Old Manse | Concord

The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, is one of the most historically and culturally layered houses in New England. Built just before the American Revolution and later home to two of America's literary giants-Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne-it is a landmark where both political and intellectual revolutions took root. Today, it stands as a preserved museum under the care of The Trustees of Reservations, offering a direct connection to the people and events that helped shape the United States.

Construction and Revolutionary Legacy (1770–Early 1800s)

The Old Manse was built in 1770 for Reverend William Emerson, the grandfather of philosopher and writer Ralph Waldo Emerson. As the minister of Concord’s First Parish Church, Reverend Emerson was deeply involved in the political ferment leading up to the American Revolution.

What gives the Manse exceptional historical importance is its proximity to the Old North Bridge, which lies just behind the house. On April 19, 1775, Reverend Emerson and his family watched from the second-floor windows as British troops engaged local militia in the first full exchange of gunfire during the Revolutionary War-an event now immortalized as “the shot heard round the world.”

Reverend Emerson later became a chaplain in the Continental Army but died of camp fever in 1776. His widow married Reverend Ezra Ripley, another influential minister, who continued to live in the Manse and serve Concord for over 60 years. The Ripley-Emerson family would occupy the house for over 150 years in total.

Literary Significance and the Birth of Transcendentalism

In 1834–1835, Ralph Waldo Emerson returned to his family home at the Old Manse after his first wife’s death. Here, in a small upstairs study overlooking the Concord River and Old North Bridge, he began writing his first major work, “Nature” (published in 1836). This essay would become the foundational document of Transcendentalism, a uniquely American intellectual movement that emphasized individual intuition, spiritual experience, and the sacredness of nature.

Emerson’s time at the Old Manse was brief but formative. He absorbed the atmosphere of Concord’s past and the natural world around him, both of which deeply informed his philosophy. The upstairs study still contains his desk and personal items, and it remains largely as he would have used it.

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Sophia Peabody (1842–1845)

From 1842 to 1845, Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife Sophia Peabody lived at the Old Manse as newlyweds, renting it from Emerson’s family. This period was among the happiest and most creatively fertile in Hawthorne’s life. The couple referred to the Manse as “our own honey-moon house,” and the setting inspired Hawthorne to write a collection of short stories titled “Mosses from an Old Manse” (1846), which would later lend the house its enduring name.

During their residence:

Sophia etched poems and messages into the glass window panes using her diamond wedding ring. These inscriptions, such as “Man’s accidents are God’s purposes,” still survive today and are visible to museum visitors.

Henry David Thoreau, a family friend, planted a vegetable garden for the Hawthornes as a wedding gift, a physical gesture of Transcendentalist ideals combining simplicity, nature, and community.

Hawthorne wrote several of the stories included in “Mosses from an Old Manse” in the upstairs study. The view of the river and the sounds of Concord shaped the quiet, introspective tone of his writing.

Though Hawthorne had some philosophical disagreements with Emerson and other Transcendentalists, his writing from this period still reflects their themes-solitude, the moral complexity of human life, and the tension between nature and society.

Architecture and Layout

The Old Manse is a classic example of Georgian architecture, with its symmetrical façade, central chimney, and two-and-a-half stories of clapboard siding. Inside, the house includes:

A central hallway with rooms branching off: a formal parlor, a dining room, kitchen, and a smaller rear parlor.

The upstairs study, central to the literary history of the home, where both Emerson and Hawthorne wrote.

The Hawthornes’ bedroom, where Sophia’s window inscriptions are located.

Original woodwork, wide-plank floors, hand-painted wallpaper, period furnishings, and 18th- and 19th-century artifacts that belonged to the Emerson and Ripley families.

Despite later preservation efforts, much of the interior remains authentic, offering a rare, immersive experience of the daily environment of two major American thinkers.

The Grounds and Location

The Old Manse sits on nine acres along the Concord River, with views of the Old North Bridge and the Minute Man National Historical Park. The grounds include:

Wooded walking trails that wind past the original garden planted by Thoreau.

A boathouse that provides river access and a peaceful location for reflection.

Native plantings and a reconstructed 19th-century vegetable garden.

The site’s physical beauty and the sounds of the river contribute to the profound sense of place that so influenced its residents.

Preservation and Modern Role

In 1939, the Old Manse was acquired by The Trustees of Reservations, a Massachusetts nonprofit dedicated to preserving historic and natural sites. The Trustees have restored the Manse with extraordinary care, maintaining original wallpaper, architectural details, and furnishings.

In 1962, the house was designated a National Historic Landmark, and in 1966, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, the house operates as a museum offering:

Guided tours focused on both the American Revolution and American literature.

Specialized thematic tours, such as “Home to Two Revolutions,” exploring both the political and intellectual upheavals rooted at the site.

Events and programs, including literary talks, historical reenactments, and educational workshops.

Bookstore and museum shop with literature, history-themed gifts, and souvenirs.

Visitor Information

Location: 269 Monument Street, Concord, MA 01742.

Hours: Grounds are open daily year-round from dawn to dusk. House tours are available seasonally, typically on weekends and holidays, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Admission: Free to explore the grounds; house tours require paid admission (discounted for members of The Trustees).

Accessibility: Partial wheelchair access on the grounds, but the house itself includes stairs and may be difficult to navigate for some visitors.

Legacy and Cultural Importance

The Old Manse stands as a unique convergence of American revolutionary history and literary innovation. It was a literal witness to the birth of American independence and later became the cradle of Transcendentalist and Romantic thought. The voices that echo through its halls-Emerson, Hawthorne, Sophia Peabody, Thoreau-shaped American identity in the 18th and 19th centuries.

No other site in the United States so seamlessly binds the political roots of freedom with the intellectual flowering of individualism and literary expression. The Old Manse is not just a house-it is a living chronicle of America's struggle to define its soul.