The friendship between two intellectual powerhouses of the mid-nineteenth century—Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson—began with a visit to Concord in 1836. Fuller later joined the “Transcendental Club” and her book Woman in the Nineteenth Century—the first major feminist work in America—grew from an essay published in The Dial magazine under Emerson’s editorship.

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.

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.”

Referencing Jeffrey S. Cramer’s book, Solid Seasons: The Friendship of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, to explore the question of whether the two friends called one another “Waldo” and “Henry.”

Reprinted from The Public Domain Review, this essay explores the friendship of Transcendentalist illustrator Christopher Cranch and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Cranch’s collection of humorous sketches inspired by phrases from Emerson’s Nature—including his famed “transparent eyeball” drawing—is considered one of his greatest achievements.

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