Politics & Government
Minute Man NHP Reopens After Government Shutdown Ends
More than two-dozen Minute Man employees had been furloughed, the parking gates locked and ranger-led interpretation programs cancelled during the 16-day government shutdown.
Minute Man National Historical Park re-opened Thursday morning after President Barack Obama and Congress ended the 16-day government shutdown that prompted closures of historic sites and furloughs for federal employees.
Following the Oct. 1 shutdown, 27 Minute Man employees were furloughed, the parking gates locked, ranger-led interpretation programs cancelled and the visitors centers, restrooms, Hartwell Tavern and other sites all closed.
More than two weeks later, all of the grounds, Hartwell Tavern, both Visitor Centers -- at the North Bridge in Concord and along Route 2A at the Lexington-Lincoln line -- reopened Thursday morning, and all advertised programs resumed as previously scheduled, according to Lou Sideris, the park's chief of planning and communications.
The shutdown, which took effect at midnight on Oct. 1, came at the start of one the three busiest months for Minute Man, which preserves America's revolutionary history along the Battle Road in Concord, Lincoln and Lexington. Between school field trips, tourists and leaf peepers, the park draws up to 4,000 guests per day in October.
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