Transcendentalism, The American Revolution & Little Women
Concord, Massachusetts was home to one of the most famous groups of writers during the 19th century. It was also where one of the most famous battles and the start of the Revolutionary War took place. While there are many great bookish and historical destinations all over the world, this one tiny nostalgic New England town is wealthier in authors and war stories than many others. There is just something special about Concord, I may be a bit biased, but that makes this guide perfect for first-time visitors or long time New England residents alike. What should you do with One Day In Concord?
For More New England Adventures Check Out:
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- The Basics:
- A Little History
- The Literary Spots Of Concord, MA
- The History Spots In Concord
- Mapping Out The Best Spots In Concord, Massachusetts:
The Basics:
Where Is Concord, Massachusetts?
Concord is a town northwest of Boston, Massachusetts. This charming New England town is known for its key role in American Revolutionary, now known as Minute Man National Historical Park. A key battle took place at the North Bridge and is commemorated by Daniel Chester French’s Minute Man statue. Also, in the 1800s, Transcendentalist poet Ralph Waldo Emerson drafted his essay “Nature” at the Old Manse.
Where Should I Stay?
Concord’s Colonial Inn –
- Where: 48 Monument Square, Concord, MA 01742
- Phone: 978-369-9200
If you love literature and history, you will love this place! Click here for more information. The Inn itself is steeped in history as it was built in 1716 and one of the buildings was used to store arms and provisions during the Revolutionary War. And Henry David Thoreau even stayed here while he was attending Harvard.
It’s also rumored that the Colonial Inn is haunted and Ghost Hunters even filmed an episode here!
Best Western at Historic Concord –
- Where: 740 Elm Street, Concord, MA 01742
- Phone: 978-369-6100
- Rooms generally run about $139 a night
- Find Out More Here
North Bridge Inn –
- Where: 21 Monument St, Concord, MA 01742
- Phone: 978-371-0014
- Rooms generally run around $250 a night
- Find Out More Here
Where Should I Sips & Eats?
Concords Colonial Inn –
- Where: 48 Monument Square, Concord, MA 01742
- Phone: 978-369-9200
Even if you don’t stay at the Colonial Inn you have to check it out for lunch or dinner. I highly recommend the Alcott, truffle fries, and the blueberry mule for lunch! If you’re into oysters they are also amazing at the Inn and have just a hint of dill. Yum!
The Concord Cheese Shop –
- Where: 29 Walden Street, Concord, MA 01742
- Phone: 978-369-5778
- Hours: Tuesday through Friday 10 AM-5:30 PM, Saturday 9 AM-5:30 PM
- Find Out More Here
This charming shop is all about the experience and offers cheese, wine, prepared, as well as, gourmet food. They offer dinners for two, and a daily fresh bread soup and salad. This place is definitely worth a stop while in Concord.
Main Street Market & Cafe –
- Where: 42 Main St, Concord, MA 01742
- Phone: 978-369-9948
- Hours: Daily 8 am – 8 pm
- Find Out More Here
They serve a great breakfast at the Main Street Market & Cafe. Most of the lunch and dinner menu leans towards comfort foods and who doesn’t love that!
Bedford Farms Ice Cream –
- Where: 68 Thoreau St, Concord, MA 01742
- Phone: 978-341-0000
- Hours: Daily
12pm –9pm - Find Out More Here
They offer some truly spectacular flavors and the classics like chocolate, chocolate chip, and strawberry. On their “Sometimes Making” flavors you will find yummy concoctions like apple pie, pistachio, and rum raisin! Check them out if you are looking for some yummy ice cream.
Where Should I Shop?
Thoreauly Antiques –
- Where: 25 Walden St, Concord, MA 01742
- Hours: Mon-Fri: 10 am – 5:30 pm, Sat: 10 am – 6 pm, Sun: 11 am – 5 pm
- Find Out More Here
Concord is full of great antique stores, and trust me when I said, the antiquing here can get pricey! I mean, we are talking about antiques from America’s earliest history. But I love a clever name and of course Thoreauly Antiques caught my eye. They offer a little bit of everything and you won’t be sorry that you dropped in.
