First stop, the Concord Museum
We got to check out some of the town's history, and some of the famous faces who lived here.
They were also doing a temporary exhibit of Presidential china, and had quite the collection. When you have time, check out what Rutherford B Hayes picked out during his time in office. Despite what the guy next to me thought, it's awful.
Right across the street is Ralph Waldo Emerson's old house. The tour was pretty neat. The house is still owned by the Emersons, and I swear I could still live there. There were over 3000 books throughout the home, and some "modern" touches from the 1830s.
After the Emerson House, we headed over to the Orchard, where Louisa May Alcott and her family lived for a number of years.
The house sits on a beautiful piece of land
The inside was a hot mess. It sounds harsh, but that's the way it is. Part of the house was built in 1630. Another part was built in the 1700s. Mr Alcott did some tinkering with it in the mid 1800s. The floors are beyond sloped. There is not a single right angle to be found in any doorway. They brought in the guy from This Old House when they found that the back half of the place was rotting away. I don't know if he was excited to be in on such a historic project, or if he wondered why they were bothering.
In any case, the history of the house and the family was fascinating. This was a family of Transcendentalists who loved nature and art, and had a constantly rotating cast of characters coning through the door. For much of their lives they had little money, so I firmly believe they found joy in the little things. Louisa May Alcott actually hated the book Little Women, and made her initial money writing steamy novels and controversial topics. She sounds like a firecracker!
It was getting late, so we didn't get into the Wayside, where Nathaniel Hawthorne lived. But we did get a picture!
We'll save that tour for next time...
No comments:
Post a Comment