Aug 2008

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A view of the old North Bridge from Nathanial Hawthorne's house

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On April 19, 1775, British and Colonial forces clashed on this bridge - the first skirmish that led to the Revolutionary War. It is often called the "shot heard round the world" and is one of the most important moments in American History. It was then that the long suffering colonists wouldn't take the opression of the King any more - and they didn't want to pay taxes...It is even cooler that, years later, Nathanial Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau lived just yards from this site. Even cooler still is the fact that Louisa May Alcott, authoress of the smash hit "Little Women" grew up right down the street. On top of that, this place is as cute as can be - well worth a visit....

Hilary and I decided to take a summer driving vacation during Independence Day week, and on our way up to Quebec to spend our economic stimulus checks, we stopped in Holden, Massachusetts to visit her Mom and Dad, Malcolm and Ellen.

We had a very nice visit, and on a warm, overcast saturday, Malcolm and Ellen drove us up to Concord to take in some history...

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The Minuteman Statue, by Daniel Chester French - who also sculpted the statue of Lincoln in Washington, DC

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700 British Regulars marched out to Lexington and Concord to secure a munitions depo and were met by a smaller, but ever growing force of local militia.

Years later, Ralph Waldo Emerson, another Concord native, penned the poem "Shot Heard Round the World"

The relevant bit, etched into the Minuteman statue's base

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A small memorial to the British troops who fell that day

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The monument erected to mark the site where the battle began

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Hilary and Ellen stand in Hawthorn's yard

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American Transcendentalists like Hawthorne, Emerson and Thoreau developed a philosophical movement - religous, cultural and artistic in nature - that focused on individual intuition as a source of spirituality instead of the divinations and doctrines of the church. Many of you might be familiar with Thoreau's work - "Walden" - about his life in a shack out by Walden Pond, near Concord.

Louisa May Alcott's home as a girl and as a young woman - she wrote "Little Women" in the 2nd floor bedroom on the right

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The Transcendentalists were not the only game in town back then - Amos Bronson Alcott, famous educator, part-time socialist, and all around smart guy - also lived just steps from Hawthorne and the Old North Bridge.

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The "School of Philosophy and Literature" run by Mr. Alcott

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Amos Alcott is far more famous as the father of Louisa May Alcott than for his own thinking and writing, as his daughter's books have been enjoyed by millions for over 100 years. I myself have never read "Little Women", and doubt I ever shall, but I hear it is a page turner...

After a day in Massachusetts, we jumped in the car and headed north into New Hampshire, next stop: Quebec City!