House of Colonel James Barrett in Minute Man National Historical Park
The reason British soldiers marched to Concord on the night of April 18, 1775, was to seize a cache of weapons being stored on the farm of Colonel James Barrett. However, after searching the house, barn, and mill that was on the property, no weapons were found. Just as the British had spies who informed them of the weapons, the Patriots had spies who informed them that the British would be coming. By the morning of April 19th, all weapons had been moved elsewhere.
After nearly 250 years, the Barrett Farmhouse still stands and can be seen at 448 Barretts Mill Road, two miles from Minute Man National Historical Park’s North Bridge Visitor Center. There is a driveway on the east side of the house that serves multiple residences, but you can park in the grass next to the house. When I visited, it wasn’t even identified—I took a picture of an old house hoping for the best and got lucky—so be sure you know what to look for before driving out to see it. The house is rarely open to the public, so all you can do is take a look from the outside. In truth, because there is nothing else to see in the area, unless the Barrett House is on your Bucket List, there’s not much point in the trip.
Humphrey Barrett, the grandfather of James Barrett, purchased the farm property in 1684. James inherited a portion of the farm from his father in 1728. The house was already on the property, having been built in 1705 by his father. The original was remodeled and new additions were added numerous times to create the structure now standing.
The property remained in the Barrett Family until 1905 when it was sold to the McGrath Family. It was from Michael McGrath (grandson of the original owner) that the house was purchased in 2003 by the preservation group Save Our Heritage. After a multi-year restoration project, it was acquired by the National Park Service in 2012 for inclusion in Minute Man National Historical Park. The house is only open to the public on rare occasions, perhaps a couple of times each year. The best way to find out about the next scheduled open house is to call Minute Man National Historical Park at (978) 369-6993. You can also check the National Park Service’s Calendar web page. Search for “James Barrett” using the Keyword search function. You can also get information about the house on the Save Our Heritage website.
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Last updated on September 4, 2023
