Concord, Massachusetts: A Literary House Museum Travel Guide

The city of Concord, Massachusetts boasts of the being the most historic city in America. Most people know of Concord's place in the American Revolutionary War, the Battle at the North Bridge and the Shot Heard Round the World. But what many people don't know is that Concord has an equally strong literary history. From Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau to Louisa May Alcott and Nathanial Hawthorne, Concord has been home to and has influenced some of the greatest writers in American letters. And fortunately, for us, their homes survive today and are open to the public.

Old Manse Built in 1770 by William Emerson (grandfather of Ralph Waldo Emerson) next to the Concord Bridge (where the famous Revolutionary War battle was fought on April 19, 1775), the Old Manse would become the first home of Nathaniel and Sofia Hawthorne. The newlyweds rented the house in 1842 and lived there for three years. At the time, the Hawthornes' landlord was Ralph Waldo Emerson, himself, and one of their wedding presents was a vegetable garden sowed by none other than Henry David Thoreau. There are two notes scratched into the windows by Sofia Hawthorne, using her diamond ring. The house is located at 269 Monument Street, Concord, Massachusetts. Admission is $7.50

The Wayside This quixotic home, once the home of Louisa May Alcott in her early youth, was the only house Nathanial Hawthorne ever owned. He purchased the house from the Alcotts in 1852 and would live there till his death. Hawthorne was constantly doing work on the property, much of it not making very much sense. (Hawthorne was always complaining about the building contractors he hired.) The house is located at 455 Lexington Road, Concord, Massachusetts.

Orchard House Next to the Wayside is Orchard House, the home of the Alcott family, and the house in which Louisa May Alcott penned her classic Little Women. It is said that walking through the house today is like walking through the novel. The house gets its name from the vast apple orchards which once surrounded the house. The house is located at 399 Lexington Road, Concord, Massachusetts. Admission is $8.

Ralph Waldo Emerson House This house was built in 1829 in the style typical to Concord in the day and was purchased six years later by Ralph Waldo Emerson on the occasion of his second marriage. Known as the "Sage of Concord," Emerson wrote two of his most famous essays here, "American Scholar" and "Self Reliance." The Emerson House, at the urging of Emerson himself, became an artistic salon, hosting all kinds of writers, painters, and philosophers. Bronson Alcott and Henry David Thoreau were the two most popular visitors. Emerson lived in this house till his death in 1882. The house is located at 28 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, Massachusetts. Admission is $7.

Thoreau's Cabin at Walden Pond The experience of living two years (1845-1847) in this self-made cabin, which according to Thoreau's own calculation cost $28.12, near the shores of Walden Pond, provided the material for Henry David Thoreau to produce his seminal work, Walden. Today, Thoreau is considered the godfather of the American Green movement. The cabin on display today is a 100% replica and cost a lot more that $28.12 to construct, but it has been built with the visitor in mind. The Walden Woods Project operates the site today and offers a variety of free tours of the woods (including Thoreau's Cabin). Motorized vehicles, however, must pay fees up to $10. The formal entrance is located at 915 Walden Street, Concord, Massachusetts.