Old Manse

We were at the Old North Bridge and saw an advertisement for free warm cider and cookies here so we thought we would take a chance. It was a fantastic decision. The staff was so friendly and hospitable. Our tour guide, Dana, was VERY knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the house and the writers that lived in it. Overall, even as a longtime resident of Bedford, a nearby town, my first experience at the Old Manse was very fascinating and I’m very glad I went.

If these walls could talk… when we visited the Old Manse last weekend, thats what I kept thinking.
If you’re into name dropping– Ralph Waldo Emerson drafted «Nature» here; Nathaniel Hawthorne and his bride rented it for 3 years; and Thoreau, Margaret Fuller and Bronson Alcott talked transcendentalism here. Beyond that though, the tour was quite good, our guide was enthusiastic and there’s an impressive amount of original furnishings.
It gave me chills to see the etchings in the window panes written by Hawthorne and his wife Sophia to each other.
The house is only a short walk from Concord Bridge and grounds are lovely. We went on a cloudy November day, but I“d go any time of year!

We took the tour of the house with a family of 5. Two 10 year olds and 3 adults. This was by far the most interesting tour we’ve taken! We have traveled all through Boston and taken all the typical tours.
David was our tour guide and was very very entertaining and informative, he provided us with numerous tidbits of fascinating trivia of the house and the residents.
My kids and my husband and I were all enthralled by the presentation and the house. There are many original antiques and artifacts throughout the house.
If you’re in the area I would highly recommend bringing the family. The cost is$ 9 adults, $ 6 for children and $ 8 for students. Military get in free!
Great tour! Great guide! Must see.

Nach einem enttäuschenden Besuch in Cambridge, haben wir uns nachmittags noch in Richtung Concord aufgemacht. Denn dort befindet sich der «Minute Man National Historical Park». Neben der ganzen Shopping-​Arie sollte auch noch ein wenig geschichtliche Bildung im Urlaub sein.
Ein Teil davon ist «The Old Manse» was in deutsch «Das alte Pfarrhaus» heißt. Es wurde ca. 1769 für den Patrioten und Pastor William Emerson errichtetet Das Gebäude befindet sich in unmittelbarer Nachbarschaft zur Old North Bridge, wo am 19. April 1775 der Unabhängigkeitskrieg der Vereinigten Staaten begann. Noch heute wird in den USA dies als «Patriots Day» gefeiert wird.
Heute wird es von der Organisation «The Trustees of Reservations» als Museum betrieben. Leider durfte man vom Inneren keine Photos machen. Hier wurde mit einem älteren Röhrenfernseher ein Kurzfilm angeboten, der die damalige Geschehnisse anschaulich erklärt hat.
Nach einer lebhaften Geschichte hat das unscheinbare Haus durch seine enge Verbindung mit dem Schriftsteller Nathaniel Hawthorne eine große historische Bedeutung erhalten hat.
Sehr schön war der angrenzende Park mit den Monumenten, der North Bridge und den Statuen. Ein wirklich schöner Ausflug der die Geschichte der USA näherbringt.

Fantastic place to visit. Took our daughters (13 and 9), and they enjoyed it as well. Amazing that so many original furnishings and personal items remain in the house after 150+ years. Tour guide did a great job. Highly recommend it.

To say that this is house is historically significant is a gross understatement, and being the tremendous geek that I am, I jumped at the chance to visit. I was generally a bit underwhelmed. Tours of the first floor were free and self-​guided on the day we visited (though I believe there is typically a fee), and employees were posted in each room to provide information. Because people were bouncing from room to room, things seemed a little disorganized, and the information we received wasn’t necessarily chronological. We sort of received bits and pieces of information that didn’t really flow together to create a «big picture.»
Tours of the upstairs and attic were available for a $ 5 fee, and we opted in. The upstairs rooms were interesting, and because this was a guided tour, we had an easier time digesting information. The attic was a mess– not at all well maintained or preserved. Apparently the attic was finished at one time, but forty years ago they removed the 1800’s version of drywall from the wooden frames, and haven’t replaced it. Wallpaper is peeling, furniture is just hanging out collecting dust, and in one room an original sketch by a resident who became a famous artist (whose name naturally escapes me) is unceremoniously nailed to a wall. Kind of odd. It could be that they simply don’t have the funds to complete whatever project they started or properly preserve the attic space, which is too bad. This wasn’t the best historic tour I’ve been on, but the property is significant to Massachusetts and U.S. history, so I’d still recommend a visit.

