Mertie West reads an historical marker at the Old North Bridge, Concord, 1947

Item Overview

Title

Mertie West reads an historical marker at the Old North Bridge, Concord, 1947

Photographer

West, H. H. (Henry Hebard), 1872-1958

Date Created

October, 1947

Date

1947-10

Language

No linguistic content

Collection

West (H. H.) Collection

Notes

Description

An out-of-focus and poorly-exposed photograph of Mertie West reading an historical marker at Old North Bridge in Minute Man National Historical Park. Mertie West stands in the foreground at right with her back to the camera. Ahead and to the left of her, a large stone tablet stands behind a bench. Its inscription reads, "CONCORD FIGHT On the morning of April Nineteenth, 1775, while the British hold this bridge the minute-men and militia of Concord and neighboring towns gathered on the hill across the river. There the Concord Adjutant, Joseph Hosmer, demanded, 'Will you let them burn the town down?' There the Lincoln captain, William Smith, offered to dislodge the British, the Acton captain, Isaac Davis, said, 'I haven't a man that's afraid to go!' and the Concord colonel James Barrett ordered the attack upon the regulars. The column was led by Major John Buttrick marching from his own farm. His side was Lt. Colonel John Robinson of Westford. The Minutemen of Acton, Concord, Lincoln and Bedford followed after them came the militia. At the British volley Isaac Davis fell. Buttrick cried, 'Fire, fellow soldiers, for God's sake fire!' and himself fired first. The British fled, and here began the separation of two kindred nations, now happily long united in peace." Beyond the tablet, trees line the near side of the Concord River's riverbank, The Concord River is visible flowing through the background at left. A white haze clouds the majority of the image.

Caption

Text from negative sleeve: 2357. Eastern trip October 1947 Concord 1 Monument and Mertie West at end Concord bridge 2 Mertie West reading marker at Concord bridge 3 Mertie West at end of the long hike to Concord bridge 4 Poor photo of British Soldiers grave in the side walk with marker on stone wall 5 Poor photo of Concord bridge 6 Mertie West on the [C]oncord bridge

Physical Description

Extent

1 photographic negative

Medium

b&w nitrate negative

Keywords

Genre

cellulose nitrate film
black-and-white photographs

Names

West, Mertie Whitaker, 1875-1972

Location

Massachusetts--Concord

Resource type

still image

Subjects

Historic sites--Massachusetts--Concord
Concord River (Mass.)
Minute Man National Historical Park (Mass.)
Sightseers--Massachusetts--Concord
Concord, Battle of, Concord, Mass., 1775
Historical markers--Massachusetts--Concord