed, casual Mexican cuisine at Adelita! or relaxed, casual Mexican cuisine at Adelita!

For more information, or to make a reservation, visit: For more information, or to make a reservation, visit: www.woodshilltable.com www.adelitaconcord.com www.woodshilltable.com www.adelitaconcord.com 978.254.1435 978.254.0710 978.254.1435 978.254.0710 We hope to see you soon!

We hope to see you soon!

Outdoor dining and curbside takeout available.

A unique shop with gifts you love to give…and receive!

49 Commonwealth Ave. Concord MA 01742 joystreetgifts.com 49 Commonwealth Ave. Concord MA 01742 joystreetgifts.com | @joystreetgifts

Discover CONCORD

| discoverconcordma.com

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Glimpsing Ecology Around Walden

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To join the Walden scene, enjoy the ringAndromeda Pond around-the-pond trail. Ever changing close-up views of the pond, its engineered pondside, and the hillside include periodic large stone steps welcoming walkers to lapping water.

But to discover nature’s ecology, explore the diverse woodland trails and special places. Here I highlight the intriguing land beyond the pond.

Don’t miss interesting species. Take an oval leaf of wintergreen groundcover, rip it in two, and smell the familiar aroma. Crow-sized pileated woodpeckers hammering tree trunks.

Whitish-green pin cushion moss. Scarlet oaks color extensive areas here. To Henry Thoreau, a pre-ecology ecodetective, the scarlet oak leaf looked like a tropical Lake Walden, as depicted in an 1866 photo isle. Large concave coves from the American Antiquarian Society and bays with beaches for repose, alternate with rocky points and crashing waves - suitable for Vikings, buccaneers, and our sense of adventure.

The big picture changing.

A glacier, some 12,000 years ago, left sandy soil across the area, leading to a low water table and dry conditions for most plants.

Also, insulating rock debris buried “icebergs” that later melted by geo-heat, leaving depressions where water and wet places often appear.

Extensive forest encompassed Walden through 1819. Hourglass-like, the Walden woodland shrank to a minimum by 1850 when deforestation reached the pond shore, and then forest cover expanded through 1896 and onward. Today double-trunk oaks thrive that sprouted from “mothers” of a preceding forest.

The three crowds. After two centuries of rural Walden, a thousand Irish workers with their families arrived in 1843 to construct a 40

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railway past the pond. Temporary abodes and cellar holes were dug into the hills and coves from south of the pond to today’s Route 2.

The railway truncated Walden’s southwest cove and steam engines spread noise and soot particles widely.

The second crowd arrived in trainloads from Boston for a day at Lake Walden.

During 1866-1902 an amusement park dominated the northwest cove, with a pavilion, oval racetrack, train station, boating area, and swimming area.

In the mid-1900s, the third crowd poured in for swimming, especially after

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©R.T.T. Forman

BY RICHARD T. T. FORMAN

truckloads of imported sand expanded the beach in 1957. Walden recreationists today revel in purportedly greater Boston’s best freshwater beach.

All three crowds degraded the pond water by causing eroded banks and sedimentation, nutrient and other pollutant inputs, and near elimination of the species-rich littoral zone of emergent, floating, and submerged edge vegetation. Added phosphorus, a major problem in freshwater, often catalyzes a cascade — algae blooms, green water, dead cells filtering downward, exponential growth of decay bacteria, loss of oxygen, loss of fish — leading to few fish-eating birds and anglers.

To the E, S, W, and N. Eastward. Goose Pond with its peninsula trail. Busy Route 126 and its ecological impacts. Environmentally friendly visitor center area.

Southward. Excavation pit at boat launch, showing the innards of hills. Vernal pool that dries in summer — no fish predators mean amphibians may thrive. Trails atop

glacial eskers with small rounded stones, one leading to Heywood’s Meadow with beaver flooding and chewed trees, even oaks; also fish, herons, and turtles. Pine woods.

Emerson’s Cliff, with view (in 1850) over extensive open farmland.

Westward. Railway to Boston and Concord. Three Andromeda Ponds with water-grass-leatherleaf-tall-shrub zonation, where sphagnum moss contributes to, and thrives in, acidic conditions. Soil mounds where a grove of large live trees fell southward in a big wind.Extensive pine woods. Site of the Walden train station and amusement park.

Northward. Thoreau’s 1845-47 house site (Walden published in 1854). Marsh meadow cove. Thoreau’s beanfield site in area of huckleberry-blueberry acidic soil. Three vernal pools in glacial kettle-depressions. Area of Route 2 traffic noise eliminating sensitive birds. Extensive scarlet oak woods, with pines.

Connecting habitats with water and wildlife.

Groundwater flows from Goose Pond into Walden Pond, then slowly northwestward past vernal pools, southwestward through the Andromeda Ponds, and southward steeply down into Heywood’s Meadow. These connections through soil clean the waters.

In 2020, as in Thoreau’s day, loons summered at 100-foot-deep Walden, suggesting that populations of coldwater

©R.T.T. Forman

Habitats and vegetation. People create habitats, such as railbeds, concrete walls, and farm fields, that may have much lower, or higher, biodiversity than in nearby natural areas. Instead, focus on natural habitats— wetlands, ponds, rock outcrops, dry south and moist north slopes, hilltops, dead trees, and logs.

