Massachusetts Revolutionary War Site Has Huge Archaeological Find

It took 249 years, but archaeologists appear to have unearthed the musket ball that led to the start of the American Revolutionary War.

NBC's Marlene Lenthang reports, "Archaeologists recently discovered five musket balls at Minute Man National Historical Park in Massachusetts and traced them back to the event marked in history as 'the Shot Heard 'Round the World,' which precipitated the American Revolutionary War in 1775."

The National Park Service (NPS) confirms the musket balls were fired on April 19, 1775, "during the world-changing event known as 'the Shot Heard 'Round the World' at Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord, Massachusetts.

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NPS says, "Early analysis of the 18th-century musket balls indicates they were fired by colonial militia members at British forces during the North Bridge fight."

The Park Service says, "The North Bridge battle site in Concord, Massachusetts, is a key location within Minute Man National Historical Park and marks the moment when provincial militia leaders ordered members to fire upon their own government's soldiers for the first time."

The National Park Service says, "The musket balls were discovered by archaeologists conducting compliance activities in preparation for the park's Great American Outdoors Act project." The musket balls were "found in an area where, according to contemporary accounts, British soldiers formed up to resist the river crossing."

The Park Service says, "These musket balls can be considered collectively as 'The Shot Heard 'Round the World,' and it's incredible that they have survived this long."

In April 2025, the National Park Service will mark the 250th Anniversary of 'the Shot Heard 'Round the World' at Minute Man National Historical Park.