Concord is unique in three periods of history. Incorporated in 1635, the town was the first Massachusetts
settlement away from the tidewater on a non-navigable river. The community, located at the junctions of the
Concord/Sudbury and Assabet Rivers, was the site of seasonal Indian camps because of the abundant runs of
shad, herring, and salmon. It was settled by the English as a frontier outpost of the Massachusetts bay Colony
and was the first interior, non-tidal water town in Massachusetts. On April 19, 1775, it was the scene of the
first battle of the War for Independence—the American Revolution. During the middle of the nineteenth
century, a period aptly called "The Flowering of New England," Concord was home to some of the greatest
minds in America. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Bronson Alcott, and
his daughter Louisa May Alcott, lived, talked, and wrote in Concord. Because of them, visitors, both literary
and transcendental, flocked to this town which became an American Athens.

Through the years, the people of Concord have carefully preserved the historic and literary aspects of the
town and, in addition, have maintained a commitment to the conservation of generous amounts of open space
and wilderness areas. Private and public endeavors have preserved the homes of the Concord authors while
Minute Man National Historic Park manages the North Bridge battleground area. Justly proud of its rich
cultural heritage, the Concord of today continues to foster the arts, having a chorus, orchestra, band, four
theater companies, two art centers, museums, historic houses and a theater for the performing arts.

The Concord Visitor Center is located at 58 Main Street, Concord, Massachusetts, and is operated by the
Concord Chamber of Commerce. Located behind Middlesex Savings Bank, one block south of Monument
Square, the building also houses Public restrooms. The Visitor Center is open daily in 2005 from March 19th
through October 31st, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Public restrooms are handicapped accessible and open
year-round from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Guided tours are available seasonally and group tours are available
by appointment.