August 9

First, a Happy Birthday to my brother Mike and my niece Sarah… both born on this day, many years in the past. Speaking of the past, I walked on hallowed historical ground this morning. The rain from yesterday was gone (6.25 inches in 4 hours in Lawrence, MA, where I stayed). The sky was blue with a few clouds at the North Bridge in Concord. Yes, the place where the “shot heard round the world” was fired (check out S3-E23 of the Andy Griffith Show if you want to hear a fun story on this shot). I stood on the north shore of the bridge location, where the British began their advance against local militia. Well, our guys fired their muskets, and then kept firing them as the British retreated back to Boston. The Minute Man NHP preserves this sacred land, as well as five miles of the Battle Road on which the British had advanced from Lexington, then retraced their boot steps back east. Those five miles are filled with important sites. One is the spot where Paul Revere, William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott were stopped by ten British officers. The officers knew what the three men were attempting, so placed them under arrest. Dawes and Prescott escaped. Thankfully, Prescott headed west to warn the folks in Concord, yelling “The Regulars are Out!” One of the warned men was Captain William Smith, the commander of the local Lincoln Minute Men (Lincoln was the village to the east of Concord). He spread the word to his militia and were the first to arrive at the North Bridge that fateful morning of April 19, 1775. His house is also on the 5-mile path. A couple ruins of Josiah Nelson’s house remain. He was the first casualty of the war. Legend has it he had heard of the British Regulars coming out of Boston and went outside to ask some horse-mounted men for more news. Turns out the men were British, and one of them sliced open Nelson’s forehead with his sword. After Josiah’s wife bandaged the wound, Josiah rode to the village of Bedford to spread the word. Many other “Witness Houses” are on or near the road. The path also has a few graves of British soldiers. A somewhat sad sight was at a couple of points looking north through about 20 yards of trees and brush and seeing scores of new homes. Yes, route 2A has cut through this section of properties for decades, and at times is on top of the Battle Road. But too bad the NPS could not acquire more acreage in order to buffer commercialization from this sacred land.

It is now again too late to continue. Will continue tomorrow.

Tomorrow did arrive. Lowell NHP is one place where you can watch 100+ years old looms make fabrics, at the Boott Cotton Mill. As one of the rangers put it, this is one of the highlights of a visit to this park. Two other fun activities were not running today, those being the trolly rides and the canal boat rides. They vary during the week, so check the park’s website for details. But I loved watching the looms run. Two men were operating six looms. Ear plugs are provided since the noise is off the charts. The room had over 100 hundred looms (try to image the noise level of 100 versus just 6) hooked up to an old belt-pully system. This is exactly what Goodyear’s plant in Medicine Hat, Alberta uses on some equipment (I do not think this is a trade secret, so am mentioning it). About a one-mile walking loop will take you along the various canals which were built to funnel the power of the Merrimack River to the mills, as well as past a railroad exhibit. Without the railroad to supply raw materials to the mills and to take away finished products, Lowell would not have been as successful. The city was named after Francis Lowell, a man who had gone to England to learn the workings of manual looms, so he could duplicate the system in America.

Salem Maritime NHS is about 40 minutes to the east, by the waters of Salem Harbor. The main VC is in the center of Salem, next to the Salem Witch Trial buildings and stories. The folks interested in witches far outnumbered NPS enthusiasts. That was evident when I made it down to the wharf area which is the park boundary. Only a few people were walking to the park buildings and out on the wharf to the lighthouse. Oh well, Harry Potter and the like are a fun part of our culture. Salem used to be one of the giants in ocean commerce. A Customs House has been on these grounds since the 1600s. Nothing like taxing goods. But isn’t that one of the reasons the American Revolution began? With that said, when the colonies won their independence, the new Federal Government continued to use the Customs House to bring in tax revenues. A replica of an old freight schooner is part of the park, but it is currently undergoing restoration and repairs, so no one is able to tour it.

Saugus Iron Works NHS is located in a quiet neighborhood. You cannot tell that busy highway US 1 is just one mile to the west. The Saugus River can still have its waters routed to the park’s waterwheels, to power the forge and slitting mill. Granted, these buildings are reproductions, the originals lost long ago, but they work just like a 17th century iron making facility. The main house of the original owner of the iron works is original. The NPS put an addition onto the structure so they would have a place for a VC and bookstore. It does not take long to tour the 12-acre property. In my previous visits the three iron buildings had not been open. The Blast Furnace is having restoration done, so it was closed today, but the Forge and Slitting Mill were open. I enjoyed seeing the interiors. A number of swallows were not happy I had walked into their territory. When I returned from the walk a ranger was just opening the VC. Salem and Saugus are “sister parks”, and they had had a staff event over lunch. I had seen a crowd of park rangers and staff back at Salem behind the Customs House but did not put 2 and 2 together until talking with the three rangers at Saugus. They had just returned. The timing was perfect since I was then able to buy a lapel pin for Saugus.

Deer Island was my destination to access Boston Harbor Islands NRA. Traffic was bad, at least in my opinion. I guess if you get used to it, it becomes your norm. Narrow streets and plenty of turns finally had me at the entrance to the island. The main occupant on the island is a wastewater treatment facility. You have to park your car at the entrance, then walk around the perimeter of the island on a designated path. The view of downtown Boston is great, as long as there is no haze. And the neck of land which connects the island to the mainland is prime space for Logan International Airport. Planes of all shapes, sizes, and airlines kept flying in for landing. It is possible to see a few of the 30+ islands in the harbor from Deer Island. They all require a boat to access their beaches and lighthouses. I guess you could swim if you wanted. Anyway, a short walk on the island and that was the extent of my experience.