I didn't really "conquer" Concord (and neither did the Brits!), and I don't know what exactly conquering it would entail these days, but I thought the title was kind of clever on my part so I wanted to use it. 😁 I spent a summer Friday in August in Concord with Meredith and our friend Beth. I hadn't been there in many years and didn't even remember it very much, so it was good to go back.
I wanted to go to Orchard House (Louisa May Alcott's house) but it was still closed due to Covid, so we went to the Concord Museum instead, which was really nice and new. We had the whole museum to ourselves.
Even the cardboard patriot was masked up! 😷
A pretty painting of one of my favorite places, the Wayside Inn.
There were some really cool artifacts there.
This is Henry David Thoreau's green writing desk. He drafted his most famous book Walden on this desk when he was living at Walden Pond.
Louisa May Alcott said that this tea kettle gave her comfort while she was a nurse during the Civil War.
Another cool old desk, this one Ralph Waldo Emerson's.
Of course I loved these two cute little owl statues.
I like this old style of window.
It was a pretty museum, and very much worth the visit.
Then we walked up the street past Ralph Waldo Emerson's house. It would have been fun to tour, but like Orchard House, it was also closed.
This was a cool old haunted-looking house nestled into the trees across the street.
We went for a nice little walk in the woods on a pretty trail called the "Emerson-Thoreau Amble."
Walks in the woods are one of my favorite things.
We came upon a nice big farm at the end of the trail that was very picturesque.
Then we drove over to Walden Pond and walked around part of it, but not around the whole thing because our footwear wasn't quite up to the task and Beth didn't want to go around the whole thing (so Meredith and I have plans to go back this week and walk around the whole pond and see the site of Thoreau's hut! It will be especially pretty with the fall foliage!).
I didn't realize that Walden Pond has swimming beaches.
We ate a delicious lunch at Concord's Colonial Inn, another historic place. I was really in the mood for flourless chocolate cake for dessert, so I got it and wasn't disappointed. 😋
Next we stopped at The Old Manse, which was also closed, but the grounds were pretty. Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne both lived here at different times.
Next we went to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, which was huge and historic and beautiful.
Thoreau's grave(s)
Note the writing utensils that are left at the author's graves.
Hawthorne's grave
Louisa May Alcott's grave is a veritable shrine! So cool!
Emerson's grave is this big granite rock.
I really liked what this man had put on his grave. Beth sent us a link about him later and he was a really good man. His name was George Frisbie Hoar.
Last but not least, we drove one town over to Lexington and walked around the battle green, which is a pretty little park in the middle of the streets.
The residents of this house witnessed the battle that took place right across the street from their house.
This minuteman statue had a nice butt. 😂
It was such a nice day exploring history and nature with two of my good friends. I love living in New England again!
