{"nrhp_refnum":"66000767","name":"Lexington Green","other_names":["See Also: Lexington Green Historic District","Lexington Common","Battle Green"],"category":"site","location":{"address":"Massachusetts and Hancock Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lexington","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.44951918500004,"lon":-71.23127231027188,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1961-01-20","areas_of_significance":["Military"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2.5-acre triangular public green, also called Lexington Common or Battle Green, bounded by Massachusetts Avenue, Harrington Road and Bedford Street in Lexington, Massachusetts. The Town of Lexington acquired it in two parcels in 1711 and 1722.","why_significant":"The Green was the site of the brief skirmish on April 19, 1775 between Lexington Minute Men and British troops. Eight Americans were killed and ten wounded, and the encounter is described as the start of the armed struggle for American independence. Monuments on the Green commemorate the event.","narrative":"Lexington Green is a triangular, 2.5-acre public park in Lexington, Massachusetts, bounded by Massachusetts Avenue, Harrington Road and Bedford Street. The town bought 1.5 acres in 1711 and another acre in 1722 for a common and militia training field. On the morning of April 19, 1775, about 75 local militia under Captain John Parker faced a British advance guard led by Major John Pitcairn. A shot was fired, the British delivered a volley, and eight Americans were killed and ten wounded. The clash delayed the march toward Concord by little more than half an hour but opened the Revolutionary War. Today the Green holds several memorials: Henry Hudson Kitson's Minute Man statue, dedicated in 1900; a plaque marking the belfry site; a boulder marking the east end of the militia line; and a granite obelisk of 1799 over the tomb of seven of the dead. The Green is now owned and maintained by the Town.","period_of_significance":"18th Century (specific dates 1711 and 1722; April 19, 1775)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Maintained by the Town as a public park and memorial; condition marked good, altered, on its original site, and open to the public without restriction.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 01:59:02.10933-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/65/7937/63793765/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/66000767_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000767/02d6f0d576-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000767/02d6f0d576-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lexington_Battle_Green,_Lexington_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lexington_Battle_Green,_Lexington_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793765","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexington_Battle_Green","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4257679"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/lexington-green-66000767/"}