The positive feedback we received following the launch of our 1776 Series of finishes last week has been exciting. As promised, it is now time to announce the second collection in the 1776 Series – The Shot Heard Round the World. Here is the story behind this collection and the finishes that bring it to life in color.
The Shot Heard Round the World Collection
The phrase “The Shot Heard Round the World” signifies the supposed opening shot that started the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19th, 1775. However, it is actually part of the “Concord Hymn” written by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.
The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.
On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.
Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.
Ralph penned these lines to signify the first battle between British and American soldiers in the American Revolutionary War, the war that ultimately led to the creation of our great nation – the United States of America.
The story of “The Shot Heard Round the World” collection is honored in the 1776 Series by these wonderful finishes: Nimitz Blue, Modern Teak and Graphite Zinc.
The Nimitz Blue finish represents the uniforms worn by the brave voluntary militiamen who vowed to be ready at a minute when needed to defend our land. Silver Maple is symbolic of The American Long Rifle. Used by expert riflemen, The American Long fire was said to have terrified the Redcoats to the point that they would not stir beyond their lines. The third finish, Graphite Zinc is a reference to the colonial gunsmiths who played an important role in making and repairing colonial firearms especially when you consider that it could take up to 400 hours to create a single gun by hand.
Finishes from “The Shot Heard Round the World” collection are currently in stock and available on our Vitrabond FR aluminum composite panels. The finishes can be purchased together or separately.
