Autumn leaves in Concord cemetery Massachusetts.
Concord. The road into Concord follows the route that the British troops took. At the time of the Revolution Concord was the largest inland town in Massachusetts so it was an important town for the British to secure. The action happened around the North Bridge. But do not be fooled, the current bridge is the 2005 restoration of the 1954 replica of the earlier 1875, 1889 and 1909 replicas! Nevertheless it is a poignant spot. One of the plaques near the bridge states: “They came 3,000 miles and died to keep the past upon the throne.” The bridge spans the Concord River. Five companies of colonial Minute Men and five companies of local militia totalling 400 confronted about 100 trained British troops. The battle here was so significant because the Americans managed to defeat the British and turn them away from the town. There is another statue of the Minute Man at the North Bridge and a large visitor Centre with displays and media presentations of the battle. Nearby and still in the National Historic Park is the Wayside House, dating from 1717. The house had a number of owners including two Concord literary families: Louisa May Alcott of Little Women fame (a Civil War tale); and Nathaniel Hawthorn a major American novelist who was born in Salem and wrote moralistic novels reflecting his puritan heritage. We will also visit The Orchard, the home that Louisa May Alcott lived in when she actually wrote Little Women which is next door to the Wayside. Alcott lived here from 1858 to 1877. This well known book tells the story of life in a middle class New England family whilst the father is away fighting for the Union forces in the Civil War. Alcott was an Abolitionist and she applauded the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention statement on the rights of women.
Concord has many literary personalities and so we will also visit the home of Ralph Waldo Emerson called the Old Manse. This typical New England farm house was built in 1770 and still contains the original furnishing and furniture of Emerson. Nathaniel Hawthorn lived in the house after Emerson. Emerson is best described as a moral essayist, and poet who championed the environment – nature - and founded the American philosophical movement known as Transcendentalism. Emerson and his followers believed in the experience and reflection, the unity of nature and God, and that men could discover truths and insights without reference to religion and preaching. Henry David Thoreau was another transcendentalist, and ardent Abolitionist and a well known writer of essays, philosophical books and articles. He also loved nature and was best known for his book on Walden – Life in the Woods. He lived in a woodman’s cabin on the edge of Walden Pond and longed for a simple life which was in harmony with nature and the environment. We will visit Thoreau’s log cabin beside Walden Pond which is pictured above. Fall foliage season is the best time to visit Walden Pond. We have a lunch break to explore and enjoy the centre of Concord with its village green, white wooden houses and churches, antique shops, cafes and red maples.
Autumn leaves in Concord cemetery Massachusetts.
Concord. The road into Concord follows the route that the British troops took. At the time of the Revolution Concord was the largest inland town in Massachusetts so it was an important town for the British to secure. The action happened around the North Bridge. But do not be fooled, the current bridge is the 2005 restoration of the 1954 replica of the earlier 1875, 1889 and 1909 replicas! Nevertheless it is a poignant spot. One of the plaques near the bridge states: “They came 3,000 miles and died to keep the past upon the throne.” The bridge spans the Concord River. Five companies of colonial Minute Men and five companies of local militia totalling 400 confronted about 100 trained British troops. The battle here was so significant because the Americans managed to defeat the British and turn them away from the town. There is another statue of the Minute Man at the North Bridge and a large visitor Centre with displays and media presentations of the battle. Nearby and still in the National Historic Park is the Wayside House, dating from 1717. The house had a number of owners including two Concord literary families: Louisa May Alcott of Little Women fame (a Civil War tale); and Nathaniel Hawthorn a major American novelist who was born in Salem and wrote moralistic novels reflecting his puritan heritage. We will also visit The Orchard, the home that Louisa May Alcott lived in when she actually wrote Little Women which is next door to the Wayside. Alcott lived here from 1858 to 1877. This well known book tells the story of life in a middle class New England family whilst the father is away fighting for the Union forces in the Civil War. Alcott was an Abolitionist and she applauded the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention statement on the rights of women.
Concord has many literary personalities and so we will also visit the home of Ralph Waldo Emerson called the Old Manse. This typical New England farm house was built in 1770 and still contains the original furnishing and furniture of Emerson. Nathaniel Hawthorn lived in the house after Emerson. Emerson is best described as a moral essayist, and poet who championed the environment – nature - and founded the American philosophical movement known as Transcendentalism. Emerson and his followers believed in the experience and reflection, the unity of nature and God, and that men could discover truths and insights without reference to religion and preaching. Henry David Thoreau was another transcendentalist, and ardent Abolitionist and a well known writer of essays, philosophical books and articles. He also loved nature and was best known for his book on Walden – Life in the Woods. He lived in a woodman’s cabin on the edge of Walden Pond and longed for a simple life which was in harmony with nature and the environment. We will visit Thoreau’s log cabin beside Walden Pond which is pictured above. Fall foliage season is the best time to visit Walden Pond. We have a lunch break to explore and enjoy the centre of Concord with its village green, white wooden houses and churches, antique shops, cafes and red maples.