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52-531: There were at least eight iterations of the North Bridge constructed over four centuries. The current wooden pedestrian bridge, an approximate replica of the bridge that stood at the time of the battle, was built in 1956 and extensively restored in 2005. The bridge and the surrounding 114 acres of land make up what is known as the North Bridge unit of the Minute Man National Historical Park and

104-479: A considerably large freshet due to Tropical Storm Agnes , resulting in flooding and increased sedimentation in Chesapeake Bay. At the peak of the flood on June 24, 1972, the instantaneous peak flow was greater than 32,000 cubic metres per second (1,100,000 cu ft/s), and at the mouth of the river, the concentration of suspended solids was greater than 10,000 milligrams per liter. In southwestern Japan

156-513: A longer period of time and thus do not contribute to major flooding. Serious flooding from freshets in southern US states are more often related to rain storms of large tropical weather systems rolling in from the South Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico , to add their powerful heating capacity to lesser snow packs. Tropically induced rainfall influenced quick melts can also affect snow cover to latitudes as far north as southern Canada, so long as

208-560: A more substantial granite marker inscribed with a stanza from James Russell Lowell's 1849 poem, "Lines, Suggested By the Graves of Two English Soldiers On Concord Battle-Ground:" They came three thousand miles and died To keep the past upon its throne: Unheard, beyond the ocean tide, Their English Mother made her moan. After President Ford 's speech during the United States Bicentennial in 1975, Sir Peter Ramsbotham ,

260-402: A new bridge several hundred yards downriver of the North Bridge, making the latter obsolete. The road was diverted to the new bridge and the old road over the North Bridge was abandoned by the town. That same year, the town authorized Elisha Jones to tear down the North Bridge. For the next 82 years, no bridge stood at the site. In 1874, as plans developed for the celebration of the centennial of

312-630: Is 109 feet and 8 inches long between abutments . Construction was completed in September 1956 and dedicated on September 29, 1956 by Governor Herter. In 1959, the bridge and surrounding land became part of the Minute Man National Historical Park. When the park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, the bridge was listed as "a contributing structure which illustrates the continuing commemorative importance of

364-523: Is managed by the National Park Service . It is a popular tourist destination. The Town of Concord was settled in 1635. Over the next two decades, colonial settlers established farms in the north quarter of the town. Many of these farms lay on the opposite side of the Concord River from the town center. To facilitate travel from their farms to the town, north quarter land owners built a bridge over

416-660: Is rapid, flooding can be more intense. In areas where freshets dominate the hydrological regime , such as the Fraser River Basin in British Columbia , the timing of freshets is critical. In the Fraser River Basin, the annual freshet was observed 10 days earlier in 2006 compared to 1949. In these areas, earlier freshets can result in low flow conditions later in the summer or fall. Freshets may also occur due to rainfall events. Significant rainfall events can saturate

468-557: Is regarded as one of the most significant events in American history. In 1788, a new bridge was constructed to replace the 1760 structure which had been in place during the battle. As with prior iterations, those with farms adjacent to the bridge paid for the replacement. In 1788 these included Captain David Brown, Lieutenant Elisha Jones, and Colonel John Buttrick, all of whom had fought at the North Bridge in 1775. In 1793, Concord constructed

520-628: Is true under La Niña conditions. Runoff from freshets is a major contributor of nutrients to lakes. In La Niña conditions with stronger freshets, higher runoff, and high nutrient inputs, more positive ecological indicator species ( Arcellacea ) are present in lakes, indicating lower levels of ecological stress. In El Niño conditions, smaller freshets contribute less runoff and result in lower nutrient inputs to lakes and rivers. In these conditions, fewer positive ecological indicator species are present. Migratory fish, such as salmon and trout , are highly responsive to freshets. In low flows present at