The Old Manse and the sea, well, in this case river.
Not a work by Hemingway but by nature and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s grandfather who first established a property on this bucolic stretch of land.
The Old Manse is conveniently located right next to Minuteman National Park in Concord. You can literally walk a short path from the park to the Manse in less than five minutes.
You may also see a sign that indicates «Free Tour» of the Manse and then discover that the sign was accidentally left out. However, to the credit of the Manse’s staff, enough people mentioned this misleading sign that we were given a tour, gratis.
Of course, that meant that the tour was a bit too large for a house designed for a simpler era when people were physically smaller.
Walking along the property, be sure to mozy down to the boat house where one can launch a kayak or boat onto the river. Or simply absorb the natural beauty where water meets land.
It’s rare to find a house that housed so many literary giants but such is the Old Manse: Emerson, Hawthorne and Thoreau, to be exact.
The tour was informative and focused more on the larger than life personalities than the intricacies of cutlery or some other objects that many tours of this type seem to specialize in. It was refreshing to hear about the people and not the elaborate feet of a dresser.
Keeping with the transcendental nature of the house’s famous residents, there aren’t any roped off sections as the curators wish to keep the space as historically accurate as possible.
A house tour is $ 8 and took about 30 minutes. Since this was a free tour perhaps the pay-​for-​tour is longer.

Loved it! The best time to go is in the fall or early winter — so easy to visualize Hawthorne and Emerson tromping around through this gorgeous clapboard house that oozes history. You can still see poems that Hawthorne and his wife, Sofia, wrote to one another on the windows of the house — truly amazing! It’s a good idea to purchase the Trustees of Reservations membership if you love the outdoors and want to explore our backyard history. I got a free T-​shirt with my membership that has a pic of Nathaniel Hawthorne on it that reads «Hawthorne is a hottie!» You get a free tour of the Old Manse with your Trustees membership as well (among many other free tours of historic places around New England)! I went on the Thanksgiving tour where they go over the history of what took place in the house during «Thanksgiving,» what types of food they prepared, and what else took place during the month of November. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to be immersed in history.

The cost of the tour is a couple bucks more than I expected but when you get inside you see that the house does need some improvements so the price is definitely justified. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and also obviously interested in the house and its history.
Keep an eye out for the secret messages Hawthorne and his wife left to each other. I went here on a hot summer day but I bet this place feels pretty spooky at night with its low ceilings and creaking floors.

What’s not to love about the Old Manse? Whether you’re in Concord for the Revolutionary history (the house is next to the Old North Bridge) or literary history (not just Emerson but also Hawthorne lived here), this is a must-​visit. The staff is knowledgeable and, more importantly, enthusiastic about the home and its stories. The house itself is a bit dreary, almost depressing, but the etchings in the glass made by Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne are incredibly romantic and make up for it. Spend some time in the gift shop too — they have a great selection. And, again, this place is defined by its outstanding staff.

Overall, I had a good time/​education experience at the Old Manse. The tour guide was knowledgeable, most of the furniture dates back to the original, and the grounds were also quite beautiful.
This is a really fun date idea when you want to get out of the city and especially if you enjoy history, particularly New England writers such as Emerson and Hawthorne.
I’d give this place 5 stars but the people selling tickets in the front room had forgotten to take their ADD meds and could not figure out how to run a credit card machine.

The grounds that the Old Manse sits on are beautiful. There is a boat house and a lake, with a view that you could find on a post card. I opted out of the tour with Tom, and now wish I hadn’t! I wasn’t in a touristy mood that day… but that just means that I have a valid reason to go back another day.
The area next to the Old Manse with the tent is perfect for an afternoon picnic, party, etc… and I heard through the grape vine that it was very reasonably priced.
The only down side to this place were the mosquitos! They were like locusts devouring our tasty bodies… so when you’re out walking the grounds… WEAR BUG SPRAY… and if you’re going to be staying in one spot for awhile, bring lots of insect repelling things — i.e. citronella candles (but I’m not sure if you can have candles b/​c of the «fire hazard» — so you would need to check on that before you go).