Widespread natural habitats include white pine, scarlet oak, and mixed oak woods (red, white, black and/or scarlet). Uncommon habitats, such as steep soil banks, pools, and rock outcrops, are often small with uncommon species, effectively magnets for ecologists.

Wetlands appear flat, but most have enough slope, water flow, and oxygen to support marsh or swamp vegetation. Little water flow leads to acidic conditions with sphagnum moss and boggy shrubs such as leatherleaf.

Emerson’s Cliff, the only bedrock-filled hill, displays the only rock outcrop. Two uncommon conspicuous umbilicaria lichens thrive on this small, uncommon habitat.

Painted turtles catching calories in spring

trout and aquatic insects were considerable.

Acidic Andromeda Ponds may support some small fish, and Heywood Meadow attracts the occasional angler.

While forest shrank and men shot almost any animal they found, many species at Walden and elsewhere disappeared. Some rebounded. Today local studies find an abundance of fox, opossum, flying squirrel, mink, muskrat, beaver, painted turtle, and garter snake, plus commonly seen animals.

Knowing where to optimally forage, the wildlife reduce populations of preferred foods, and create major routes tying Walden’s prime habitats together.

Discoveries waiting. Here I’ve just seen: a rotting log torn apart by a bear after grubs;

tiny white woolly adelgids that decimate whole hemlock groves; two large owl pellets full of bones; very few non-native plants; and a large active beaver lodge with cozy compartments. The four square miles directly around Walden Pond hold enough uncommon habitats to support rich biodiversity.

Discoveries unlimited await the walker.

Nature’s treasures lie within minutes of everyone’s home.

Illustrations courtesy of Taco I. Matthews.

With thanks to Lawrence Buell, Barbara Forman, and Dela Kaye for reviewing an earlier draft.

——————————————————————— Richard T. T. Forman taught ecology for 36 years at Harvard. His coauthored Ecology along Concord Trails appeared in 2021.

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Mapping Concord’s African American History What’s in a Name?

BY LIZ CLAYTON

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The Robbins House – Concord’s African American History started with a map. Local resident Maria Madison, PhD, who would go on to co-found the the nonprofit organization, The Robbins House Inc., noticed streets in Concord named after early Black residents such as Bristers Hill (33), Peter Spring (27), and Jennie Dugan (39) Roads.

Who were these people? Dr. Madison and a few other Concord METCO (Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity) family friends created a map of Concord’s African American history so that students of color from Boston and Concord could see their own history reflected in this storied town. When the Robbins House, a residence which occupied two locations (23 & 24) from 1823-2007, was threatened with demolition, The Robbins House nonprofit was formed to save, move, and restore the building as a center for telling Concord’s lesser-known Black history.

Concord was a slave town well before it became a hotbed of antislavery activism. From 1725 to 1776, about 30 Concord men of high status each had the wealth to purchase and enslave one to two men, women, and/or children. “Servants for life” were forced to provide the critical household and outdoor labor that enabled public officials, doctors, lawyers, gentlemen farmers, and even ministers to pursue the activities that created their wealth. A room on the top floor of the Old Manse (28) was reserved for slaves and later servants. On April 19, 1775, Rev. William Emerson’s enslaved man “Frank” – later known as Francis Benson – rushed into the home with word that the Regulars were coming.

In 1780, Massachusetts adopted a new constitution with a preamble declaring that “all men are born free and equal.” However, it took several years and court cases brought by Blacks suing for their freedom before slavery was overturned in the courts in 1783. Still, emancipation was gradual, with slavery lingering until about 1800.

Notice that sites 23, 34, 35, 36, and 39 on the Concord Village map are all located on the margins of town. These are the homesites of Concord’s earliest free Black residents who forged livelihoods following slavery: Caesar Robbins, a Patriot, and John Jack, whose Burying Ground gravestone bears an early antislavery epitaph (5), both lived on depleted farmland overlooking the Great Meadows. As immortalized in Thoreau’s Walden, Patriot Brister Freeman (34), Cato Ingraham (35), and Zilpha White (36) struggled on the infertile soil of Walden Woods. Brister Freeman left his signature in the landscape with a ditch fence still visible in the town forest. Thomas Dugan (39), who escaped slavery in Virginia, introduced the rye cradle and new techniques for grafting apple trees to Concord farmers.

By the mid-1800s, Caesar Robbins’s grandson John Garrison, Jr. achieved a steady income as Concord’s Town House caretaker and built a Victorian house near the town center (29). Several residents of the Robbins House (23) signed civil rights petitions, and John’s sister, Ellen G. Jackson, legally tested the 1866 Civil Rights Bill in Baltimore.

For much more of Concord’s Black history, download the complete map description at robbinshouse.org.

————————————————————————————————————— Liz Clayton, co-founder and vice president of The Robbins House, is a freelancer in education publishing.

©2017 The Robbins House. Design: Donna Thomas 11.2017

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Concord’s Land of Dragons & Transcendentalists

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BY JAIMEE LEIGH JOROFF

In the wild places of Concord linger old Puritan superstitions and Transcendental possibilities. We begin in the year 1620 when, bearing sea-weary Puritan separatists, the Mayflower arrived off Cape Cod’s coast revealing what Pilgrim leader William Bradford noted as “a hideous and desolate wilderness, full of wild beasts.”

