Callers on hold get taste of Concord history

Residents waiting to talk to the tax collector, building inspector or another Concord town employee may learn something about local history while they are on hold.

The town recently introduced a seven-minute recorded loop that covers an array of notable Concord personages and events, including the formation of the Concord Minutemen in 1774, the battle of Concord a year later, the creation of the town’s first ironworks in the 17th century, and Henry David Thoreau’s time spent in a tiny cabin at Walden Pond.

“I have three chairs in my house: one for solitude, two for friendship, and three for society,” a narrator in the voice of Thoreau intones.

Another segment deals with Ephraim Bull, who developed the Concord grape. The new breed of grape, according to a narrator, “was very successful, but when [Bull] tried to market it, others sold it for their profit. He died an impoverished man. On his gravestone, it says, ‘he sowed, but others reaped.’”

The recording starts at a random spot when someone is put on hold, according to Anna Trout, the senior administrative assistant who wrote the script for the recording. Richard Reine, the public works director, suggested the idea.

The town archivist, Leslie Wilson, reviewed the script for accuracy, Trout said. Accompanying music includes a fife-and-drum version of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and Americana tunes derived from  the country’s indigenous traditions.

The entire recording loop can be heard by going to www.concordma.gov and clicking on “About Concord.”

Previously, people on hold heard what Town Manager Christopher Whelan described as “cheerful jazz.”

“Some people found it offensive and said they’d rather have silence than Muzak,” Whelan said.