A New England Literary Adventure (with a birthday shout-out to Robert Frost)

A year ago, I got to do something that I'd been wanting to do for a long time. You see, even though I grew up in New England and the Mid-Atlantic region, and even though I've always been a heavy reader, I had never visited a single literary historic site in NE (and believe me, New England is especially full of them). So when my husband and I got the chance to be a part of 2-day conference in New Hampshire, he graciously allowed me to add an extra day on our trip to stuff in as much literary site-seeing as we could. 

The poor man didn't know what he'd gotten himself into. 

From all outward appearances (and probably according to most men), it was a long, miserable, boring day of looking at old houses and tombstones. New England at the end of March last year was, typically, cold and icy-rainy. So yes, it was 34 degrees and rained the entire day. And yes, we mostly stopped and looked at old houses and tombstones. But I had the time of my life! (And Joel enjoyed the benefit of numerous Dunkin Donuts stops - it wasn't all bad for him). So for those of you book lovers out there who would enjoy a quick peek at my trip (and perhaps get some inspiration for your own literary journey), here's my catalog of events. 

1ST STOP: ROBERT FROST'S FARM. DERRY, NH. 

Frost is unquestionably one of my favorite poets. Probably sounds a little cliche, but it's true. I love free verse ("Mending Wall" is a personal favorite - see below). The farmhouse itself was closed for the season, as were most of the places we stopped - most likely that ended up saving us money and time in the long run. I got a quick peek in the windows and sludged my way out back to get a fun photo op on one of Frost's own stone walls. I'm sure with all of those "fences," he was a good neighbor.

Sign out by the road (his farmhouse is right on a main road now); reading "Mending Walls" next to Frost's own stone wall; quick peek on the porch through the windows. Happy 141st Birthday, Robert! 

2ND STOP: ORCHARD HOUSE (ALCOTT), THE RALPH WALDO EMERSON HOUSE, AND THE OLD MANSE (HAWTHORNE). CONCORD, MA. 

Reading Little Women outside
of Orchard House

Clustered in the small downtown area of Concord, MA are the homes of famed authors Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorn. Orchard House is actually open year-round, so that was my one splurge. Joel opted out of the tour, preferring to sit in the car and read his own theology books while I paid the $10 to walk around Louisa's creaky but delightful homestead. It's not as large as I imagined (based on the Little Women movie and pictures I'd seen); but it had a number of enchanting nooks and crannies. Definitely worth a stop and tour in my opinion. 

Emerson Home

Emerson's home was another "closed for the season" location - so I risked my life posing on a busy street for a quick stop. The Old Manse (Hawthorn's home) was actually open for tours, but since we didn't want to pay another fee, I just ran and got a quick photo before the workers came out and asked for a "donation." From here, we went to a few outdoor (and free) literary scenes in Concord. 

3RD STOP: OLD NORTH BRIDGE, SLEEPY HOLLOW CEMETERY (AUTHOR'S RIDGE), AND WALDEN POND. 

Reading Emerson's Concord Hymn at
the Old North Bridge, Concord, MA. 

The next few stops were a tad miserable (hence, shortened) because of the weather. Joel and I took a little walk to get to the Old North Bridge, which crosses the Concord River - and is home to first battle of the Revolutionary War. If this sounds more like a "history stop" than part of a literary adventure, you must not be familiar with the Concord Hymn by Emerson. This poem, which I love, is actually the reason I wanted to make this stop, as I used it for a project way back in 6th grade. Now here I was, reading Concord Hymn "by the rude bridge." However, at this point, my fingers were stinging so badly from the cold that I could barely hold my book open - a small price to pay for my photo-op. 

After a few minutes thawing out in the car, we made our way through Sleepy Hollow Cemetery up to the aptly named Author's Ridge, so called since Louisa M. Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorn are all buried on the same hill overlooking the rest of the cemetery. Literary lovers come from all over and pay homage, mostly by leaving cheap ball point pens at the various tombstones. I preferred to pay homage to one of my favorites by allowing my 1900 copy of Little Women a few moments of rest on its author's gravesite. (Believe me, in this weather, it was a sacrifice). Sometime, I'd love to come back in better weather and visit a little more of the cemetery. 

Sneakiest photo of the day:
Walden Pond

Walden Pond, our last stop in Concord, MA was closed-up in more ways than one. The site-seeing shop was locked and barred; and the walkway down to the pond was chained off with various signage threatening tourists and passersby to refrain from attempting to be the next Thoreau. So our stop here was more like a sneak-stop - we parked the car in a closed parking lot, ran across the road, and got a quick photo in front of the pond as a police car drove past us. We got out of there rather quickly. 

LAST STOP: LONGFELLOW'S WAYSIDE INN. SUDBURY, MA.

Our destination for the evening - and the highlight of the entire trip for me - was having dinner and taking up lodgings at Longfellow's Wayside Inn on the Old Boston Post Road in Sudbury, MA. If you're not familiar with it, the Wayside Inn, est. in 1716 and the oldest operating inn in the country, was the inspiration for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's collection of poems called the Tales of a Wayside Inn (which includes his even-more-famous poem "Paul Revere's Ride" ... you know, "one if by land, and two if by sea" etc.). I enjoyed reading through the Tales during our dessert in the tavern (New England Indian Pudding - fantastic!), and then throughout the evening in our room. 

We paid a little extra to get one of the "special" rooms - room #10. When I first called the Inn to set up a reservation, the receptionist let me know about room #10, which has about 8-10 different spots throughout it that are more-or-less hidden and contain clues and notes from previous lodgers - a veritable treasure hunt! I found a number of these in our room, and eventually hit the goldmine when I opened up the antique chest in our room - absolutely full of letters. I dug around in the letters briefly and found some dating back to the 1970s and 80s. I made sure to write my own letter and leave it in the chest ... to be read upon my return someday. :-) 

3 of the hidden notes I found from previous lodgers: 
underside of a drawer, window ledge, and wooden beam in the closet. 

The "treasure chest" of letters

Breakfast at the Inn - complete with creaky floors
a crackling fireplace, and corned beef hash. 

The next morning, after a hearty New England breakfast in the tavern, we took a quick drive up to the Grist Mill - a mill built by Henry Ford and still in operation today, producing the flour and cornmeal that the Inn uses in its baking. I purchased a bag of cornmeal; and yes, it has made some marvelous cornbread throughout the past year. 

The Old Grist Mill - still in operation today

We had a flight to catch that afternoon, so that was the end of our literary adventure. I've still got a list of other authors' homes to visit someday; but for now, this was a wonderful day trip for me. I'd love to hear if you have your own literary stops to share with me - always adding to my list. 

So thank you, Joel, for humoring me and my book-nerd loves. It was an adventure I won't soon forget. And speaking of forgetting ... happy birthday a day late, Robert Frost!

Megan Albright, for The Sisterhood