572-635: The British Ambassador to the United States , laid a wreath on the graves of British soldiers buried at the foot of the bridge. Minute Man National Historical Park Minute Man National Historical Park commemorates the opening battle in the American Revolutionary War . It also includes the Wayside , home in turn to three noted American authors. The National Historical Park is under

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624-564: The snowpack melts in the river's watershed . Freshets can occur with differing strength and duration depending upon the depth of the snowpack and the local average rates of warming temperatures. Deeper snowpacks which melt quickly can result in more severe flooding . Late spring melts allow for faster flooding; this is because the relatively longer days and higher solar angle allow for average melting temperatures to be reached quickly, causing snow to melt rapidly. Snowpacks at higher altitudes and in mountainous areas remain cold and tend to melt over

676-666: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts undertook construction of a new bridge. The state engaged the architectural firm of Whitman and Howard to design the new bridge. Working for that firm, architect Howard Perkins was responsible for drafting the plans. Perkins closely examined the Doolittle drawing and came up with an interpretation based on the 1760 bridge. His design featured, according to architectural conservator Judith Q. Sullivan, "an arched pile bent bridge consisting of six bents of three piles each." Perkins omitted some features evident in

728-456: The Concord River at or near this location by the early 1650s. The first mention of a bridge at this location appears in town records in 1654. The farm road crossing the bridge was later improved and came to be known as the Groton Road. Spring flooding of the river and deterioration required the replacement of the bridge approximately every 20 to 30 years. Colonial records suggest that the bridge

780-425: The Doolittle design and incorporated others not present for the sake of stability. The most prominent of these added features are the pile header beams which extend on either side of the bridge platform and the cross braces connected to them. These provide strength but also allow flexibility during floods The 1956 bridge used pressure treated wood but incorporated hand hewn timbers for an authentic appearance. The bridge

832-683: The Lexington-Concord events. An eight-minute film at the North Bridge Visitor Center provides a comprehensive account of events leading to the encounter at North Bridge. The park's lead interpreter is Jim Hollister , who joined its ranks in 2002. Freshet The term freshet is most commonly used to describe a snowmelt , an annual high water event on rivers resulting from snow and river ice melting. A spring freshet can sometimes last several weeks on large river systems, resulting in significant inundation of flood plains as

884-521: The Ohashi River runs between two brackish-water lagoons. In this river Ammonia "beccarii" forma 1 (a benthic foraminiferan) has been found to colonize these waters depending on seasonal changes in the ecosystem. These organisms have been studied prior and post freshet events, and have been found to recover even when their habitat has been diminished by physical disturbances. The freshets in winter or early spring cause rapid flooding. The water abundance due to

936-640: The Old North Bridge site. Initially, their graves were simply marked by two plain stones. Nathaniel Hawthorne , who resided at the Old Manse for a time, called these a "humbler...yet more interesting" token of the Concord Fight than the 1836 Battle Monument. In 1875, a granite slab simply inscribed, "Grave of the British Soldiers" was installed in time for the centennial. In 1910 residents of Concord placed

988-463: The battle, the Town of Concord appointed a committee to oversee the placement of a monument on the west side of the river where the first minutemen died in combat. They were also charged with rebuilding the North Bridge. The new structure would be open to foot traffic only and would serve as part of the larger memorial, providing access to the new statue and demonstrating to visitors what the area looked like on

1040-479: The centennial celebration in 1875. Daniel Chester French , then 21 years old, was engaged by the Monument Committee to sculpt a statue representing a minuteman. Although commissioned to sculpt a generic provincial soldier, French was inspired by the story of Capt. Isaac Davis of Acton, Massachusetts . Davis commanded the company which led the advance on the Old North Bridge. He was among the first killed and

1092-439: The center of the bridge covered with interwoven twigs, reminiscent of a Polynesian style. The Centennial Bridge was washed away during the spring freshet of 1888. It was replaced by a more austere bridge that same year. William R. Emerson also designed this bridge but left out the unusual decorative flourishes of his Centennial Bridge. Despite attempts to make the 1888 bridge stronger with large oak pilings and cross beams, it too