To the Puritans, the Wilderness was the devil’s territory. Satan would not linger in the exposed coastal regions where the Puritans first settled and kept him at bay with devout prayer, but he was always there, in the wild forests, the swamps, the unexplored places, tempting them to leave the seaside settlements of early Massachusetts and stray from righteousness.

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In Wilderness dwelt the “feared other”: Native Americans, cougars, bears, wolves, owls, and birds that made noises unfamiliar to the new settlers, and old characters of folklore and superstitions— witches and the devil’s agents. But the woods also offered a freedom from constraints and expectations of daily life. Set in the 1600s town of Salem, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 The Scarlet Letter conveys this temptation of Wilderness when adulterous Puritan Hester Prynne, seeking to escape from her husband and society’s judgement, appeals to her lover, the Reverend Dimmesdale, to flee with her and their infant child and live in the forest. “Whither leads yonder forest track?

Backwards to the settlement, thou sayest!

Yes; but onward too! Deeper it goes, and deeper, into the wilderness, less plainly to be seen at every step! …There thou art free!”

In real life, freedom in Wilderness did hold appeal. In 1634, fur trader Simon Willard, a Puritan recently arrived from Kent, England, explored the unknown places beyond Boston.

Twenty miles to the west, he came across Musketaquid, a Native American settlement of cleared fields and riverways. With Puritan Minister Peter Bulkeley, Willard arranged for Musketaquid’s purchase from the Algonquin tribe. Renamed Concord, the town was officially founded in 1635 as America’s first inland settlement.

Generations passed; more inland towns were established in once-wild places, their Continued on p. 46

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The Temptation of Wilderness:

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history passed down by word of mouth and through the writings of people like Massachusetts’s minister Cotton Mather (1663-1728) who wrote, “The NewEnglanders, are a people of God settled in those which were once the Devil’s territories…. Truly, our wilderness hath been the place of dragons.”

By the early-mid 19th century, Concord was inhabited by writers Ralph Waldo Emerson (the 5th-great-grandson of the Reverend Peter Bulkeley), Henry David Thoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Like many of his ancestors, Emerson, a graduate of Harvard, was also a minister, but after the death of his first wife Ellen Tucker in 1831, he questioned his faith and left his pulpit. He traveled to Europe where he met writers/philosophers Thomas Carlyle, Samuel Coleridge, and William Wordsworth.

Inspired by their ideas, he returned to Concord and lived briefly in his family’s home, the Old Manse. There, in 1834, in an upstairs bedroom, his desk placed by a window overlooking the Old North Bridge behind the house, Emerson drafted his essay “Nature”. In it, Emerson asks why should we view the world through the eyes of our forefathers and not our own? “Why should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe? …the sun shines today also…there are new lands, new men, new thoughts.” In “Nature” Emerson turns dramatically from the Puritan view of Wilderness as something full of evil, instead presenting the natural world as a place to find God. Wrote Emerson, “In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, — no disgrace, no calamity…which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, my head bathed by the blithe air, and 46

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uplifted into infinite space, all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God.” Published in 1836, “Nature” shared the foundation for transcendentalism’s tenets of God being found in the combination of man, nature, and spirit, free of the confines of a church doctrine and open to the influence of the mysterious unknown. “Nature” contributed to Emerson’s establishment as the founder of American Transcendentalism and was read far and wide, including by Harvard student and fellow Concordian, Henry David Thoreau.

In his essay “Walking” (aka “The Wild”, published 1862) Thoreau writes, “How near to good is what is wild! …Hope and the future for me are not in lawns and cultivated fields, not in towns and cities, but in the impervious and quaking swamps.” To Thoreau, the Puritan’s devil was not found in the wilderness, but rather in its destruction, for the ruin of nature was the destruction of heaven. He wrote, “Nowadays almost all man’s improvements, so called, as the building of houses and the cutting down of the forest and of all large trees, simply deform the landscape…. I saw… some worldly miser with a surveyor looking after his bounds, while heaven had taken place around him, and he did not see the angels going to and fro…. I looked again and saw him standing in the middle of a boggy Stygian fen, surrounded by devils… and I saw that the Prince of Darkness was his surveyor.”

Where the Puritans feared destruction and moral downfall in the Wilderness, Thoreau saw salvation, writing, “In Wildness is the preservation of the world.”

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As American Transcendentalism began to grow in Concord, Nathaniel Hawthorne arrived just in time to recapture the fading Puritan memory of Wilderness’s doom and gloom. Following his wedding, Hawthorne rented the Old Manse from 1842-45. In the same room in which Emerson previously wrote “Nature”, Hawthorne compiled a series of short stories into Mosses from an Old Manse. Unlike Emerson, Hawthorne built his desk against the wall, sitting with his back to the windows, perhaps an appropriate move for penning stories set in the times of his own Puritan ancestor, John Hathorne, “the hanging judge” of the Salem Witch Trials. Set in 1600s Massachusetts and in landscapes easily imaginable as Concord or Salem, the temptation of Wilderness pulls strongly on Hawthorne’s characters including driving a young man into guilty-paranoia over an act committed in the woods (“Roger Malvin’s Burial”) and luring a young Puritan bride to devil-worship in the night forest (“Young Goodman Brown”). In the latter tale, “maddened with despair”, the bride’s husband pursues her and plunges into the woods “leaving him in the heart of the dark wilderness, still rushing onward with the instinct that guides mortal man to evil.”

