Story & Photos By Stan Wawer
The ghosts of famous authors haunt the blissful and historical town of Concord, Mass. There is so much history — literary and political — that it is hard to pinpoint one single thing that makes Concord, just 20 miles northwest of Boston, that special place to visit.
It could be the 19th century literary giants who lived, wrote and are buried here on Authors’ Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery — Ralph Waldo Emerson, the utopian Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Louisa May Alcott.
Then again, it could be its place in American history or the mystique of Walden Pond. The scene here is so Americana. Concord also is a great place to see fall foliage without the crowds of Western Massachusetts or northern New England. The town greets its fall guests with an intoxicating profusion of colors.
Thoreau once said, “Things do not change, we do.” That certainly holds true in Concord, where its federalist-style homes, which remind one of colonial New England, and its Cape Cod and gingerbread houses appear as though they just popped up from a children’s book.
My first morning in Concord, I jogged through the quiet streets of this town of about 17,668. I passed some of the best examples of federalist architecture ever built, including one constructed by Ephraim Wood Jr. in 1763.
Squirrels were scurrying around, gathering up acorns for the winter. As a fine mist rose off the river, flags waved from almost every home.
I continued my jog up toward Manse; a home built for the Rev. William Emerson, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s grandfather. It was here that Nathaniel Hawthorne, spending his first blissful married years, wrote his first successful book, “Mosses from an Old Manse.”
In the back of Old Manse, a pond reflects all the colors of fall. Along its eastern boundary are the famous North Bridge and the Minute Man Monument, sculpted by Concord’s own Daniel Chester French.
The town commissioned the statue for the first centennial celebration in 1875. French, whose other masterwork is the seated figure of Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial, was a young man when he sculpted the Minute Man Monument. The ploughman’s gun is symbolic of readiness for battle.
The granite obelisk on which the Minute Man statue stands was dedicated in 1836. Inscribed on it is Emerson’s famous poem: “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 Old North Bridge is a pleasant 15-minute walk from the town center. The present bridge was built in 1956. Although larger and higher than the original, it is in other respects a faithful replica.
It was at this spot on April 19, 1775, the British troops fired on the Minutemen, starting the Revolutionary War. Take some time to visit the graves of the famous authors buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Travel up Bedford Road from Monument Square to the gates of the cemetery. Drive to the end of the cemetery and look for Authors’ Ridge rising sharply on your right.
Thoreau died on May 6, 1862 from complications of the cold he caught while measuring a tree’s rings on a snowy winter day. Only 44, he was the first of the Concord literary group to die and be buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
Emerson addressed the gathering, while Bronson Alcott, Louisa May’s father, read extracts of Thoreau’s work, including “Walden,” a book Thoreau wrote about his experience after living at Walden Pond for two years.
Located along Route 126, Walden Pond is open year round for various activities — swimming, boating, ice skating, hiking and picnicking. On the trail around the pond, you will find the site of Thoreau’s cabin marked by a stone cairn. The cabin was made of shingle and plaster and cost only $28 to build.
Thoreau’s friend, Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of “The House of the Seven Gables,” died in 1864. Emerson followed him in 1882 and Alcott, author of “Little Women,” in 1888.
Concord is the home of the famous Concord grape. Ephraim Wales Bull, the father of the Concord grape, also is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
Visitors also will want to visit the homes of the literary giants. Many are open to the public and have been restored to their original condition. You can almost feel the presence of the famous writers in their homes.
From the center of town, take Lexington Road for half a mile, where the road to Cambridge splits off to the right. Emerson House is the white house immediately on your right.
Emerson’s home contains many original furnishings and Emerson memorabilia. Walking through the house gives you a sense of how the great poet lived and worked. Allow at least 30 minutes for the tour. The Emerson House is open for visits from late April through late October. Admission is $7; $5 for seniors and students (7 to 17). Children under 7 get in free.
A half-mile from the Emerson House, on the left, is Orchard House, the final home of the nomadic Alcott. Louisa May Alcott wrote “Little Women” in Orchard House.
As I toured the home, I got the sense I had been there before. I chalked that up to Louisa May’s descriptive prose in “Little Women.” Orchard House is open for tours year-round. Adults are $9; $8 for seniors and college students (with ID); $5 for youths (6 to 17); children under 6 free.
The Wayside, the next house on the left past Orchard House, became Hawthorne’s home upon his return to Concord in 1852.
The town, the first inland settlement, was founded in 1635. In and around Monument Square are quaint shops, a museum and the Concord Free Public Library.
Where to stay
Best Western at Historic Concord, 740 Elm St. Average rate about $120. Complimentary breakfast. (978) 369-6100.
Concord’s Colonial Inn, 48 Monument Square, (888) 367-7519. www.concordscolonialinn.com. Rooms starting at $139. Charming, full-service, historic inn dating back to 1716. On the Village Green. B&B packages.
The Hawthorne Inn. 462 Lexington Road, (978) 369-5610. www.concordmass.com. Rates $149 to $349. Seven rooms. Smoke-free premises. Expansive multi-course breakfast.
All information is accurate at the time of publication but prices, dates and other details are all subject to change. Confirm all information before making any travel arrangements.
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