Famous Concordians
Because of its eminent citizens, Concord has always had a larger presence in American culture than a town of its size would otherwise enjoy. Concord writers and thinkers, in particular, have left their mark on our national and indeed on world culture.
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David THOREAU (1817-1862). Writer, individualist and spiritual philosopher, laid the foundations for conservation and ecology in 19th-century America. Visit the farm where he was born, a replica of the cabin he built at Walden Pond, look at some of the houses he occupied in Concord, and visit his grave in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery on Authors Ridge.
Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May ALCOTT (1832-1888) wrote Little Women, the most successful young adult novel of all time. You can visit two of the houses she occupied in Concord, as well as her grave on Authors Ridge.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo EMERSON (1803-1882) was
America’s first great philosopher and man of letters, a founder of Transcendentalism, and a world-famous poet and author. Visit his Concord home and his study at the Concord Museum, wander along the Emerson-Thoreau Amble trail to Walden Pond, and see his grave on Authors Ridge.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel HAWTHORNE (1804-1864) established the American short story as an art form with his Twice-Told Tales, and went on to write best-sellers The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. Visit two of his Concord homes, and his grave on Authors Ridge.
Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester FRENCH (1850-1931), renowned sculptor of The Minuteman at Concord’s Old North Bridge, the seated Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, and many other works. Visit The Minutman, his Mourning Victory at the Melvin Memorial in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and his grave on the ridge behind the Memorial.
Ephraim Wales Bull
Ephraim Wales BULL (1806-1895) developer of the Concord grape at Grapevine Cottage, his home in Concord. See the cottage, his original grapevine, the monument to his work, and his grave (with his first name misspelled) in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