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1144-474: The century” in the areas impacted. The Fraser River in British Columbia experiences yearly freshets fed by snowmelt in the spring and early summer. The largest freshet ever experienced in the Fraser River occurred in 1894 and resulted in an estimated peak discharge of 17,000 cubic metres per second (600,000 cu ft/s) and a peak height of 11.75 metres (38.5 ft) at Hope, BC . However, due to

1196-479: The economy and agriculture of populated environments. The floods caused by high waters from the rivers have been documented to destroy historical monuments, destroy ecosystems as well as pose a great threat to any life living near the freshet event, including human life. The research of predicting the changes of water levels due to freshets have become a large topic in the scientific community due to prior and future catastrophic events. The 1997 Red River Valley Flood

1248-517: The embattled farmers stood And fired the shot heard round the world. This stanza was later etched into the pedestal of the 1875 "Minute Man" statue. The location of the 1836 Battle Monument did not sit well with some in Concord. Because there was no longer a bridge, the obelisk had been placed on the eastern bank where the British had stood during the Concord Fight. A Concord farmer named Ebenezer Hubbard

1300-518: The end of freshets, fish are more likely to ascend streams (move upstream). During high flows at the peak of a freshet, fish are more likely to descend streams. There are some species of fish that are less effected from freshets than others. Goby Pomatoschistus ssp for example, show similar patterns of migration and recover in population abundance and distribution after/during freshet conditions. The benthic-estuarine species seem to better cope with freshets, some have even showed an attraction effect due to

1352-418: The exercises. Three British soldiers were killed during the Concord Fight. They were Privates James Hall, Thomas Smith, and Patrick Gray, all of the 4th Regiment of Foot . One of these men was carried to Concord center, died and was buried there. Two others died at the bridge and were buried adjacent to a stone wall forming the boundary of the Old Manse property. It is not known which of the three are buried at

1404-456: The extent of estuarine cues. Some species are affected by the consequences of freshets more than others. This is due to multiple factors, some include, but not limited to: differentiation in species biological anatomy, previous migration patterns, mating seasons, and feeding habits. Freshets are often associated with high levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in streams and rivers. During base flows , water entering streams comes from deep in

1456-550: The first American officer killed in action during the Revolution. French attempted to model the facial features of his statue after photographs of Isaac Davis's descendants. " The Minute Man " was unveiled and dedicated during the celebrations for the centennial of the Concord Fight on April 19, 1875. President Ulysses S. Grant attended the ceremony along with the Vice President, Secretary of War, and Secretary of State. The statue

1508-534: The first day of the Revolution. The centennial version of the North Bridge, constructed in 1874, has been described as "whimsical" and overly rustic, representing a Victorian era interpretation of what a colonial bridge looked like. The architect was William Ralph Emerson, cousin to Ralph Waldo Emerson, Concord's famed writer and transcendentalist. The most unusual features of the Centennial Bridge were its two pavilions or covered arbors protruding from either side of

1560-602: The generally colder air mass is not blocking northward movement of low pressure systems. In the eastern part of the continent , annual freshets occur from the Canadian Taiga ranging along both sides of the Great Lakes then down through the heavily forested Appalachian mountain chain and St. Lawrence valley from Northern Maine and New Brunswick into barrier ranges in North Carolina and Tennessee . In

1612-434: The ground and lead to rapid inundation of streams, as well as contributing to snowmelt by delivering energy to snowpacks through advection . In the tropics, tropical storms and cyclones can lead to freshet events. The magnitude of freshets depends on snow accumulation and temperature. Smaller freshets have been associated with El Niño conditions, where the milder conditions lead to lower snow accumulations. The opposite

