Emma Lazarus is best known for the lines from her sonnet “The New Colossus” (1883) —“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”—immortalized on the Statue of Liberty. In 1876, when she was invited to the Emersons’ Concord home, she was an emerging poet whom Ralph Waldo Emerson had taken an interest in. Lazarus came to stay with the Emerson family for a week, arriving on August 25th— one hundred and fifty years ago today.

A biographical sketch of Edward Waldo Emerson’s development as an artist continues our celebration of his second career. A special exhibition of Edward’s art is on display at the Concord Free Public Library from July 30-September 10, 2026, presenting a rare opportunity for the public to view pieces held in private collections for generations.

Shared from the Substack Once Upon a Moment on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence, this essay explores the complicated history of freedom in America, and Lidian and Waldo Emerson’s involvement in Concord’s antislavery movement.

A press release from the Ralph Waldo Emerson Memorial Association (RWEMA) announcing expanded leadership and the 2026 opening date for the Emerson House.

Highlights from the special exhibition on Emerson’s daughters, Ellen Tucker Emerson and Edith Emerson Forbes, held at the Emerson House in Concord during our 2025 season.

Photos from an Emerson family album from the 1890s capture scenes from a Concord, MA winter over a century ago. Part of the greater Emerson House collection, this album is usually tucked away in a drawer and is being shared here for the first time.