By the 1840s, “rushing onward [through] the dark wilderness”, the Fitchburg Railroad line cut through Concord, part of its track running by Walden Pond where Thoreau lived from 1845-47. Cotton Mather’s “dragons” of old New England transformed into Thoreau’s “Iron horse… snort[ing] like thunder, shaking the earth with his feet and breathing fire and smoke from his nostrils… [a] fiery dragon they will put into new Mythology” [Walden, Ch. 17].

The modern world was slowly clearing space in Concord, pushing old Puritan fears of Wilderness deeper into the past and the remaining wild places for which Thoreau and other transcendentalists advocated. Wrote Thoreau in Walden, “We need the tonic of wildness… we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be infinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us…. We can never have enough of Nature” or an eternal temptation of Wilderness.

———————————————————————— A Concord native, Jaimee Joroff is manager of the Barrow Bookstore in Concord Center which specializes in Concord history, Transcendentalism, and literary figures. She has been an interpreter at most of Concord’s historic sites and is a licensed town guide.

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Major John Buttrick house

Nathan Meriam house

Encountering History:

The Witness Houses of Battle Road Trail STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD SMITH

Captain Billy Smith house

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Hartwell Tavern

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On April 19, 1775, the long-simmering uneasiness between the American colonies and the British Crown broke out into open warfare with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. A year later, rebellion turned into revolution and, in 1783, after eight years of war, the United States of America gained its independence from Great Britain.

Today, visitors to Minute Man National Historical Park can experience firsthand where the American Revolution began. The Park passes through three towns; from the Battle Green in Lexington, past the Hartwell Tavern and Bloody Angle in Lincoln, and westward to the Old North Bridge in Concord. Parts of the five-mile-long Battle Road Trail literally follow in the footsteps of the Colonial militia and British Redcoats.

Along the way, there can be seen many buildings, called “Witness Houses” by the National Park. These were the homes and farms of the people who lived here in the 18th century, and these houses bear mute testimony to the violence, chaos, and bloodshed of April 19, 1775.

Here are four of the eleven historic buildings you’ll see on the Battle Road Trail, highlighting the lives of the people who experienced the first day of the American Revolution.

Major John Buttrick House

Situated on land that was close to the North Bridge, the house was built by Jonathan Buttrick (John Buttrick’s father) between 1710 and 1717. John inherited it from his father and, in 1760, married Abigail Jones.

Over the next 20 years, they would have ten children in this house. John Buttrick was always listed as a “Gentleman” in Concord town records and was a well-respected farmer who was active in town government.

He held several town positions, including fence viewer, field driver, surveyor, and was even the town constable for three years.

At the time of the battle, 44-year-old John Buttrick was a Major in the Concord militia; it was he who gave the order, “Fire, fellow soldiers! For God’s sake fire!” after the British unleashed a volley on the advancing militia at the North Bridge. For the first time in American history, Colonial troops fired on the King’s Redcoats. In a very real sense, it was Major John Buttrick’s command that started the American Revolution.

Nathan Meriam House

The Meriam House was built at the junction of the Lexington and Old Bedford Roads around 1705 by Joseph Meriam. At the time of the Battle of Concord, it was home to Nathan Meriam, Joseph’s son. In 1775 there were nine people living at Meriam’s Corner, including Nathan and Abigail, both of whom were in their fifties, and seven children between the ages of 11 and 29. Meriam was a successful farmer who also served as a Concord town selectman.

It was in the fields and woodlots around this house that fighting along the Battle Road began as the Redcoats left Concord on their

return to Boston after the battle at the North Bridge. The retreating British column was attacked here by militiamen from the towns of Reading, Chelmsford, and Billerica. From this point on, as more and more militiamen arrived from the surrounding towns, the running battle would not cease until the British got back to the safety of Boston, almost 20 miles away.

Hartwell Tavern

Situated in the town of Lincoln, which was part of Concord at the time, the house was built by Samuel Hartwell as a wedding gift for his son Ephraim, who married Elizabeth Heywood in 1733. Along with the house came 18 acres of land that surrounded the building, as well as 12 additional acres nearby. When Samuel died in 1744, Ephraim inherited his portion of the family farm and by 1749 the farm was one of the most productive in Concord and consisted of 141 acres.

The couple began raising a family, and by 1756 there were nine children living in the house. It was then that Ephraim applied for, and received, a license to open part of his home as an inn and a tavern. It became a well-known stop along the Bay Road.

Along this stretch of road, now restored by the National Park Service, the British troops passed the Hartwell house, both coming into and going from Concord, on April 19, 1775.

The Hartwell’s daughter, Mary, would later remember the sight of nearly 700 Redcoats marching past their home: “The army of the King marched up in fine order and their bayonets glistened in the sunlight like a field of waving grain. If it hadn’t been for the purpose they came for, I should say it was the handsomest site I ever saw in my life.”

Billy Smith House

Built by Benjamin Whittmore between 1680 and 1692, the house and surrounding farm were sold to William and Elizabeth Dodge in 1758. The Dodges never lived on the farm but used it as a rental property.

When they moved to New Hampshire they gave the house and 100 acres to their only daughter, Catherine Louisa who, in 1771 married William Smith.