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1664-467: The jurisdiction of the National Park Service and protects 970 acres (392.5 ha) in and around the Massachusetts towns of Lexington , Lincoln , and Concord . Park visitor centers are located at the hill overlooking the North Bridge and along Battle Road. The main visitor center, on Route 2A/Battle Road, features a 25-minute multi-media show, "Road to Revolution" that gives a good introduction to

1716-456: The love of Freedom this Monument was erected AD. 1836." Concord dedicated the monument on Independence Day , July 4, 1837. Congressman Samuel Hoar gave the dedication address. For the occasion, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote his " Concord Hymn " which was sung by a chorus at the dedication. The first, and best known, of the four stanzas of this poem is: By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April's breeze unfurled, Here once

1768-496: The low population this flood had a minor impact compared to the second largest flood in 1948, which had a peak discharge of 15,200 cubic metres per second (540,000 cu ft/s) and a peak height of 10.97 metres (36.0 ft) at Hope, BC. The 1948 flood caused extensive damage in the lower Fraser Valley and cost 20 million dollars at the time. In 1972, the Susquehanna River which flows into Chesapeake Bay experienced

1820-421: The military Governor of Massachusetts , dispatched a force of roughly 700 British soldiers from Boston to confiscate or destroy military supplies being stockpiled in Concord by the rebellious Massachusetts Provincial Congress . On their way to Concord, this force encountered a small group of militia on Lexington Green . After a brief skirmish there, the British soldiers marched on to Concord. Soon after reaching

1872-511: The most intense conditions of freshets they have decreased oxygen levels. Artificial freshets have also been correlated with changes in migration patterns of adult Atlantic salmon. A study was conducted in southern Norway which showed significant alterations in migration distances. Comparing the data from pre-freshet, during freshet, and post-freshet the mean migration distances per hour of the salmon showed significant differences. Freshets may cause catastrophic changes to society, specifically in

1924-520: The place." In 2002, an engineering conditions assessment of the bridge was conducted and found significant deterioration. After further preservation studies, Minute Man National Historical Park embarked on an extensive restoration of the bridge in 2005. In 1835, when there was no bridge at the site, Rev. Ezra Ripley , who resided nearby at the Old Manse , donated a narrow parcel of land to the town. This parcel would allow public access from Monument Street to

1976-500: The proposed site of a monument on the east bank where the Old North Bridge had stood. The parcel included a section of the old Groton Road which once led to the bridge as well as the grave sites of two British soldiers who were killed in the fight and buried nearby the bridge. The town of Concord erected the 1836 Battle Monument (as it is now known) with funds donated by the Bunker Hill Monument Association. The obelisk

2028-478: The provincials returned fire, causing the British to immediately retreat back to Concord. Three British soldiers were killed and nine wounded. On the provincial side two were killed and four wounded. This first instance of Americans fighting in military order and firing to deadly effect on British troops was a key turning point in the Battles of Lexington and Concord. It precipitated the British retreat back to Boston and

2080-492: The soil where carbon contents are lower due to microbial digestion. During a freshet, water is more likely to run overland, where it dissolves the abundant, less degraded carbon present in the uppermost soil layers before entering streams. High dissolved organic carbon (DOC) levels lead to a decrease in the net primary productivity of the stream by enhancing heterotrophic microbial growth. Freshets have also been linked to compressing salinity gradients, increasing turbidity, and in

2132-478: The town was considering numerous landscape architectural plans to better preserve the monuments at the site and the surrounding grounds. Concord residents mounted protests, urging that the new commemorative bridge should be made of wood and not concrete. Massachusetts politicians including Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Works and future Governor John Volpe and the current Governor Christian Herter pressed for funding from Congress but this failed to pass. In 1956

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2184-497: The town, Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith sent six companies across the North Bridge to search provincial Colonel James Barrett's farm for munitions. Three of these companies went on to Barrett's farm while three, totaling roughly 90 men, held the North Bridge. These were the British light infantry companies from the 4th, 10th, and 43rd Regiments of Foot under Captain Walter Laurie. These companies initially held positions on

