Informative exhibits tell the story of Concord, incorporating artifacts, murals, films, and maps. Originally a Native American settlement, whose tribes lived along the languid Concord River and shared the Algonquian dialect, Concord later became a U.S. Revolutionary War battleground. Still later, it was a literary and intellectual center with a thriving clock-making industry. Many museum displays focus on the big names: You’ll see one of the lanterns Longfellow immortalized in “Paul Revere’s Ride” (“one if by land, and two if by sea”), the contents of Emerson’s study, and a large collection of Thoreau’s belongings. The period furniture and embroidery samplers offer a look at people’s daily lives.