Barrow Bookstore –
- Where: 79 Main St #2, Concord, MA 01742
- Hours: Mon-Sat: 9:30 am – 5 pm, Sun: 12 pm – 6 pm
- Find Out More Here
There are so many great bookstores in Concord (for good reason) but this one calls to the eclectic reader! Specializing in rare and gently read books, if you love bookstores then this is the place for you.
A Little History
Revolutionary War
The battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. In this first battle of the American Revolution, Massachusetts colonists defied British authority, they both outnumbered and outfought the Redcoats, and embarked on a war that would earn their independence.
British Lt. Col. Francis Smith, assembled his 700 regulars to capture and destroy military stores hidden by the Massachusetts militia at Concord. This is when Paul Reverie famously made his ride to alert the militia in Concord that the British were in fact coming. Two lanterns briefly flickered from the Old North Church steeple, a prearranged signal of Revere’s to alert the patriot network that the British were rowing across Boston Harbor instead of marching. By the time the British crossed the water, word of their arrival had already reached Concord.
The Shot Heard Round The World
The Redcoats arrived in Concord at around 8:00 a.m., when British commanders ordered several companies, about 220 troops, to secure the North Bridge across the Concord River and then to the Barrett Farm, where a cache of arms and powder were located.
However, a growing assembly of close to 400 militia from Concord and the surrounding towns gather on the high ground. They see smoke rising from Concord and assumed that the Redcoats are burning their town, and they begin advancing. As the Minute Men march down the hill, the British soldiers, intimidated by their numbers retreat to the opposite shore and prepare to defend themselves.
And then the shot heard round the world happened, when the first militia company was within range, the Redcoats opened fire, killing the commanding officer. A major from Concord then shouts for the men to fire! The militia quickly killed three British soldiers and wounded nine others, this caused the Redcoats to retreat and return to town.
The Authors Of The Transcendentalist Movement
The authors who called Concord home were none other than, Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau. Not all of these authors are originally from Concord, but they did write some of their most famous works here.
They were all part of the transcendentalist movement. The movement originated in Boston sometime in the 1830s and occurred as a reaction, to protest against the general state of intellectualism and spirituality at the time. The movement was literary, philosophical, and political.
It was based on a core belief in the inherent goodness of people and nature (I can get behind that). Transcendentalists have a deep appreciation for nature, not only for aesthetic purposes but also as a tool to understand the structured inner workings of the natural world. This can be seen in Emerson’s writing,
“In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, — no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, — my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, — all mean egotism vanishes.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson, nature
The Literary Spots Of Concord, MA
The Orchard House
- Where: 399 Lexington Rd, Concord, MA 01742
- Hours: 10 am – 4:30 pm (Closed Holidays)
- Reopening Aug 1, 2021
- BUT in the meantime, you CAN take a virtual tour here.
If you only do one tour in Concord, I highly suggest this one! You get to tour the home of Louisa May Alcott (from 1885 – 1877). This is THE place where she wrote Little Women and you even get to see the desk where she penned her most famous works. I am seriously impressed with the number of artifacts owned by the family in the home.
If you’ve ever read Little Women, you know it’s based on Alcott and her sisters. Her youngest sister May (Amy in the book) was quite the artist and you get to see her work all over the house including in her bedroom where she drew on the wall. It was very cool! For more information click here.
BONUS: The 2019 version of Little Women was filmed here!
The Ralph Waldo Emerson House
Photo Courtesy of Ann Chapman.
- Where: 28 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA 01742
- Hours: Thurs – Sat 10 am – 4:30 pm, Sun 1 – 4:30 pm, Closed Mon-Wed
- Cost: $11 Adults
- $9 Seniors (over 62), and Children (7 to 17)
- Ralph Waldo Emerson home remains temporarily closed a reopening date is TBD.
