Nathan Meriam House at Minute Man National Historical Park

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The Nathan Meriam House is located in the Battle Road Unit of Minute Man National Historical Park at Meriam’s Corner. It is one of eleven houses within the park that existed when the Battles of Lexington and Concord took place on April 19, 1775. The National Park Service calls it a “witness house,” so other than being old and standing on the grounds of the battlefield, there is nothing special about it—no famous people lived here and no historic events took place inside. The house is not open to the public, but you can stop by to see it. A modern restroom building is located on the backside.

If visiting by vehicle, a parking lot is located on Lexington Road near the corner of Old Bedford Road. To reach the house, follow the Battle Road Trail to the west for a quarter mile (if you are looking at the road, the trail is at the right side of the parking lot). Also park here if you plan to hike or bike the Battle Road Trail, though remember, the official start is at the house.

The Meriam House was built around 1705 by Joseph Meriam. It was home to Nathan Meriam, Joseph’s son, in 1775 when the fighting took place, thus the name. It remained in the family until 1871, at which time the property was sold to Thomas Burke. Two generations of Burkes owned the house. During their tenure a fire broke out (1925), which prompted a renovation that included many alterations that still survive. Other modifications had been made before and after the fire by various owners, so the house standing today is not what it looked like when built.

The Burkes sold the house and farm to James Ingraham in 1951, and it was Ingraham from whom the National Park Service acquired it in 1987 for inclusion in Minute Man National Historical Park. The government forced the sale using eminent domain, though they paid $600,000 and allowed Mr. Ingraham, whose wife had died earlier, to live in the house until his death. He moved away in 1990 and died a year later.

The Nathan Meriam House’s claim to fame is that it is located where the heavy fighting during the Battles of Lexington and Concord began. Around noon, after completing their search in Concord for weapons, British soldiers began their 18-mile march back to Boston. They were followed by the militiamen from Concord who shot at them from a distance to avoid being shot themselves. Much of the area was farmland, so there were no trees to hide behind. While this tactic certainly harassed the British, from this range the muskets were highly inaccurate, so hitting somebody was just a matter of luck. (There is a misconception that the militia took cover behind the stone walls that lined the road, but that would be like hiding behind guardrails along a modern highway, and they would very likely get shot just getting to that position.)

In the meantime, more Patriot militiamen were gathering at various bottlenecks along Battle Road to set up ambushes, the first being at Meriam’s Corner where the British had to cross a small bridge. Militiamen waited on the north side of the road, some using the Meriam House and barn as cover along with other structures in the densely (for the time) populated area.

On the open road, most of the soldiers marched in a column five-men wide, while other troops known as flankers fanned out like wings of a bird to protect the column by keeping the Patriots out of accurate range. Of course, at a bridge the flankers had to join the main column so they could cross as well, which allowed the Patriots to come closer. The fighting began around 12:30 PM, and when done, two British soldiers were dead and six wounded. The Patriots had no casualties. This began a running battle that lasted for over six hours all the way back to Boston, a distance of sixteen more miles.

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