In September 1844, Ralph Waldo Emerson bought 11 acres of land on the shores of Concord’s Walden Pond. A few days later, he bought three more, beginning a lifetime connection with the Pond for himself as well as his descendants. 

While Walden is best known because of Henry David Thoreau, it was on Emerson's land that Thoreau lived. For Emerson, Walden Woods was also a place for solitary walking, swimming, and quiet contemplation. Telling a friend about the purchase, he wrote that Walden was "a place to which my feet have for years been accustomed to bring me once or twice a week at all seasons,” and called the woodlot his "new plaything.”

Join Concord historian Richard Smith as we explore Emerson’s Woodlots at Walden Pond. We'll walk the original boundaries of Emerson's land, see Thoreau's bean field (why is there a cellar hole there?), and talk about the notable visitors Emerson brought to Walden. What exactly were Waldo's plans for his woodlot? And what did his heirs do with it? 

Richard Smith has lectured on and written about antebellum United States history, Transcendentalism, and 19th-century American literature since 1995. He has worked in Concord as a public historian and living history interpreter since 1999 and recently retired from portraying Henry David Thoreau at Walden Pond, which he did for 26 years. Richard has written 13 books for Arcadia Publishing/Applewood Books and is a regular contributor of articles on local history to Discover Concord magazine.

This free event is co-sponsored by the Ralph Waldo Emerson Memorial Association (RWEMA) and The Walden Woods Project, in cooperation with Walden Pond State Reservation. Meet at the Walden Pond Visitors Center for an 11 a.m. start. We hope you will also join us afterwards for a guided tour of the Emerson House, open from 1-4 p.m. on Sundays. For admission rates and more information about visiting the house, please click here.