This house is awesome because it’s still owned by the Emerson family. It operates as a seasonal museum and the interior is the same as when Emerson lived there. For more information click here.
The Wayside
- Where: 455 Lexington Rd, Concord, MA 01742
- Hours: Thurs – Mon 9:30 am – 5:30 pm, Closed Tues & Wed
Right next to the Orchard House you will find The Wayside. It is technically owned by Minute Man National Park but the Wayside was home to three prominent literary families: the Alcott’s, Hawthorne’s, and the Lothrop’s.
According to NPS, “During the 19th century, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Louisa May Alcott, along with their neighbors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, and other authors such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Herman Melville, and others, began a literary tradition recognized as distinctly American. As part of the first generation to inherit the Revolution, these writers helped shape the new nation’s cultural identity.”
The Old Manse
- Where: 269 Monument St, Concord, MA 01742
- It is located in Minute Man National Historial Park
This is where Emerson drafted his essay “Nature.” But that’s not this gorgeous Georgian clapboard buildings only claim to fame, it also sits right next to Old North Bridge where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired. Not only did Emerson reside in the Old Manse but so did Nathaniel Hawthorne, who wrote a tribute to the house called Mosses from an Old Manse. For more information click here.
Walden Pond
- Where: 915 Walden St., Concord, MA 01742
- Hours: Mon – Fri 5 am – 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun 7 am – 7:30 pm
- Parking: Parking is located in the large lot off Rt. 126
- MA resident $8
- Non-MA resident $30
- The parking lot will be closed once it reaches capacity.
- Walden Pond Visitor Center, Picnic Areas, and the Thoreau House Replica CLOSED to aid in the prevention of spreading COVID-19
- The gate locks at 7:30 pm. All cars must be out of the lot at this time
- For more information on what’s opened and closed click here.
Chances are that if you’ve heard of Thoreau then you are familiar with Walden Pond. A visit to Walden Pond will transport you back in time so that you can experience the connection with nature that inspired Thoreau’s Walden. While his original cabin no longer stands there is a replica of his one-room cabin. In case you are unfamiliar with Thoreau’s observations of plants, animals, the passing seasons, and his transcendental philosophy, they were published as Walden, or Life in the Woods, in 1854. For more information click here.
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
- Where: Bedford St, Concord, MA 01742
- Hours: Daily 7 am – 5 pm
While it may seem a little odd to hang out in a cemetery, this one is the final resting place of some serious literary geniuses. On Author’s Ridge, you will find the graves of Alcott, Emerson, Hawthorne, and Thoreau. I love that people leave pencil bouquets at each one of the author’s graves. It’s such a testament to their lasting legacies.
Did you know that Louisa May Alcott was actually a Civil War Nurse? She was! In fact, during her time as a nurse, she was diagnosed with typhoid pneumonia. She was zealously dosed with calomel, a poisonous mercury compound widely used during the Civil War. This effectively ended her career as a Civil War nurse. Crazy, right?
The History Spots In Concord
Minute Man National Historical Park
- Where: 174 Liberty St, Concord, MA 01742
- Find Out More Here
At Minute Man National Historical Park the opening battle of the Revolution is brought to life. Visitors can explore the battlefields and structures associated with April 19, 1775, and witness the American revolutionary spirit through the writings of Concord many authors.
When I lived in Massachusetts I would take my dogs for walk in Minute Man and just marvel at all of the history here. It’s a great place to explore and I highly recommend it.
Minute Man Visitor Center
- Where: 250 N Great Rd, Lincoln, MA 01773
- Hours: Daily 9 am – 5 pm
- Find Out More Here
To get a better feeling for how important Minute Man National Historical Park was to the American Revolution I suggest you check out Minute Man Visitor Center. Check out “The Road To Revolution” a multimedia theater program that provides an excellent introduction to the park history. The program depicts Paul Revere’s Ride and the battles at Lexington Green, North Bridge and along the Battle Road.
