Concord: The Heart of Transcendentalism
"The marble walk that leads up to [Emerson's] door has
been trodden by the feet of many pilgrims from all parts of the world, drawn
thither by their love and reverence for him. In that famous study, his
townspeople have had the privilege of seeing many of the great and good men and
women of our time, and learning of their gracious host the finest lessons of
true courtesy. I have often seen him turn from distinguished guests, to say a
wise or kindly word to some humble worshipper sitting modestly in a corner,
content merely to look and listen, and who went away to cherish that memorable
moment long and gratefully."
~Louisa May Alcott, from an article in The Youth's Companion
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While much of the exchange between the Transcendentalists occurred in Boston, without a doubt the heart of the movement was in the nearby small town of Concord. Located just twenty miles west of Boston, Concord was the birthplace for Henry David Thoreau and a long-time home for members of Ralph Waldo Emerson's extended family. Having spent boyhood summers in the town, Emerson settled here as an adult. The Hawthornes and Alcotts also lived in the small town for some years. By the 1850s, Concord had become a pilgrimage destination, as people from all over the United States—and indeed the world—came to pay homage to the great sage, Ralph Waldo Emerson. This timeline of events provides an excellent overview of the Transcendentalist movement in Concord. To visualize the area, see this excellent collection of historical maps of Concord. Right: Map of Concord (Library of Congress Geography and Maps Division). |
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Earlier in its history, Concord had been the site of the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Visitors to Concord should consider the factors that contributed to the small town's emergence as a crucial place in American history and culture. Useful in getting oriented in Concord is the Minute Man National Historical Park. To explore Concord with more "virtual depth," see the back issues of Concord Magazine. And before you take an actual trip to Concord, be sure you can talk like a local! Take a look at two "virtual booklets": Concord in Images and Nature in Concord. Left: Concord River from the North Bridge (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection, det 4a22974). |
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Without a doubt, the place to stop in Concord is the Concord Museum, built on part of the Emerson apple orchard. Here visitors can see Emerson's study, brought in full from the Emerson House (across the street from the museum), as well as Thoreau's desk, walking stick, and bedstead from his cabin at Walden Pond. Left: "Henry David Thoreau" (Richard Smith, center), with Shepherd College class, Concord Museum, Concord, Massachusetts (collection of Linda Tate). |
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The most famous home within
Concord proper is the home Nathaniel Hawthorne dubbed "The
Old Manse." Inhabited by several generations of ministers in
Emerson's family, the Old Manse was both the
home of Ralph Waldo Emerson and, later, Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife,
Sophia Peabody Hawthorne.
Visitors can learn more about the Old Manse by watching this 11-minute
video about the house. |
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Located nearby is Orchard House,
where the Bronson
Alcott family lived for some time. Orchard House is open to the
public, and visitors—including cyber visitors—can tour the rooms of Orchard
House. The rooms still feature daughter May Alcott's drawings. Because the
family had little money for art supplies, the Alcotts allowed their gifted
daughter to draw directly on the walls. The drawings are still preserved
exactly as May first drew them. Particularly notable in this family were the father, Bronson
Alcott, and his daughter, Louisa
May Alcott, called by one source the "daughter
of the
Transcendentalists." Left, top: Orchard House (photo by Catherine Hall). Left, bottom: School of Philosophy (photo by Catherine Hall). |
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After leaving the Old Manse, Emerson established his own home in Concord. It was here that many visitors came to talk with the great founder of Transcendentalism. Margaret Fuller, the leading woman in the Transcendentalist movement and the editor of the Transcendentalist magazine, The Dial, said this in an 1842 letter to Emerson: "I like to be in your library when you are out of it. It seems a sacred place. I came here to find a book, that I might feel more life and be worthy to sleep, but there is so much soul here I do not need a book. . . ." Left: Emerson House, Concord, Massachusetts (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection, LC-D4-11360 DLC). |
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No visit to Concord would be complete without a trip to Author's Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Here, travelers can visit the graves of Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau, and the Alcotts, among others. Read Lizzie's poem, "Sleepy Hollow Cemetery." Left: Emerson's grave (photo by Anna Hughes). |