The National Park Service recently bought a single-family home next to the historic Barrett House on Barretts Mill Road. Photo: Dakota Antelman/The Concord Bridge
The National Park Service recently bought a single-family home next to the historic Barrett House on Barretts Mill Road. Photo: Dakota Antelman/The Concord Bridge

National Park Service buys home next to historic Barrett House

By Dakota Antelman — [email protected]

The National Park Service recently acquired a single-family home next to the historic Barrett House for $2.16 million, real estate records show — but what will happen to it next isn’t clear. 

The government bought the house at 474 Barretts Mill Road from Mark and Colleen Giddings on November 15.

Mark Giddings is the sitting vice chair of the Concord Planning Board. The NPS declined to share specific plans for the newly acquired property but promised a detailed announcement in April around the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution.

“This acquisition expands the acreage related to the broader Barrett Farm story, a key part of the events on April 19, 1775,” Mark Powell, a public affairs specialist at Minute Man National Historical Park, said in a statement.

In an interview with The Concord Bridge, Minute Man superintendent Simone Monteleone said the NPS is “always looking to better interpret the battlefield [and] to better interpret the stories at Minute Man National Historical Park.” 

“Properties that fall within our administrative boundary help to tell those stories,” she said.

‘Great cocktail talk’

The house that now stands at 474 Barretts Mill Road dates to 1973, according to a town database. The property was once part of the Barrett Farm, where British Regulars searched for artillery and ammunition in 1775.

Mark and Colleen Giddings bought their home in Concord in 1994. Well over 200 years after the Barrett Farm search, the subsequent battle at Old North Bridge, and the British retreat, Mark said he and Colleen appreciate the property’s historical value. 

“It makes for great cocktail talk,” he said. 

A new land acquisition next to the Barrett House in Concord comes several years after the National Park Service bought the Barrett House itself. Photo: Dakota Antelman/The Concord Bridge
A new land acquisition next to the Barrett House comes several years after the National Park Service bought the Barrett House itself. Photo: Dakota Antelman/The Concord Bridge

Over the years, the non-profit Save Our Heritage bought the neighboring Barrett House and restored it to its 18th-century appearance. In 2009, the federal government approved expanding Minute Man National Historical Park’s boundaries to include the historic farmhouse and several surrounding properties, including the Giddings’ home. 

Mark Giddings said he spoke with NPS officials before the expansion and agreed to have his property included. 

Years later, he said he and Colleen no longer need the space. “But it does break our heart [to leave],” he said.

Staying for 250

Beyond his Planning Board role, Mark and Colleen Giddings have been active in other parts of local government and community organizations. Mark said he and Colleen would love to stay in Concord, “but the town has gotten very expensive,” he said.

Mark said he does not know what the NPS plans to do with his house. As he and Colleen negotiated the sale, though, he said the government agreed to let them continue to live in their home until the end of June. This, he said, will allow them to enjoy the 250th anniversary. 

“We’ve obviously enjoyed our participation in the town,” he said, “and we wanted to be around to see how that all worked out.”

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