Lexington, town, Middlesex County, eastern Massachusetts; incorporated 1713. It is primarily a residential suburb, located northwest of Boston. Of interest are the American Revolution battle site and monument (1799) on the town green; numerous historical buildings, including several dating from the 1690s; the Museum of Our National Heritage, with library and archive; and Minute Man National Historical Park (which also includes areas in Concord and Lincoln). The community was settled about 1640. The first skirmish of the American Revolution took place at Lexington, on April 19, 1775. A British force of about 800, marching from Boston to seize colonial arms at Concord, was met here by about 70 minutemen, who had been alerted to their approach by the American patriot Paul Revere. Shooting broke out, and eight minutemen were killed, including the commander, Captain John Parker. In 1839 the first public normal (teacher training) school in the U.S. was opened in Lexington; it later became Framingham State College (located in Framingham, Massachusetts). The town is named for Lexington (since renamed Laxton) in England. Population 29,479 (1980); 28,974 (1990); 28,974 (1996 estimate).
