Discover 172-year-old poetry on the windows of this ‘Old Manse’
Where is this house?
One hundred and seventy two years ago, a pair of newlyweds used a diamond to etch poetic words on an upstairs window pane of this home.
Who were the newlyweds?
They were American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife Sophia, who lived in this historic home from 1842 to 1845.
The home is called “The Old Manse.’’ And the Georgian-style clapboard structure in Massachusetts was once a creative breeding ground for several famous 19th century American writers.
The home was built in 1770 for Reverend William Emerson, the grandfather of transcendentalist poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. The younger Emerson enjoyed spending time at the house and wrote the essay Nature, published in 1836, from an upstairs room. The essay became the foundation for the transcendentalism movement.
In 1842, the Hawthornes moved in. Writer Henry David Thoreau, who also spent time there, planted an heirloom vegetable garden at the home as a wedding gift for the Hawthornes. That garden has been recreated by the Trustees of Reservations, which preserves and takes care of the property.
Hawthorne did a lot of writing at the Manse, which resulted in a collection of short stories and essays called Mosses from an Old Manse, published in 1846. The poetic etchings can be seen today, and read, in part:
Man’s accidents are God’s purposes. Sophia A. Hawthorne 1843
The smallest twig leans clear against the sky
Composed by my wife and written with her diamond
Inscribed by my husband at sunset, April 3 1843. In the Gold light.
After three years, the Hawthornes moved to Salem, where Nathaniel would write The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables.
You can visit The Old Manse and 10 other historic sites for free on May 31 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during “Home Sweet Home Open House,’’ a trustees event to celebrate preservation month as well as the many properties the group preserves.
Besides the The Old Manse, you can wander The Great House at Castle Hill, Old House at Appleton Farms, and the Paine House at Greenwood Farm, all in Ipswich, The Stevens-Coolidge Place in North Andover, Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens in New Bedford, The William Cullen Bryant Homestead in Cummington, The Ashley House in Sheffield, Naumkeag and The Mission House in Stockbridge, and The Folly at Field Farm in Williamstown, all for free.
Where is the Old Manse?
Check back with us tomorrow for the answer. And get travel inspiration every Tuesday on Twitter using the hashtag #TravelTuesday.
The answer: Concord
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