What Is Ralph Waldo Emerson House?
This was the home of Ralph Waldo Emerson and his family from 1835 until 1882!
What Makes It Historical?
Fifteen years after writing his first journal entry as a junior at Harvard, freshly married “Waldo” Emerson moved into a house he called Bush, surrounded by neighbors and friends like the Alcott family and Henry David Thoreau. In this house, he published his first book-length essay, Nature in 1836, and in it, he laid out his philosophy of Transcendentalism. Nature, he believed, was not separate from individuals, but was instead an essential part of the self, to be sought out for spiritual growth!
That same year, his first son, Waldo, was born here but tragically only lived to five, inspiring his dad to write a mourning poem called Threnody. But all in all, it was a full house. Waldo and Lidian had three other kids, Ellen, Edith, and Edward, and Mr. Emerson’s mom lived here for 18 years as well. Louisa May Alcott would come to browse the Emerson library, and Henry David Thoreau was a family friend who built his Walden cabin on land owned by Mr. Emerson. John Brown visited here, as did Daniel Chester French, whose first commission was the Minute Man statue at the old North Bridge, and whose grandest would be the Lincoln Memorial!
Mr. Emerson’s literary legacy lives on in the influence of his works, like “Self Reliance,” “Circles,” and the Indian-influenced “The Over-Soul.” He inspired a huge range of influential writers and thinkers, like Walt Whitman, Friederich Nietzsche, and John Muir! Today, the majority of his works are kept in the Houghton Library at Harvard University!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Donate to the Ralph Waldo Emerson House!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
28 Cambridge Tpke
Concord, MA 01742
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
From April to November, the Emerson House is open Thursday through Saturday from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM, opening at 1:00 PM on Sundays!