To visit the Old Manse—a handsome Georgian clapboard built on the banks of the Concord River in 1770—is to re-experience pivotal moments in our nation’s early history. Constructed for patriot minister William Emerson, the upstairs overlooks North Bridge, where the famous battle of April 19, 1775, took place. Later, some of New England’s most esteemed minds found inspiration inside its walls. In the 19th century, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne both called the Manse home for a time: Emerson drafted his influential essay “Nature” in an upstairs study. Meanwhile, Hawthorne and his wife, Sophia, started their married life here; the recreated heirloom vegetable garden was originally planted by Henry David Thoreau in honor of the Hawthornes’ wedding. 

From the American Revolution of 1775 through the literary revolution of the mid-19th century, on this 45-minute house tour we share the stories of Manse residents, both the famous and the lesser-known, who influenced and responded to the 19th century social, political and cultural changes that helped to define the American nation.

Purchase of this item supports Thoreau Farm Trust (TFT) and the preservation of Henry David Thoreau’s Birthplace.