Concord Monument Square-Lexington Road Historic District

This compact district in the center of Concord, Massachusetts, covers about 46 acres along Monument Square, the town green, and Lexington Road. It holds a green, churches, an early burying ground, the Colonial Inn, and a street of mostly 18th-century houses, with later Greek Revival, Italianate, and Second Empire buildings blending in. Concord was settled in 1635, and Lexington Road served as the town's commercial center in the 1700s. Wright's Tavern hosted local resisters on the eve of April 19, 1775, and British troops occupied it the next day. The Peter Bulkeley House held prisoners during the British occupation. In the 1800s the area was home to Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, the Alcotts, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. In 1923 the Concord Art Association moved into the John Ball House, adding an artistic chapter. Most properties remain in excellent condition and in everyday use.