The North Bridge, often colloquially called the Old North Bridge, is a historic site in Concord, Massachusetts, spanning the Concord River. On April 19, 1775, the first day of the American Revolutionary War, provincial minutemen and militia companies numbering approximately 400 engaged roughly 90 British Army troops at this location. The battle was the first instance in which American forces advanced in formation on the British regulars, inflicted casualties, and routed their opponents. It was a pivotal moment in the Battles of Lexington and Concord and in American history. The significance of the historic events at the North Bridge inspired Ralph Waldo Emerson to refer to the moment as the "shot heard round the world."
The extant 1956 bridge, an approximate replica of the 1760 bridge present during the Battles of Lexington and Concord
A 1775 drawing by Amos Doolittle of the engagement at the North Bridge based on witness accounts and his own inspection of the bridge
An 1882 drawing of the Centennial Bridge with covered pavilions
From left to right: the 1836 Battle Monument, the 1956 Old North Bridge (restored in 2005), and "The Minute Man" statue by Daniel Chester French
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the Sudbury and Assabet rivers join to form the Concord River.
View of Concord's Main Street, looking east toward Monument Square
Aerial view, December 1935
Photo of Egg Rock inscription, c. 1904
The Old Manse, home to Ralph Waldo Emerson and later Nathaniel Hawthorne