Concord in Middlesex County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, April 17, 2009
1. Nathaniel Hawthorne Marker
at the Centennial Exercises
July 4, 1904
commemorates
Nathaniel Hawthorne.
He trod daily this path to the hill
to formulate,
as he paced to and fro
upon its summit,
his marvelous romances.
Erected 1904.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1846.
Location. 42° 27.543′ N, 71° 20.005′ W. Marker is in Concord, Massachusetts, in Middlesex County. It can be reached from the intersection of Lexington Road and Hawthorne Lane, on the right when traveling west. Marker is in Minute Man National Historical Park, just west of The Wayside. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Concord MA 01742, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Boston. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Larch Path (here, next to this marker); Caseys Home (within shouting distance of this marker); The First Settlement - 1635 (within shouting distance of this marker); Orchard House (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ephraim Wales Bull (about 500 feet away); Bedford Minutemen (approx. 0.4 miles away); Benjamin Barron House
this page online
Also see . . . The Wayside in Minute Man National Historical Park. National Park Website. (Submitted on May 29, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, April 17, 2009
2. Marker in Concord
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, April 17, 2009
3. The Wayside
Nathaniel Hawthorne lived in this house, located near the marker. In addition to him, the Wayside was also the home to authors Louisa May Alcott and Harriett Lothrop (Margaret Sidney). Hawthorne added the vaulted tower study and other alterations to the house when he lived here.
Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, October 7, 2010
4. Hawthorne's Path
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 16, 2015
5. Nathaniel Hawthorne
This 1862 portrait of Nathaniel Hawthorne hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.
“One of the enduring myths of America is that it has no history but exists in the liberating freedom of the present moment. Nathaniel Hawthorne's novels, fables, and "tales" were a cautionary lesson to Americans who ignored the past. His writings secularized the harsh Puritan worldview of his Salem birthplace to remind Americans that actions had consequences, both for individuals and communities. His novels turn on the clash of the individual will—from the lovers in The Scarlet Letter (1850) to the naive philanthropist of The Blithedale Romance, (1852)—against the implacability of society and nature. Hawthorne's sympathies are often with his rebels, but his philosophy requires their defeat. It was perhaps the irreconcilability of these viewpoints that led to his artistic decline in the 1850s.” — National Portrait Gallery
“One of the enduring myths of America is that it has no history but exists in the liberating freedom of the present moment. Nathaniel Hawthorne's novels, fables, and "tales" were a cautionary lesson to Americans who ignored the past. His writings secularized the harsh Puritan worldview of his Salem birthplace to remind Americans that actions had consequences, both for individuals and communities. His novels turn on the clash of the individual will—from the lovers in The Scarlet Letter (1850) to the naive philanthropist of The Blithedale Romance, (1852)—against the implacability of society and nature. Hawthorne's sympathies are often with his rebels, but his philosophy requires their defeat. It was perhaps the irreconcilability of these viewpoints that led to his artistic decline in the 1850s.” — National Portrait Gallery
Credits. This page was last revised on November 22, 2019. It was originally submitted on May 29, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,157 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 29, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 4. submitted on October 8, 2010, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. 5. submitted on August 30, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.