WOOT!
Okay… Tom was awesome (the caretaker/​manager) with his interactions with our group and also his knowledge of the area. I did not take the tour of the house. We were a big group of people and I live somewhat nearby and have decided I’d rather take the tour when it’s less people.
The grounds, however, are spectacular and there’s much to see. It’s also near the center of town so there’s a lot to explore there as well.
I especially like the guy on the bridge playing bagpipes that’s apparently there on a regular basis.
If you need to get away from it all… this is a great place to visit.
Also, in general, the Trustees are a wonderful organization to support. They maintain properties all over the state. I am a member and will continue to be, whether or not I get the kind of use out of my membership I’d like to.

I’m going to review the spot as a place to hold a function. Mostly because I skipped the House Tour, as I have done it before, and quite frankly, I wanted to be outside, and enjoying that…
So, we had a tent, a large amount of space, and electricity. All Grand. It was in a fantastic location, right on the River, and the scenery was gorgeous.
Tom, the Director, was a funny bloke with a great Liverpool (I think) accent. He seemed to really enjoy our being there. Also, great.
There was some confusion about bathrooms, and facilities to begin with.
But, that was minor.
The only thing I’d caution anyone about, is that you’d better bring bug spray. My legs, neck and wrists are covered with welts. And, I sprayed!

Manse is a minister’s home and Old is really old. Our tour guide was an very enthusiastic Tom B. who was gave apt and concise historical references that abound in the house. He also pointed out the many idiosyncratic features of 18^th century living. It’s similar to visiting Sturbridge Village or Williamsburg, but all in a 2000 sq foot house, and without the busyness of lots of dressed up actors who, despite best intentions, lend an air of inauthenticity.
I personally liked seeing the Canton china dishes and vessels, I have a few minor pieces of the same kind. It occurred to me that they were only 60 – 80 years old at the time the Hawthorne’s acquired them. Possibly the most esoteric things there, when you think about it. Well, save for the English «crapper». Tom tells us that there was indeed, an English gentleman by the name of Thomas Crapper who had much to do with early flush toilets.
The grounds are pristinely managed by The Trustees of Reservations, a private organization that New England is blessed to have.
A must-​see stop along the many sights that is beautiful Concord!

My first look at a historical crapper! (see pic)
While it’s a bit too quaint and serene for my city-​boy tastes, it definately is a must-​see for history buffs, especially fans of the great Nathanial Hawthorne, or, as was in my case, a great spot for group picnics and get-​togethers.
The house itself is a great walk down history lane, complete with a historical crapper (I know… I can’t get over how small toilets were back then), a drop spindle, ancient Steinway piano, stuffed owl whose eyes follow you everywhere (even to the historical crapper), teeny tiny «adult» beds (it’s a wonder how they procreated), and, for the true romantics, numerous windows throughout the house where you can still see romantic messages/​letters carved by diamond ring from Hawthorne to his bride.
The grounds are huge, green, filled with mosquitoes, and come complete with some historical bridge that repelled either the British troops, rebels, or Nazis (I forget, wasn’t really paying attention at this point of the tour as I was still stuck on the crapper thing).
Make sure you take the tour with Tom, who, being British, will give his own view of what really happened during the war (damn redcoats!).

So Emerson used to live here. You may have heard of him? Ralph Waldo, that’s the one. And a certain Nathaniel Hawthorne. Something about a scarlet note, or something. It was first owned by Emerson’s grandfather during the revolution. Which means it’s pretty darn ancient. Seeing the length of the beds and height of the door frames it’s so old the people were even smaller.
Okay, all jokes aside now.
The building and its grounds did indeed survive many historically significant happenings — muskets firing, red coats charging — right in its backyard. The original structure is still standing, ornamented with furnishings from the 18^th and 19^th century. Antique and piano buffs will swoon over the 1864 Steinway piano, that even now resonates a-​beauty.
A tour (preferably with the knowledgable and humored guide, British Tom) reveals the writing room shared by Emerson and Hawthorne. And the window panes where Hawthorne and his wife engraved love notes to each other with their diamond rings. With a look at the picturesque grounds, the epitome of bucolic New England, it’s no wonder they felt enlivened and amorous.
Great for a slice of history and picnic date in serenity.

This house gives me chills. The good kind. It’s been around through the revolution… which was fought right in its back yard, literally… North Bridge (from ‘Shot heard round the world fame’) is just out the back door. There is so much history here, from war history, to religious history, to Hawthorne history (it was his first home with his bride, who wrote messages which you can still behold in the windows with her diamond ring), Emerson history (through many generations, and where Ralph Waldo Emerson drafted ‘Nature’), and there is even a vegetable garden that was originally planted by Henry David Thoreau as a wedding present to the Hawthornes. An amazing place to visit!