The Friends of Minute Man National Park is pleased to announce that we have secured two significant grants for the Buttrick Gardens. A $100,000 grant from the Concord Community Preservation Fund will preserve and rehabilitate the hardscape of the historic gardens while a $5000 grant from the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area will allow us to add interpretive signage to the landscape. The Buttrick Gardens are adjacent to the North Bridge Visitor Center at the Minute Man National Historical Park and date back to 1911.
The hardscape preservation project will include resetting and repair of the brick, bluestone, and cobble pathways as well as the reconstruction of the stairway leading to the sunken garden. The addition of interpretive signage will provide educational text and lively images, providing an opportunity for visitors to learn more about the historic garden and the natural landscape. Enjoyed by visitors from near and far, the funds will allow us to improve both the safety and appearance of this historic garden.
Park Superintendent BJ Dunn notes that “the National Park Service is extremely grateful to the Friends of Minute Man National Park for taking on this project and to the Town of Concord and Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area for these generous grants. The Buttrick Gardens are the setting for hundreds of thousands of visitors annually who wander through them to the lower terrace to view the North Bridge.”
The hardscape preservation and interpretive signage projects are slated to begin in 2021 and will involve periodic closings of the garden to visitors.
For more information please contact Kathleen Fahey, Executive Director of the Friends of Minute Man at director@friendsofminuteman.org.