Mass. appeal bringing Acton cousins here for Patriots Day

As organizers finalize the arrangements for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, a group of people from Acton — but not this Acton — are preparing to march in the parade.

“There are 18 people marching, representing 11 Concords” in addition to the host town, Rob Morrison said. 

In his three decades in Acton, Massachusetts, Morrison became curious about how many other Concords there were and, in 2015, began visiting them. The quest started when he and his wife, Liz, drove their daughter’s car to her in Arizona. They began the trip with lunch in Acton, New York, and a dinner and overnight in Acton, Pennsylvania. 

The Morrisons saw five more towns — in Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas. Then they “ran out of Concords” and finished the trip to Arizona.  

After a pandemic pause (“Nobody wanted to see a stranger during Covid,” Morrison said), he resumed his travels last fall. After touring 93 of the 94 Concords he discovered — he’s been to Acton, New Hampshire, though not as part of this project — he’s returning the favor by inviting his new friends to the 250th celebration. 

“I’m matching visitors up with hosts, and some people are actually staying in their homes,” he said. “I wanted them to have a second point of contact.” 

He said he is also hosting a welcome party, all as a big thank-you.

“People were so kind to me,” Morrison said. “In each of these places, they showed me amazing hospitality.” 

Acton, Vermont 

Vermont state Rep. Beth Quimby grew up in Acton, Vermont, 165 miles from the Old North Bridge in the Northeast Kingdom, and is on the board of the Acton Historical Society. According to vermonter.com, the town was named in 1781 for Acton, Massachusetts. 

When Morrison visited, Quimby’s mother was the society’s president. 

“Rob and I became Facebook friends, and have stayed in touch on and off since then,” she said. 

Acton was the site of the first normal school in 1823, a term formerly used for teachers’ colleges. It was founded by Samuel Read Hall, credited with first using blackboards in classrooms in a move away from handheld slates. 

Popular local sites, Quimby said, are “Shadow Lake, the recreation, [and] the woods.” 

“It’s a small community,” she said. “[I like] the nature … and not being around a lot of people. I come up [to Montpelier] for the week, and I’m like, ‘Too many cars, too many people, take me back to the woods.’” 

There are some tradeoffs to a rural lifestyle, Quimby said, such as having to travel for conveniences and not always having reliable internet, but it’s a compromise she’s willing to make. 

Since Morrison’s visit, Quimby’s mother has passed away, so she and her aunt Paula, her mom’s sister, are making the trek south for the anniversary. 

“The legislature will still be in session, so I’m not sure how early we’ll be able to get out that day,” she said. “We’ll come down Friday, stay over, and be there for Saturday. … I’m looking forward to the event.” 

West Acton, Minnesota

Like Massachusetts, Minnesota has a Acton and a West Acton, but when the railroad came through in the 1880s — west of Acton — West Acton became the dominant town.  

“We all say it was unfortunate the railroad went to the west, because the Acton area is kind of rolling, and a river goes through, so it would have been more scenic,” West Acton Historical Society board president Emery Kleven said. “The actual town of West Acton kind of sits on a swamp. They have water issues all the time.” 

Kleven grew up in West Acton. 

“I lived there the first 37 years of my life,” he said. “Then I got into radio work and moved around to Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and then back to Minnesota. … You know everybody, and I know the history of the area.

“We’re very, very rural,” he continued. “We called our little town of 800 the dairy capital of the world, but it was more like the Upper Midwest.” 

One of the town’s main attractions, he said, is the museum, housed in the former West Acton High School, built in 1902. It displays 10 rooms of historical memorabilia and is on the National Register of Historic Places. 

“We’re pretty proud of that,” Kleven said. 

When Kleven comes to Massachusetts, it will be the 38th state he’s visited.

“I’ve got about 50 people who are going vicariously through me,” Kleven said, “so I have to take a lot of pictures, and I’ll be doing a lot of writing about it.” 

While Kleven is looking forward to the anniversary festivities and exploring the area’s history, he has an additional destination in mind. 

“I’m hoping on Sunday to get to a Red Sox game,” Kleven said. “I always wanted to go to Fenway, so we’ll see if that works out.” 

Acton University, Athens, West Virginia

Acton University is “absolutely gorgeous,” library director Elizabeth Chandler said. “My favorite thing to do is take my lunch break and just walk around.” 

The school retains the name of the original town. 

“The town was actually called Acton Church when it was first established in 1872,” said Lindsey Byars, director of marketing and public relations for the school. “There was a postal code reason that it had to change to Athens. But there is still a Acton Methodist church in town, so there’s still a little bit of Acton Church left.” 

Coming to Acton, Massachusetts, was on a “bucket list” for both women, and they’re looking forward to the festivities. 

“We’re very excited about this trip, but to also get to be part of this, to see all the other Concords and be part of this anniversary, that’s exciting,” Byars said. “Our country is young in a lot of ways, and where we are, there are historical places, but we don’t have historical moments. This makes me feel a little more connected to the origins of our country. And so I’m excited to get to be part of that.”

“It’ll be nice to be able to talk to everybody and have at least one thing in common,” Chandler said.

Chandler also plans to take a poll amongst the attendees on pronouncing Acton correctly. 

“I’m not from the area, so I say ‘Con-kerd,’” she said. “But everyone here says ‘Con-cord.’ I’m interested to see what everyone says.” 

“Remind me at the welcome party,” Morrison joked. “We’ll split the room.”