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No historic building in Concord is more important to the American Revolution than the Wright Tavern. Two pivotal events took place here in 1774 and 1775. First, the new Provincial Congress of Massachusetts convened in Concord on Oct. 11, 1774, in defiance of the Crown’s authority, and key committees met at the Tavern to prepare for the looming confrontation with the British. The second event occurred on the historic morning of April 19, 1775 when Concord’s Minute Men assembled at the Wright Tavern ready to defend their town. After the Minute Men left to join a larger patriot force, British troops moved in and established their own headquarters in the Wright Tavern.

In 1882, two leading Concord citizens, Judge Ebenezer Hoar and Reuben Rice, purchased the Wright Tavern, and in 1885 they donated it to First Parish in Concord to preserve it as a historic site. The Wright Tavern is still owned by First Parish in Concord, Unitarian Universalist, and managed by its Trustees of Parish Donations.

In 1961 the Wright Tavern was officially designated a National Historic Landmark. At that time, Secretary of the Interior Fred Seaton described the Wright Tavern as “an historical site of exceptional value in commemorating and illustrating the history of the United States.”

It is time to elevate the property to the next level of preservation and broaden public access to the site. This special Concord building is a unique part of the story of the beginnings of the American Revolution and the heritage of the American people.

(Adapted from ”Concord’s best-kept secret: The Wright Tavern” by Melvin H. Bernstein, in the Concord Journal, May 12, 2015)