The opening battle in America’s war for independence took place at Concord’s Old North Bridge on April 19, 1775—an event later memorialized by Emerson as the “shot heard round the world.” On the 250th anniversary of that fateful day, we look back at the Emerson family’s connections to April 19th: from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s grandparents witnessing those first shots in 1775, to his role in Concord’s centennial celebrations in 1875.

A 15-minute silent film about Ralph Waldo Emerson from the 1920s. Selections from his life and writings are illustrated with black-and-white footage from around the town of Concord, Massachusetts, including the Old Manse, the Emerson House, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and the Old North Bridge.

When the Ralph Waldo Emerson Memorial Association (RWEMA) took ownership of the Emerson House in 1930 and turned it into a seasonal museum, the original contents of Emerson’s study were moved across the street to a replica in the Concord Museum to preserve year-round access for visitors. Today, both can be visited. In 2020, the Concord Museum produced a short video tour of Emerson’s home study, discussing its importance both to Emerson and as the intellectual center of mid-19th century America.

Continuing a series on the strong women in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s life with a profile of his wife Lidian (Lydia) Jackson Emerson, who worked to relieve the suffering of people and animals while also managing a busy household and supporting her husband’s work. A co-founder of Concord’s Female Anti-Slavery Society, Lidian encouraged Emerson’s own involvement in the abolitionist movement.

Beginning a series on the strong women in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s life with a profile of his Aunt Mary Moody Emerson, who helped raise him after his father died and had a profound influence on his life and works. Credited as being his “earliest and best teacher,” Mary laid the foundation of Transcendentalism for her nephew and was an inspired writer in her own right. She was also active in the antislavery and women’s rights movements.

The history and provenance of Diamond the rocking horse, a beloved family artifact in the Emerson House nursery. Already an antique when Lidian Jackson bought it in 1825, Diamond took a circuitous route to Concord, its story touching on themes of childhood, illness, family, and domesticity—and involving two dramatic incidents at sea.

Emerson House guides share answers to some of the frequently asked questions by visitors to the house.

In his new documentary film Ralph Waldo Emerson: Give All to Love, Michael Maglaras celebrates the 220th anniversary of Emerson’s birth by “telling the story of the father of American thought and literature and…his importance in contemporary life.”

Emerson and Thoreau met in the spring of 1837 and became lifelong friends. In addition to their affinity for Concord, they shared a strong belief in the importance of nature in developing creative and independent thinking. Thoreau lived with the Emerson family for several years and built the cabin of Walden on land owned by Emerson.

Remembering the historic Battles of Lexington and Concord that marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, and sharing Emerson’s “Concord Hymn,” written for the 1837 dedication of a monument commemorating the battle at Concord’s North Bridge.

Excerpts on the wonders of winter from Emerson’s poems, essays, and other writings, accompanied by recent photos of the snowy landscapes around his Concord home.

Exploring the history of the ‘Concord grape,” developed by Concord resident—and Emerson neighbor—Ephraim Wales Bull in the 1840s. Henry David Thoreau first planted a scion of the original stock in the Emersons’ garden in the 1850s and a ‘Concord’ grapevine has grown there ever since.