As Captain of the Lincoln militia, Smith and his men were the first to arrive in Concord when they got the alarm that the Redcoats were headed that way.

That was the extent of his service in the Revolutionary War, and, sadly, Captain Smith’s personal life was a hard one. He was known to have a drinking problem and he ran up a considerable amount of debt, causing his sister, Abigail Adams, (yes, that Abigail Adams) to sever all connection with him. He was so hated by the family that Charles Francis Adams, the son of John Quincy Adams, later said of his great-uncle, “The name is so common that I do not feel assured the Captain William Smith of Lincoln was the brother of Abigail Adams.” There are no written records of William Smith after 1783, and it’s not known when or where he died or where he was buried.

————————————————————————— Richard Smith has worked as a public historian in Concord for 21 years, specializing in Henry David Thoreau, the Transcendentalists, the Anti-Slavery movement, and the Civil War. He has written six books for Applewood Books and is a tour guide for Concord Tour Company.

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Boiron’s homeopathic Rhus toxicodendron or the Hyland’s, Dr. Kings’, or Newton Homeopathics’ combination poison ivy formulas are terrific.

For cuts, scrapes, scratches, and other types of broken skin injuries: Generally speaking, thick waxy salves, balms, and ointments are less effective at healing, but provide a sturdier protective barrier against the environment. Look for products that contain ingredients like beeswax and shea butter. Delicate creams and oils usually don’t provide the same level of protection, but can penetrate better, and are often better at actually healing and let a wound breathe.

Vitamin E oil soothes and protects everything from minor scrapes and scratches to the large incisions left over from surgery.

It doesn’t sting, it speeds the healing process, and it helps reduce scarring.

For burns, including sunburns: Reach for aloe vera for simple burns. More serious burns that involve blistering should receive medical attention. Colloidal silver spray can help cut the chance of infection. Our kitchen uses a colloidal silver spray whenever anyone burns themselves. It usually prevents blistering, takes away the pain, and works so well that our cooks shake their heads!

These are just a few of my favorite natural remedies for minor injuries. If you’d like to learn more, the friendly staff at Debra’s Natural Gourmet are always happy to help.

But please remember to always seek medical help for more serious injuries.

————————————————————————————— Adam Stark is the chief miscellaneous officer and co-owner of Debra’s Natural Gourmet in West Concord, MA. He’s the formulator of the worst-tasting, best-working Immune Dragon Super Brew! His background in biology and immunology supports his broad understanding of herbs, supplements, and natural medicine.

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The great outdoors is an endless source of fun, learning, and excitement – and bites, bumps, and bruises. So, what do you do when your summer fun needs a bit of first aid?

Heat or ice? At least once a summer I jam a finger playing basketball. Within minutes, the finger turns a sickly purple-red and swells up to twice its normal size, and then I can’t move it for a week. Or at least that’s what used to happen before I took icing seriously. Now I rush for ice the instant I get hurt, and within a day or two, I get my full range of motion back. It doesn’t swell up nearly as much, and it heals a lot faster. Use ice whenever you feel heat and/or throbbing. Heat, on the other hand, should be applied when an area is stiff and creaky. Ice is for first aid and heat is for chronic aches and pains.

For bumps and bruises you want arnica.

There are arnica products for both internal and topical use. My all-around favorite is T-Relief Arnica 12, available in both topical and internal forms. Debra Stark, of Debra’s Natural Gourmet, recommends Newton Homeopathics Accident/Injury. Phytogesic Balm from Wise Woman Herbals combines arnica with heating and cooling herbs, herbal sources of aspirin-like compounds, and St. John’s Wort. You can even take arnica before an expected strain on your body: right before a boxing match, a marathon, a strenuous hike, or before that weekend-long gardening project.

For bee stings: Try homeopathic Apis Mellifica. Unless you’re allergic to stings — then seek immediate medical help.

For poison ivy: Wash the area with soap as soon as possible. Any soap will do, but All Terrain Poison Ivy Soap is especially useful because it has plantain and neem.

Learn to recognize jewelweed (that fleshystalked, yellow-flowered plant that almost always grows right next to the ivy). Break the jewelweed stalk open and spread the juicy pulp over the affected area. Internally,

BY ADAM STARK

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All photos ©Judy Perrin

Bridge over Nashoba Brook

The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

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BY CYNTHIA BAUDENDISTEL

The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail was In September 2019, Concord’s 2.5-mile championed by Representative Bruce N. section of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail was Freeman, who served as state representative opened — an integral part of what will be, upon from Chelmsford from 1969 until his death in completion, a 25-mile-long rail trail running 1986. Inspired by the bike trails on which he from Lowell to Framingham. How did this rode with his son and grandson, Representative all begin, and what does this mean for area Freeman championed the cause of the Lowellresidents and visitors?

