For our first literary road trip, we are going to head to the hotbed of 19th-century American writing, Concord, Massachusetts! For a small town, its literary claim is enormous. Concord was a major location for the Transcendentalist Movement, being home to authors including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Famous authors of the time, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Louisa May Alcott, also lived in Concord, as did Harriet Lothrop, who managed her late husband’s publishing company and was a writer herself. Buckle up, it’s time for our literary road trip to Concord!
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emerson moved to Concord in 1835, and it remained his primary residence for the rest of his life. His home, known as Bush, became a hub for the Transcendentalist movement. Emerson’s essays, lectures, and poems, many of which were written during his time in Concord, championed individualism, self-reliance, and a deep connection with nature, profoundly influencing American thought and literature. Emerson’s poem “Concord Hymn” was written for the dedication of the monument that commemorates the Battle of Concord.
The Battle of Concord took place near the Emerson family home, known as the Old Manse. Ralph Waldo lived there as a newlywed and wrote “Nature” there, one of his most famous works. The Old Manse today is open to the public as a museum. Emerson is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in an area known as “Author’s Ridge,” as it is the final resting place for all of the writers listed here.
Henry David Thoreau
The highly influential Henry David Thoreau also called Concord home. Thoreau’s most famous work is Walden, which he wrote about his two years living in isolation on the banks of Concord’s Walden Pond in a cabin he built. This experience formed the basis for his book, which explores themes of self-reliance, observation of nature, and societal critique. His time at Walden Pond was a deliberate experiment in minimalist living and a rejection of the materialism he observed in society. He is also famous for his essay “Civil Disobedience,” which advocates for individual resistance to unjust government actions.
His birthplace, known as the Thoreau Farm and also the Wheeler-Minot Farmhouse, is now a museum. Thoreau is the only one of the five writers born in town. Walden Pond is a popular tourist destination, not only for those on a literary road trip to Concord but also for those just enjoying the cool water and the beach in the summertime. Thoreau, like Emerson, final resting place is at Author’s Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne has connections to both Concord and Salem. Hawthorne was born in Salem in 1804. His circa 1851 novel, The House of the Seven Gables, is famously set in a gloomy, decaying mansion in Salem. It was the home of his cousin Susannah Ingersoll. Currently, the House of the Seven Gables is a museum that is open to the public and offers tours; it is located at 115 Derby Street in Salem.
Built in 1668, Hawthorne was intrigued by its history. He was fascinated by the region’s Puritan history, which was also prevalent in The Scarlet Letter. Although more associated with Salem, Hawthorne also has ties to Concord. He rented the Old Manse from 1842 to 1845 and wrote many of the stories that would be published in his collection Mosses from an Old Manse. Like Emerson and Thoreau, Hawthorne is buried on Author’s Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord.
The most notoriously haunted hotel in Hawthorne’s hometown of Salem is the Hawthorne Hotel, which not only honors the author but is also said to be frequented by its resident ghosts. Even if you’re not staying the night, the on-site restaurant, Nathaniel’s, named in his honor, is a perfect spot for a tasty meal.
Louisa May Alcott
The Alcott Family is best known for their tenure at the Orchard House. Not only was this Louisa’s family home, but it was also the setting of her best-known work, Little Women. She had three sisters. The four characters in the book are somewhat based on the Alcott sisters. The family moved frequently, but Orchard House, where Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women, remains the most famous. Another significant home for the Alcotts in Concord was The Wayside. This house has a unique literary history, having been home to several notable authors.
Before the Alcotts, it was inhabited by Harriet Lothrop (who wrote under the pen name Margaret Sidney and is discussed later in this guide) and even Nathaniel Hawthorne. While living at The Wayside (which the Alcotts called Hillside), Alcott and her family actively participated in the intellectual and social life of Concord, interacting with other Transcendentalists. The Orchard House is open for tours. Louisa May Alcott is also buried on Author’s Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
Harriet Lothrop, aka Margaret Sidney
Harriet was married to Daniel Lothrop, who ran a successful publishing house in Boston. He founded D. Lothrop & Co., a prominent publishing company. After Daniel’s death, Harriet took over the business, becoming one of the first women in the United States to head a major publishing house. She published many works, including her own, under the pseudonym Margaret Sidney.
The Lothrops purchased the Wayside in 1883, the former Alcott home. Harriet understood the literary history of the home and offered tours detailing its rich literary history to visitors. While living here, she wrote popular kids’ books, including Five Little Peppers, which is not about the vegetable! One of Margaret Sidney’s other notable works is A Little Maid of Concord Town. The story takes place in Concord during the American Revolutionary War. The story follows the adventures of a young girl who experiences the events leading up to and during the Battle of Concord. Lothrop’s grave is also on Author’s Ridge, close to Emerson’s.
Our Literary Road Trip to Concord Comes to an End
Although we took a quick side trip to Salem, much of this literary road trip was based in Concord. The Orchard House and the Wayside are located close together, as is Emerson’s home. All are walkable to the center of Concord. While there, make sure to stop at the Concord Book Shop, an excellent bookstore where you can stock up on the work of these hometown authors and many more. Not far from the town center is the Old North Bridge, site of the Battle of Concord, and right next to that is the Old Manse. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is also close by. Look for the sign for Author’s Ridge. Thoreau, Emerson, Alcott, and Hawthorne’s gravestones are easy to find. Lothrop’s grave is just a few yards behind Emerson’s. Now that our literary road trip to Concord has come to an end, where should our next one be?
