Buttrick Gardens Tour

This event is sold out, please consider the following:

• Join the waitlist. We often have cancellations and release tickets to the waitlist.
• Join us for the online garden lecture on July 23st at 7:00 via Zoom. Register here.
• Schedule a private tour for groups by contacting director@friendsofminuteman.org.

Join us for a free 45-minute tour of the Buttrick Gardens at Minute Man National Historical Park. Kathleen Fahey, Executive Director of the Friends of Minute Man, will discuss the history and preservation of these beautiful gardens. We’ll find shady spots to view the plantings and historic images of the gardens.

Beginning in 1911, two generations of the Buttrick family tended and enlarged the formal gardens until 1962, when the National Park Service purchased the property. Stewards of the land since the colonial period, the Buttrick family was proud that their gardens stood near the historic muster fields of April 19, 1775. The eclectic gardens feature viewing terraces, steps leading down to the Concord River, elegant wrought ironwork, and brick, bluestone, and cobblestone walkways. Framed by ornamental trees and shrubs, the garden beds contain the Buttrick family’s award-winning iris and daylilies, colorful spring bulbs, and perennials that bloom from spring to fall.

Before joining the Friends of Minute Man in 2019, Kathleen Fahey spent over 20 years as a material culture historian at local historical sites and has a background in landscape and garden history.

Tours are rain or shine, so bring an umbrella if needed! However, for thunderstorms, we'll meet inside the North Bridge Visitor Center. Free parking is available at 174 Liberty Street, Concord, MA. Wear sturdy shoes as we'll walk on some uneven grass and stone surfaces as well as one small staircase.

Free and open to the public; registration is required as limited spots are available. Sorry, we are not able to accommodate groups on this free public tour. To schedule a private tour for groups, please contact Kathleen Fahey at director@friendsofminuteman.org.

To donate to the Buttrick Gardens, please visit our garden webpage.

Buttrick Garden tours are sponsored by Friends of Minute Man, Minute Man National Historical Park, National Park Foundation, Save Our Heritage, Foundation for MetroWest, Robinson+Cole, Freedom's Way National Heritage Area, Carleton-Willard Village, Tough Ruck, Middlesex Savings Bank, Marquis Tree Service, and the Garden Club of Concord.

The May tour is offered in partnership with Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area’s Hidden Treasures Festival of Nature, Culture & History.