2236-458: The town. The provincials advanced in military order to take the bridge and moved on with the intention to stop the regulars from burning the town. As they advanced the British fired a few warning shots followed by a full volley. Several provincials were killed or wounded in this first round of firing. Seeing these casualties, Major John Buttrick of Concord, in command of the provincial column, commanded, "Fire, fellow soldiers, for God's sake fire!" and

2288-511: The western part of the continent, freshets occur throughout the generally much higher elevations of the various west coast mountain ranges that extend southward down from Alaska even into the northern parts of Arizona and New Mexico . Freshets are the result of the mass delivery of water to the landscape, either by snowmelt , heavy rains, or a combination of the two. Specifically, freshets occur when this water enters streams and results in flooding and high flow conditions. When freshets occur in

2340-418: The western side of the bridge but when the provincials advanced, they crossed the bridge and took up a position on the eastern bank. At about 9:30, the provincials noticed smoke rising in the direction of the village of Concord on the other side of the bridge. British regulars burned some wooden gun carriages they discovered there but the provincial militia beyond the bridge believed the regulars had set fire to

2392-526: The winter or early spring, the frozen ground can contribute to rapid flooding. This is because the meltwaters cannot easily infiltrate the frozen surface and instead run overland into rivers and streams, leading to a rapid flooding response. Deeper snow packs with large snow water equivalents (SWE) are capable of delivering larger quantities of water to rivers and streams, compared to smaller snowpacks , given that they reach adequate melting temperatures. When melting temperatures are reached quickly and snowmelt

2444-651: Was cast from melted down Civil War cannons at the Ames Foundry . "The Minute Man" has been used as the symbol of the United States National Guard and on coins such as the Massachusetts state quarter . On April 19, 1975, the 200th anniversary of the Concord Fight, President Gerald Ford gave a speech at the bridge and placed a wreath at the base of "The Minute Man" as part of the United States Bicentennial celebrations. A crowd of over 15,000 people attended

2496-699: Was designed by Solomon Willard and placed on the land donated by Ripley, near where the east abutment of the bridge had been. The inscription on the monument reads, "HERE On the 19 of April, 1775, was made the first forcible resistance to British aggression / On the opposite Bank stood the American Militia / Here stood the Invading Army and on this spot the first of the Enemy fell in the War of that Revolution which gave Independence to these United States / In gratitude to GOD and In

2548-440: Was likely replaced in 1660, again around 1683, again around 1710, and again in 1731. In 1760, the town constructed a new bridge at this site. This version was the one that was present during the Concord Fight on April 19, 1775. The engagement which took place at the North Bridge has historically been known as the "Concord Fight" and was a part of the larger Battles of Lexington and Concord . On April 18, 1775, General Thomas Gage ,

2600-399: Was particularly annoyed that the spot where the first Americans had lost their lives during the Concord Fight remained unmarked. Upon his death in 1870, he left the Town of Concord $ 1,000 to place a monument on the west side of the Concord River and to reconstruct the Old North Bridge to provide access to it. The residents of Concord pressed to finish both the new bridge and monument in time for

2652-478: Was the result of an exceptionally large freshet fed by large snow accumulations which melted due to rapidly warming temperatures, producing large volumes of meltwater which inundated the frozen ground. At the peak of the flood, the Red River reached a depth of 16.46 metres (54.0 ft) and a maximum discharge of 4,000 cubic metres per second (140,000 cu ft/s). This event has been referred to as “the flood of

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2704-514: Was washed out by spring floods in 1909. The bridge was replaced by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1909. The architect was Joseph R. Worcester. The bridge had the appearance of historical accuracy in that it closely resembled the bridge as depicted by Doolittle, however many disliked it due to the fact that it was made of concrete. In 1955, the 1909 concrete bridge was damaged beyond repair by flooding due to Hurricane Diane . This took place as

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