The Visitor Center also features a forty-foot mural that portrays the fighting between Colonists and British Regulars.
North Bridge
- Where: Inside Minute Man National Historical Park
The famous location of the “shot heard round the world” the North Bridge in Minute Man is the place that marked the beginning of the American War for Independence. As mentioned above, on the morning of April 19, 1775, the Colonial Militia from Concord and surrounding towns exchanged gunfire with British regulars guarding this critical river crossing.
Although the exchange at the North Bridge lasted only a few seconds, it marked the beginning of a massive battle that raged over 16 miles along the Bay Road from Boston to
The Minute Man Statue
- Where: Inside Minute Man National Historical Park, in front of North Bridge.
The Minute Man statue was sculpted by Daniel Chester French and is an American icon who stood guard over this hallowed ground. Fittingly, it is set near the spot where the first colonial militiamen were killed in Concord on that pivotal day in 1775.
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.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Concord hymm
Grave Of British Soldiers At North Bridge
- Where: Minute Man National Historical Park, North Bridge
This gravestone marks the final resting place of the first British soldiers killed on April 19, 1775. They were killed during the fight at Concord’s North Bridge. Around 1870, Concord’s superintendent of public grounds erected “a small stone slab, with a suitable inscription,” in preparation for the centennial anniversary, as the two small stones marking the grave were “neither seen nor understood by strangers.”
“They came three thousand miles, and died, To keep the Past upon its throne; Unheard, beyond the ocean tide, Their English mother made her moan.”
– the grave of british soldiers
Wright’s Tavern
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- Where: 2 Lexington Road, Concord, MA 01742
You could say that no historic building in Concord is more important to the American Revolution than the Wright Tavern. With the public meetinghouse on one side and the militia training ground on the other, it was a favorite resort of Concord’s leading citizens.
It is currently listed as a National Historical Landmark but unlike many other, it is owned by the First Parish Unitarian Church in Concord and managed by its Trustees of First Parish Donations.
Hartwell Tavern
- Where: Inside Minute Man National Historical Park, Battle Road
Hartwell Tavern was built between 1732-1733. On that fateful day, April 19, 1775 Hartwell Tavern was located on the main road, the “Bay Road.” This was the road that the British troops used while conducting their raid on Concord. Although there is no indication that British soldiers entered the tavern on their way to Concord the building was standing and used on that day.
Paul Revere Capture Site – Monument
- Where: Inside Minute Man National Historical Park
This monument marks the location where Paul Revere was captured by a patrol of British officers while spreading the alarm through the countryside, thus ending his famous “midnight ride.” It was here that Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Dr. Samuel Prescott ran into a British patrol who were out on the road to stop any express riders from Boston. They captured Revere (and let him go a few hours later without his horse).
Did you know that Paul Revere wasn’t the only rider on that night? In fact, Revere was part of a larger system established by Patriot leaders to alarm the countryside and muster the minute men and militia.
Concord Museum
- Where: 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA 01742
- Hours: Thurs – Sun 10 am – 4 pm, Closed Mon-Wed
- You can purchase tickets here. But walk-ins are welcome.
According to their website, “the Concord Museum’s galleries are undergoing renovations, over 100 objects, including the famed 1775 lantern from the night of Paul Revere’s ride, Native American tools from 10,000 years ago, and the desk on which Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden.” For more information click here.
Mapping Out The Best Spots In Concord, Massachusetts:
I absolutely recommend a trip to Concord, Massachusetts for any fellow literary or history nerds out there! It’s a can’t miss in my book (see what I did there ;))
Concord, Massachusetts is such a treasure when it comes to both literature and history, you really can’t go wrong with a visit. Check back later this week for how to spend one day in this charming New England town.
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