The houses at 69 Lexington Road in Concord, around 1895-1905. Image courtesy of the Boston Public Library.
The scene in 2023:
These two photos show the house at 69 Lexington Road in Concord, which was discussed in more detail in a previous post. It was likely built around the 1720s, and was originally much smaller. Over the course of the 18th century it was used as a shop by several different saddlers, most notably Reuben Brown, who lived in the adjacent house just to the right of the shop. On April 19, 1775, during the first day of fighting in the American Revolution, his shop was raided by British soldiers, who helped themselves to saddles and other leather goods. They also set fire to the shop, although it was quickly extinguished.
Around the 1850s, the building was expanded and converted into a residence. During the second half of the 19th century, it was owned by George and Julia Clark, who lived in this house and operated a boarding house here and also at 77 Lexington Road. Julia died in 1899, and the top photo was probably taken around this time, likely sometime between 1895 and 1905. The house has remained a private residence since then, with few exterior changes aside from the removal of the shutters, as shown in the bottom photo.