Ralph Waldo Emerson had a lifelong association with the town of Concord, descending from one of its founders and periodically living with relatives there before making it his permanent home in 1835. Emerson was actively engaged in the town’s intellectual and civic life and both he and Lidian were involved in social reform movements. Nicknamed the “Sage of Concord,” one of Emerson’s greatest impacts on the town was drawing many of the leading writers, educators and reformers of the 19th century to his Concord home.

In the 19th century as it is today, December was a time of celebrations and gatherings. For Ralph Waldo Emerson, it was also a month when he experienced many life changes. 

On this day in 1847, Bronson Alcott and Henry David Thoreau began work on an elaborate summerhouse for their friend Ralph Waldo Emerson. The unusual design became a neighborhood curiosity.