Sudbury Rail Trail in the state legislature during The conversion of unused railroad trails the mid-1980s. His successor, Carol C. Cleven, began with the Elroy-Sparta State Trail in introduced a bill creating a bike path in his Wisconsin in 1965. Other rail trails, primarily honor, which was signed into law in April 1989. in the Midwest, followed but it wasn’t until Today the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Congress deregulated the struggling railroad connects the communities of Lowell, industry that the idea began to spread. Once Chelmsford, Westford, Carlisle, and Acton. free to abandon unprofitable routes, the Two miles of trail through West Concord are railroads abandoned up to 8,000 miles of rail also open. The bridge over Rte. 2 connecting lines each year in the early 1980s. Concerned the sections in Acton and Concord has about the permanent loss of vital rail corridors, not yet been completed. Future Congress amended the National Creating and construction will include Sudbury Trails System Act to create maintaining a rail and Framingham. The 10-foot“railbanking”. Railbanking trail is no small wide trail is paved and provides a provides a way to preserve undertaking and it great surface for outdoor activities inactive rail corridors for future needs your support. like walking, running, cycling, use while allowing them to Become a member of rollerblading, and skiing. So, dust be developed for interim use.

Friends of the Bruce off those walking shoes, bicycle, or Today, there are more than 780 Freeman Rail Trail, rollerblades and take advantage of rail trails in the United States, make a donation, or this amazing community resource. with 53 in Massachusetts alone. volunteer your time Visit the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Each year, tens of millions of to help with trail website for information on parking, people use the trails – which clean-ups, parades, partial closures, COVID-19 procedures, span more than 21,000 miles – and other events. It’s and more. brucefreemanrailtrail.org to walk, run, bike, ski, and more. a great way to serve your community and 52 Discover CONCORD meet new people.

Signpost and garden near Route 62 Crossing

Bicycle repair station near Route 62 crossing an Eagle Scout service project by Life Scout Nolan Roberts of Concord’s Boy Scout Troop 132

Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Phase 2C in Concord, MA

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MapMoonheron courtesy of the Town of Concord

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Favorite Picnic Spots in Concord

BY ANNE LEHMANN

Sprinkled throughout Concord is an array of green spaces perfect for hiking, biking, bird watching, and, best of all, picnicking.

The spaces are varied; some are wide open acres of green lawn while others are nestled into the woods with stone benches just wide enough to hold a picnic basket. Some spaces are filled with swings, slides, and monkey bars to keep children happy and active. No matter what you’re looking for, with summer just a glance away, picnic season is here and you’ll find the perfect spot in Concord.

The crown jewel of open spaces is Minute Man National Historical Park, featuring the North Bridge and the adjacent Visitor Center. This is home to ‘the shot heard ‘round the world’ where minutemen held off British soldiers during the spring of 1775.

The open space beyond the bridge toward the North Bridge Visitor Center provides a magical walk. As you weave through the tall grasses, enormous European beech trees spot the fields. The walk will transport you to another era, a simpler time when a brisk walk post-lunch aligned with life. Picnic blankets are welcome in the grass on either side of the path, and towards the back of 54

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Climbing structures at Rideout Park Playground

the museum on the terrace are covered tables for picnicking. This summer the formal gardens near the terrace are being spruced up so be sure to have a look while you’re there.

Battle Road has two great sites for picnicking, Hartwell Tavern and Minute Man Visitor Center. The Battle Road path allows for an easy walk beyond the picnic site at the tavern. It has an abundance of shade with towering maple trees gracing the picnic bench area. A bit further down Battle Road is Minute Man Visitor Center, with tables to allow for gatherings. An additional bonus is the multimedia theater program at the Visitor Center which provides an educational opportunity to engage in the history of the battles along the historic road (check for COVID-impacted hours).

If you would rather be tucked into a woodsy space, then Brister’s Hill is the place for you. Along the trail are several granite blocks with inspirational poems carved into them and further down the path in the woods you will find a circle of large granite ‘picnic’ blocks just wide enough for your sandwich and chips. Fifty-two blocks create

| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

the circle, most of them boasting an inspiring inscription etched into the top. So, grab a friend and head out to the woods in search of the granite blocks.

However, if swings, slides, and sandboxes are an important element of your perfect picnic, then head to Emerson Field and Playground or Rideout Park Playground where you will find play structures, sandboxes, and tennis and basketball courts.

Both parks are open to the public and have lots of green space to play ball, read a good book, or fly a kite. Given the amenities, these two playgrounds are perfect for families from toddlers to grandparents.

To learn more about these picnic sites, please visit their websites: • nps.gov/mima/planyourvisit/hours.htm • nps.gov/mima/index.htm • walden.org/property/bristers-hill/ concordrec.com/150/Directions-and-Locations

——————————————————————— Anne Lehmann has merged two disciplines, business consulting and journalism, and now adds freelance writing for metro west publications, including the Boston Globe, into the mix.

Photos ©Anne Lehmann

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Granite circle at Brister’s Hill

“ ‘Tis the good reader that makes the good book.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Barrow Bookstore RARE AND GENTLY READ BOOKS

Specializing in Concord Authors and History; Transcendentalism; Revolutionary War, American, and Military History; Children’s Literature; and a wide selection for the eclectic reader.

Literary-themed gifts, postcards, and beeswax candles.

79 Main Street, Concord, MA (behind Fritz and Gigi) | www.barrowbookstore.com | 978-369-6084

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55

Concord’s Wild & Scenic Rivers & Ponds

The Sudbury River

STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE WITHERBEE

Kayaking on a beautiful afternoon

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| 2021 Guide to the Great Outdoors

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Getting out on the water is a wonderful way to escape to the outdoors, and Concordians are fortunate to have three rivers and several ponds on which to play, explore, and relax. These waterways provide opportunities to enjoy the natural world in a way that is quite different from experiencing our roadways, parks, and trails. On the water, one can imagine being in a distant place.

