18th century door

[DanK]

This is the sort of thing I rarely do, so comments and suggestions are particularly welcome.

A little history:

The American revolution began in Lexington, MA, not far from where I live, as British troops marched from Boston to Concord, where the colonial militias had a store of gunpowder. The first shots were fired in Lexington early in the morning of April 19, 1775. The badly outnumbered colonists fared badly, suffering a number of deaths and injuries. The British then marched on to Concord, where they were turned back. On the way back, the tables were turned, as large numbers of colonists had by then arrived, some from substantial distances. (I don't know the farthest, but I know that some arrived from Hartford CT, which is 2 1/2 hours away by car). There was a series of bloody battles at various places along the route back. One was at a location called the bloody corner, where 700 British soldiers marched directly between two groups of colonists numbering about twice as many who were waiting for them.

The route between Lexington and Concord is now a national park, and a number of the farmhouses still stand. This is a door from one of them, a few minutes walk from the bloody corner.

None of which, of course, makes it a good photograph. To help people make suggestions, I did basic edits in LR. I then used Nik Color Efex for color contrast. The wood is rather drab, so I also boosted saturation, which I rarely do. I did a final sharpening with smart sharpen in photoshop.

[Wavelength]

Superb

[rachel]

I like it. (I had a phase last year when I realised I was taking lots of pictures of doors, archways and pathways and I wondered if it meant something....)

Nice to read some of the history behind it too.

[NorthernFocus]

Nicely done, Dan. I recently watched a video that was made about Lexington and Concord. Somehow in my long ago history studies I'd never gotten the part of the running battle as the British soldiers marched back to Boston. It was quite the 18th century version of Blackhawk Down.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured.

[IzzieK]

I've always been interested in historical things, antique things and all related subjects and this one is no different in my interest circle. Can I say the pp is very nice? What does the whole building looks like? What is inside that door? I like the commentary too.

[John 2]

The PP works for me Dan. You have successfully brought out the age of the door which together with the narrative makes for a successful record. Nice work.

[rpcrowe]

Very nice job on the image as well as the background story.

PP is great color, texture and perspective - which IMO is very important in an image of this type.

BTW: My wife's ancestor, Abner Hosmer was killed by the first volley fired by the Redcoats at North Bridge in Concord making him among the first casualties of the American Revolution.

He was listed as a drummer but, he was 21 years old and a fully armed Minute Man! His ancestors were among the first Puritans to settle in Massachusetts.

"MEMENTO MORI"
HERE LIES THE BODY OF MR. ABNER HOSMER,
SON OF DEA. JONA. HOSMER, AND MRS. MARTHA HIS WIFE,
WHO WAS KILLED IN CONCORD FIGHT
APRIL 19TH, 1775,
IN YE DEFENCE OF YE JUST RIGHTS OF HIS COUNTRY,
BEING IN THE 21ST YEAR OF HIS AGE.

My people emigrated from Scotland and Ireland to the American South in the early 17th through the early 18th Century...

I guess that our folks have been around here for quite a while

[DanK]

Thanks, all. Richard, thanks for the personal history. Is the headstone near the Old North Bridge? I get to Concord from time to time and will look for it.

A little more background: the North Bridge is a small bridge over the Concord River, not far from the current town center of Concord. It's where the colonists confronted the British regulars who had marched on from Lexington. As I understand it, no one knows for certain who shot first, but firing started, and the British retreated from the outnumbered colonists. They retraced their route to get back to Boston, and it was on the way back that the bloodiest fighting occurred, including the battled at Bloody Corner, near the house I photographed.

Izzie, this door was on the back of the house, in what I expect was the kitchen, which was often stuck out of the back of houses in those days. I'll post a photo of the front of the house below. I haven't had time to do any serious PP on it--I haven't decided if it is worth it--but it will show you what the house looked like.

[Mike Buckley]

The image displaying the marvelous shadows on the house is just terrific! I don't remember ever seeing an image like this but it works really well.

By the way, Benjamin Franklin was on a ship returning to America from England when the battles being discussed occurred. He had left England apparently barely in time before being arrested. One of the great questions about his life is why he stayed in England so long at the time.

[DanK]

Mike,

Thanks. This will encourage me to work on this image one of the next evenings. I'll repost it if I make progress.

Dan

[rpcrowe]

This is what I know...

"Captain Isaac Davis, Abner Hosmer, and James Hayward, the third Acton man killed in the battle , initially were buried in the old burying ground (now the Woodlawn Cemetery). On October 29 , 1851, as part of the dedication of the Acton monument, their bones were removed from the cemetery, placed in a compartmented casket, and reinterred on the Town Common. It was noted at that time that Hosmer had suffered a fatal wound to the head."

[DanK]

This is what I know...

"Captain Isaac Davis, Abner Hosmer, and James Hayward, the third Acton man killed in the battle , initially were buried in the old burying ground (now the Woodlawn Cemetery). On October 29 , 1851, as part of the dedication of the Acton monument, their bones were removed from the cemetery, placed in a compartmented casket, and reinterred on the Town Common. It was noted at that time that Hosmer had suffered a fatal wound to the head."

Hmm. I think Concord (unlike most old New England towns) no longer has something called the "town commons." However, there aren't too many places that might informally be called that. I will try to find it next time I am in the area. If I do find it, I'll post a photo.

[george013]

Very nice job on the image as well as the background story.

PP is great color, texture and perspective - which IMO is very important in an image of this type.

BTW: My wife's ancestor, Abner Hosmer was killed by the first volley fired by the Redcoats at North Bridge in Concord making him among the first casualties of the American Revolution.

He was listed as a drummer but, he was 21 years old and a fully armed Minute Man! His ancestors were among the first Puritans to settle in Massachusetts.

"MEMENTO MORI"
HERE LIES THE BODY OF MR. ABNER HOSMER,
SON OF DEA. JONA. HOSMER, AND MRS. MARTHA HIS WIFE,
WHO WAS KILLED IN CONCORD FIGHT
APRIL 19TH, 1775,
IN YE DEFENCE OF YE JUST RIGHTS OF HIS COUNTRY,
BEING IN THE 21ST YEAR OF HIS AGE.

My people emigrated from Scotland and Ireland to the American South in the early 17th through the early 18th Century...

I guess that our folks have been around here for quite a while

It's funny to see how male and female are different mentioned. The male with 2 first names(?) and his surname, and the female only with her first name.
Their son is not mentioned as being married and being a father. If so, he can't be an ancestor.

About the photo. To me it looks a little to much pp. I don't recognize the woodcolor. Maybe I'm wrong.

George

[IzzieK]

Well Dan, you certainly did a good pp on that door from the image of the whole building...I like that door better.

[rpcrowe]

Abner Hosmer is her great uncle (how many greats, I don't know) his brother Jonathan Hosmer. Jr. who was also a minute man is her great (again I am not sure how many greats that is) grandfather.