As part of the Concord Museum’s 2021 Holiday House Tour, the Emerson barn was decorated to reflect a nineteenth century holiday dining space.

Starting in 1833, Ralph Waldo Emerson earned his living by lecturing across the country, and eventually in Europe as well. Leveraging a rising enthusiasm for the lyceum movement, he spoke to audiences on a broad range of topics and maintained a rigorous schedule of speaking engagements.

A biographical profile of Ralph Waldo & Lidian’s second child, Ellen Tucker Emerson. A lifelong companion to her parents in their Concord home, Ellen was very active in the community and accompanied her father on lecture tours later in his life. She was an avid correspondent and her surviving letters offer many insights into Emerson family life

A biographical profile of Ralph Waldo & Lidian’s youngest child, Edward Waldo Emerson. Trained as a doctor, Edward practiced medicine until his father’s death, after which he left the profession and spent his time writing, painting, and editing his father’s manuscripts.

A virtual tour of the historic barn behind the Emersons’ Concord home with architectural historian, Anne Forbes; Concord Museum Curator, David Wood; and Bay Emerson Bancroft of the Ralph Waldo Emerson Memorial Association. Created in partnership with the Concord Museum.

A biographical profile of Lydia “Lidian” Jackson, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s second wife, whom he married on September 14, 1835. The newlyweds moved to their Concord home the following day, where they would remain together for the next 47 years.

The history of the barn behind the Emerson House in Concord, built circa 1828 and used for a variety of purposes by the Emerson family. The Ralph Waldo Emerson Memorial Association—RWEMA— completed an extensive restoration of this historic structure in August 2020.

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.

On this day in 1854, Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden; or, Life in the Woods was published. Thoreau’s most famous work details his experiences living near Concord’s Walden Pond in a cabin built on a woodlot owned by his friend and mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson.

This inaugural blog post shares a biographical profile of Ralph Waldo Emerson on the occasion of his 217th birthday.