Concord’s three rivers are part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, a program created

by Congress in 1968 to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations. Less than 1/2 of 1% of our nation’s rivers are protected under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and we are fortunate, indeed, that Concord’s three rivers are part of the program. rivers.gov/index.php Each of our area’s rivers is distinctly different. The Sudbury River is slow-moving and more open with Fairhaven Bay opening up from the River as if entering a pond with an island and a stone boat house on the shore. The Assabet River feels more intimate with its narrow and meandering flow. The Concord River is a mix of both and provides more places to go ashore and explore, including the North Bridge, Great Meadows, and October Farm.

There are several excellent access points on our rivers, including the place on Lowell Road where one can go about 200 yards upstream to Egg Rock and the confluence of the three rivers, or downstream to the North Bridge and more of the Concord River. Another is on the Lincoln side of the Rt. 117 bridge where it’s just a short distance downstream to Fairhaven Bay. There is also the launch off Baker Bridge Road which invites us to paddle up to Damon Mill.

Don’t have a boat? It’s easy to rent a canoe or a kayak for the day at the South Bridge Boat House and explore miles of peaceful waters on the Assabet, Sudbury, and Concord Rivers.

In addition to the rivers, we also have Walden Pond, White Pond, and Warner Pond, the first two of which are terrific places for a delightful summer swim.

The best times to be on these beautiful waterways are morning and early evening. Pack a picnic lunch and bring along binoculars and a camera. Look for the birds, mammals, and interesting plant life that are so different from the rest of Concord. So, whether it’s spring, summer, or fall, put on a life jacket and get out there to enjoy Concord’s amazing waterways.

For more information, visit the Concord Visitor Center at 58 Main Street. visitconcord.org

Egg Rock A family of swans out for the day

Does on the shore A beaver goes for a swim

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Preserving White Pond Reservation

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Henry David Thoreau called White Pond the “gem of the woods”, and with good reason. This beautiful and fragile ecosystem suffered from neglect and over-use for decades. Today, White Pond is recovering thanks to the vision and commitment of the Town of Concord, the White Pond Advisory Committee, and legions of volunteers.

White Pond provides a stunning place for swimming, fishing, and walking the clearly marked trails. This is a delicately balanced environment, though, and visitors are encouraged to follow the list of rules posted at each main entry point. While the rules may seem to limit use, they are vitally important to restoring the ecology of the area.

The northern and southern slopes of White Pond are primarily residential while the eastern end is recreational (fishing from the boat ramp and regulated swimming from the White Pond town

beach). The land at the western end, which includes almost onethird of the shoreline, is the only remaining wild area and every effort is being made to preserve this section in its natural state. Thoreau visited White Pond often and frequently gathered sand from the eastern side of the Pond for use in his family’s pencil business. Surely, such a place is worthy of our stewardship.

For more information, please see the special insert in this issue or visit preservewhitepond.org

Concord Museum’s

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As part of the exhibition, Every Path Laid Open: Women of Concord and the Quest for Equality, the Concord Museum is hosting a film series called Summer Under the Stars, a celebration of movies made by and about women. The films will address historical and contemporary issues of women’s rights, reform, and activism, celebrating female heroes - the fictional, historical, and super. The series kicks off on Thursday, June 10 at 8:15 p.m. with the 2019 film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel, Little Women. On the eve of Juneteenth, to celebrate and continue the conversation raised by Harriet Tubman’s heroic efforts to free enslaved people through the underground railroad, the Museum will host Harriet (Thursday, June 17 at 8:15 p.m.). Two additional films will be scheduled for later in the summer.

For reservations, please visit concordmuseum.org.

Presented in collaboration with The Robbins House, Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, and The Umbrella Arts Center. Supported by Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area.

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Photos courtesy of Concord Museum

Summer Under the Stars Film Series

InkStoneArchitects.com Concord MA

650 814.8542 Brigitte Steines

© Pierre Chiha Photography

617 899.6351 Eve Isenberg

Antique Caucasian Kuba Perepedil circa 1880

COME TO THE COUNTRY! Come to Verrill Farm for family events & good times (COVID PERMITTING)

Strawberry picking | Farm dinners & events

Sunflower field for picking and photo ops | Fall pumpkin picking Blueberry Pancake take-away breakfast

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624 Hammond Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 617-264-2002 | www.wovenartcollection.com

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Bringing Color to Concord via Gardening

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BY ANNE LEHMANN

Summer is here and along with that comes bountiful blooms. Concord is a kaleidoscope of colorful periwinkle iris, diamond frost euphorbia, and purple bellflowers, all on full display. They arrive at the hands of many gardening clubs and organizations whose members enjoy getting their hands dirty, literally.

The West Concord Green Thumbs have designed, cultivated, and currently maintain five gardens; Kenny Dunn Square, Mandrioli Park, Junction Park, Crest Street Triangle, and at the Fowler Library. In addition to these gardens the Green Thumbs plant all of the 46 hanging baskets that adorn Main Street all summer long, providing an uplift of color throughout the town walkways.

They have recently partnered with the Fowler Library supporting an outreach program which consists of 100 lunch bag size ‘grab and make’ crafts. The activity varies week to week. Recently they offered seedlings planted in plastic cups for children to watch the miracle of growth and coming up they are organizing painted rocks to place in gardens.

