the old manse

Those words were written by Nathaniel Hawthorne who lived here as a newlywed with Sophia from 1843-45. Apparently they weren't the best renters since they were evicted when they failed to pay rent, plus they scratched their names and thoughts on windows, using her diamond ring. The house was built in 1770 by Emerson's grandfather. I was eager to see inside, but a sign said closed. I inquired at a little gift shop on the left and was offered a shortened private tour at a reduced rate by a young docent. Yes, please! He was extremely knowledgable and passionate about the house, and our shortened tour lasted long enough to see every room and garner a lot of information. I was thrilled I didn't miss this special house. It was remarkable to learn Emerson's grandmother watched the fighting on the Old North Bridge from an upstairs window, screaming at her husband to get back inside. All wives can identify with that! Alcott, Thoreau, and Emerson discussed Transcendentalism within the walls of this grand old house that is nicely furnished and decorated. Some rooms are still being restored, but you will get a real sense of how they lived. You'll see Thoreau's vegetable garden (he lived here a while when he tutored the Emerson children), the pretty Concord River rolling by in back, the old North Bridge, and some lovely ancient trees. Very affordable and a very worthwhile stop.

Built in the 1600's, home at one time to Ralph Waldo Emerson and then Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne. The windows where Sophia and Nathaniel wrote poems to each other are still there. The house overlooks the North Bridge where the Revolutionary War began. A must see when in Concord. Our guide whose name I've forgotten was thorough and passionate about the history there. He answered all our questions. He seemed to really enjoy his time there with us.

The Old Manse was home to Nathaniel Hawthorne and was host to the Transcendentalist authors of Concord. The 18th century house figured in the Revolutionary War battle of Concord Bridge as the battle site was in the house's back yard and could be seen from the house windows - a frightening thought. The house is managed by the Trustees of the Reservations and needs some restoration. They do what they can, but the house isn't climate controlled, which takes its toll on period furnishings and wall coverings. Many shades are drawn and the house takes on a dark and mysterious aura. Docents are pleasant and knowledgeable and tours are interesting. Several messages are etched into window glass by occupants, and there is the vegetable garden that was planted by Henry David Thoreau for the Nathaniel Hawthornes as a wedding present. Historic wall coverings are pretty wonderful.The Transcendentalist authors are well-represented in the book store on site. I'd recommend a visit here. Very pleasant.

See the home of great authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne The Old Manse and view the Old North Bridge in the small town of Concord, along with the Louisa May Alcott home and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where all the great authors rest in peace on authors ridge. Lovely area allow enough to spend the day with family. ,

To see the desk in which Emerson wrote Nature, to see Sophia Hawthorne's messages on the window panes, to see the desk Thoreau built for Hawthorne when nature distracted him from productivity, to see the "halo" on Rev. Ripley's portrait, and to get a tour from site manager Tom- for these reasons and many more, The Old Manse, arguably one of the most important houses in American history, cannot be passed by. While long and short tours cover the same rooms in the house, the long tour is well worth what you will learn from Tom. The best guide in all Concord (even though I still can't believe he stumped me with Washington Irving)!

In this house many important revolutionary ideas were discussed and the fires of revolution were kept burning. It is also famous as having even the home of Hawthorn and his family for a number of years where he wrote, The Old Manse and other stories. Beautiful house to tour even without the literary connections.

We attended a marriage and reception at the Old Manse. It was delightful. About 100 attended and it was not crowded under two connecting tents. The environment was first rate. We wandered around cutting and perennial gardens. The colonial meeting house, off limits, is stately and beautifully landscaped. Some of the guests played games behind the house on a beautiful green.The late afternoon and evening was mostly bug free. Portable bathrooms were the only negative. There was a nice gift shop for early arrivals.

We had a wonderful visit to the Old manse a couple of days ago. The title of my review refers to what Mrs. Emerson called the beginning of the American Revolution: the battle in the back yard. And if you visit the Old Manse you'll understand why. You can see the Old North Bridge directly outside from the windows of the house. All in all, visiting this home is an incredible experience. Not only is it the home of Ralph Waldo Emerson, but Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife lived here as newlyweds, and David Thoreau put in the garden as a gift to Hawthorne and his bride. We were amazed to see the window panes still in the original windows, that were etched and written on by Hawthorne and his wife.Visiting the Old Manse really brought Emerson, Hawthorne and Thoreau to life for my family and me. Later in the afternoon we visited the old cemetery in Concord and discovered that not only were these men friends in life, but chose to be buried near each other. Although strolling through a cemetery but not be thought of as an entertaining part of the day, there's nothing morbid about this place, and really, visiting the final resting place of these great men is a wonderful finale to a visit to Concord.

Beautiful grounds and home. Only reason for the 4 stars was because there was a shortage of personnel and we could not go inside for a tour. However, I know that it would be a 5 star attraction. From the home and grounds one can see the Old North Bridge.

I've been something of a fan of the Transcedentalists for many years, so it was a thrill to walk the grounds. There is a small bookstore with a very representative collection of works from Thoreau, Emerson, Hawthorne and Margaret Fuller. The garden originally laid out by Thoreau had already sprouted on this mid-May day. We did not tour the house itself (for me, all of these old New England homes have a disappointing sameness). $9 entry fee. (interesting to note that one of the tours was sold out on this May Saturday; I suspect it could be busy in Summer) We walked up Monument from town to Old Manse, then across Northbridge to Liberty St. and then back to town. It was a very pleasant 2 1/2 to 3 mile walk

After stretching your legs with a walk at Northbridge head to the Manse. We did. Not expecting too much we thought we would just peek in but the bookstore was amazing and we decided to take the tour. Very interesting especially if you love Emerson, Hawthorne, and Thoreau. Especially the poetry carved in glass and the writing desks.

Our tour guide was AWFUL! My boyfriend and I were the last tour at 4pm and he was trying to convince us not to take it so he could go home early! We had to insist on going through because we were interested in the house and the time Hawthorne spent in it. He was cranky the whole time through, gave us no information, and pouted the whole time! Unbelievable coming from a 60 year old man! I will go again next year in the hopes of being able to enjoy a tour with someone else. Cost was $9, $8 with a student ID (I think).

This interesting historic home was built by a preacher's wife. Later Nathaniel Hawthorne rented the home for a while; his wife actually etched things into certain windowpanes. The wallpaper in this house is fascinating; in some rooms, it is original; and, at a minimum, they have samples of the original wallpaper, which is very old. Our tour guide, Reggie, was very knowledgeable.

This was a informative tour and walk through the groups. We saw it early October and the leaves had turned. However the guides also run the book store and can tell you which are the books to purchase based on your interest. I got 15% off and a cute t-shirt.I had read Emerson in Jr. High School, but this added depth to the location and history. I am already 1/2 way through one book I purchased there. There is insights to learn about history in this area, plus info on Emerson, Thoreau, Fuller, and Hawthorne. If you have not read about them or this area before, do so before you visit.

Imagine a place at the front door where the "shot heard round the world" was fired. Same place also houses the Hawthornes less than a century later and is visited by all that gang. The guide we had was competent but not, alas, extraordinary. Yet that is no reason to skip this place. Take the tour and then amble down the road the British took to confront the Minutemen. Unbelievably, they were blocked and had to turn away and rumble back to Boston, harassed all along the way. Talk about tough days at work! The bridge and the French statue are just around the corner as is an emerging exhibit to those who did not live free in the land of the free. Enjoy the garden that Thoreau laid out as well.