The Concord Garden Club has its origins dating back to 1928. This organization

has a wide breadth of touches throughout the Concord community not only relating to gardening but also connecting parts of the community where sharing the life of a flower or plant can have a significant impact. The partnership with various groups is an understated way to offer kindness through action, not necessarily words. In the spring time fresh flowers are delivered to approximately 150 senior residents and in the winter months the club decorates boxwood trees for the Meals on Wheels Program.

In addition, they provided a grant to Minute Man Arc for use in their community garden, the Rogers Garden. The Minute Man Arc’s clients use this garden as a therapeutic opportunity where together they weed, plant, water, harvest, and finally share their fresh vegetables with their cohorts. Irene Flood from MMA shared, “The best part of the gardening experience is when one of our clients brings freshly picked vegetables back to the others with such pride.”

The club also presents cheer by adorning holiday wreaths on municipal buildings. This past year the wreaths were dressed with

lively seafoam green and white polka dot wide-brimmed bows. Anyone walking by these wreaths would have been bound to smile and enjoy the decorator spirit, care, and skill that went into each one.

The gardens the club has designed, created, and maintains are three-fold, a perennial garden in front of the Town House, at the Veteran’s Park, and near the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. They are all beautiful in contrasting colors and clever with the gradation of height allowing your eye to sweep up through the various plants and flowers.

A final organization bringing color to Concord is the Guild of Volunteers for the Concord Museum. This year the tour is virtual and the date for release is June 25-27.

The tour includes six episodes of watching and learning. Each episode features one home and explores the unique landscape design for that residence. While live experience is optimal, this tour will provide a parallel experience.

Gardening in Concord is multifaceted and with that brings an abundance of color to our streets, parks, and backyards.

westconcordgreenthumbs.org | gardenclubofconcord.org | minutemanarc.org | concordmuseum.org/events/virtual-garden-tour/2021-06-25 60

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Photo courtesy of Concord Museum Guild of Volunteers

One of the splendid gardens from the Concord Museum Garden Tour

Dear Concord Friends and Neighbors We wish to offer many thanks from our family at Colonial Gardens for all your support and patronage during the past year. We have weathered the many challenges of the pandemic because of the tremendous support from the Concord community. We are forever grateful to all of our wonderful customers and friends.

For our neighbors that don’t know us, we invite you to visit. Our large open air garden center is open 7 days a week and is stocked with beautiful annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, vegetable starters, and flowering plants grown right here in our greenhouses in Concord.

Once new customers find us, they often tell us they had no idea we had so much to offer and wish they had found us earlier!. We invite you to visit us this spring and see the wonderful plant quality, variety and service we have offered our Concord neighbors for more than 60 years.

Happy Spring from Colonial Gardens and the Giurleo Family!

Colonial Gardens Greenhouses | Florist Shop | Garden Center Flowers and Plants for All Seasons & Reeds Ferry Sheds Located on Route 117 on the Concord Sudbury town line Open 7 Days | 978-369-2554

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To include your business in our next edition,please contact Jennifer C. Schünemann: jennifer@voyager-publishing.com or 978.435.2266

2021

Guide to the Great Outdoors

Advertiser Index ARCHITECTURE, CUSTOM BUILDING & INTERIOR DESIGN 1 Appleton Design Group 59 Inkstone Architects 65 Platt Builders

EXPERIENTIAL 19, 21 Concord Museum 45 Concord Players 51 Pierre Chiha Photographers Insert The Town of Concord

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 62 Lincoln Physicians 62 My Side Virtual Assistant Professionals 23 West Concord Pharmacy

ARTS, GUITARS & ART SUPPLIES 45 Albright Art Supply 23 Louise Arnold Art 47 Minuteman Guitars 17 Three Stones Gallery

FLORISTS & GREENHOUSES 61 Colonial Gardens

REAL ESTATE 3 The Attias Group C2, 64 Barrett Sotheby’s Int’l Realty 55 Carleton-Willard Village 7, 8, 9, 23, 34 Coldwell Banker Realty 5 Compass 28 Engel & Völkers Insert LandVest 33 William Raveis

BOOKS, MAGAZINES & SCHOLARLY WORKS 47 Barefoot Books 55 Barrow Bookstore 62 The Thoreau Society Shop at Walden Pond CATERING, RESTAURANTS, AND SPECIALTY FOOD & WINE SHOPS 39 Adelita Insert Concord Cheese Shop 62, 66 *Debra’s Natural Gourmet 62 *Dunkin’ 35 Fiorella’s Cucina 59 Verrill Farm 35 West Concord Wine & Spirits 39 Woods Hill Table

HOME FURNISHINGS, DÉCOR & UNIQUE GIFTS 59 Artisans Way 62 Belle on Heels 39 Joy Street Life + Home 51 Nesting 51 Patina Green 45 Revolutionary Concord 59 Woven Art LODGING 25

TOYS 45

The Concord Toy Box

*Money Saving Coupon on p. 62 Concord’s Colonial Inn

JEWELERS 19 Artinian Jewelry

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photography by Greg Premru

gather in the great outdoors We have been building fabulous outdoor spaces for nearly thirty years. From wide-open porches to three-season rooms, we know connecting to Mother Nature comes in many shapes and sizes. Let’s work together.

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