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Explore > Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House > Story Archives
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Many thanks to our supporters!
Submitted by Orchard House, West of Boston
The final results of the Partners in Preservation contest are now in and we are extraordinarily grateful to our ever-faithful supporters for all the help they gave to Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House!!!
As proud as we are of the exceptional surge we managed to make in the last days of the contest, and the many ways we reached brand new friends, we will always treasure the many stories and memories stirred by this contest, some of which were shared on this website. Please continue to connect with Miss Alcott, her books, family, and home, each and every day in your own special ways. Your continued support means the world to us, and will carry us through even the toughest of times ...
We encourage anyone and everyone -- whether you are live down the block, around the corner, or across the globe -- to plan a visit to us and see for yourself how we are preserving the Alcott legacy and sharing it with future generations.
And now, we march onward toward our Centennial as a historic site in 2011, and hope that you will continue to share the remarkable journey with us!
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Southern Girls Love Louisa, Too!
Submitted by Anna, West of Boston
I am also a lifelong devotee of Miss Alcott and her wonderful books! I was 12 the first time I came to Orchard House, all the way from Raleigh, North Carolina (and yes, we drove). My love of her little book came alive that day as I never expected, standing in the “March” house, seeing Amy’s drawings on her bedroom wall, Jo’s infamous boots, and Louisa’s writing desk. It grew into a passion as I quickly made friends with all her other books and knew the characters as well as my own family, rereading them into the double digits. I remember the first time I finished 'An Old-Fashioned Girl,' I was so disappointed that it had to end, that I immediately turned to Chapter One and started over again! Something in Louisa’s life, her writings, her girlhood manifested right in front of us, her famous Concord friends who influenced her “odd” notions and became covert characters now and then... Something magical? Yet so real-life? How can a girl describe the experience properly! Louisa’s spirit is so very relatable and alive to every girl who reads her works, even 150 years later, that our enthusiasm is sure to follow into the future, where other girls will deserve a chance to experience her world first hand, too! There is a spirit and history there so special in the Orchard House and so welcoming that I hope it will always be around and taken care of for another 100 years.
At 25, I have been to Orchard House 4 more times since I was 12. I can never drive to New England from NC without stopping by and spending a few sacred hours with my old friend. Because of Louisa, and neighbors like Emerson & Thoreau, Concord feels like a second home to me. My most special trip was 2 years ago, when I visited while writing my undergraduate thesis on Little Women and the Concord circle that influenced Louisa-- and consequently, millions of girls & many great women writers after her. Everyone at Orchard House and the other historical sites in town were so very welcoming to me, helpful, and excited about my project-- one which you could say I’ve been researching my entire life. So, sincerely from NC, thank you and good luck!!! May Orchard House always be there for us to come "home" to!
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A Reminder...
Submitted by Alex, West of Boston
I grew up in Concord, Masschusetts and thus did the tour of the historical homes of Concord, not once, but twice (if not more). Mainly, one does this first in fourth grade when you start learning about the town. You learn go the houses, learn that these people were writers and you end up at the Antiquarian Society and either dip candles or make applesauce. The next time you do the tour, you are in high school taking American Literature you learn that these people were not only writers, but they changed the way people thought in the 19th century. These authors defied convention, created movements and they all lived in the SAME PLACE.
I had read Little Women in school, owned a couple of Ms. Alcott's other books and was always glad that she was part of our history. But as I lived so close to all this history - was saturated by both Revolutionary War as well as literary history - I ended up jaded to it. It's just THERE. Other towns have history, too. I mean come on, I live in Massachusetts, I would think to myself. Then came Rebecca.
I was working for the Freedom Trail as a historical greeter and a good number of our staff did not grow up in the state and to them, Concord was another place in a history book. We decided to take a field trip out to the town where they could see the sites. One of the women with us, Rebecca, was from Colorado. She LOVED Louisa May Alcott and had always wanted to see Orchard House. When we all walked in, she indeed was the most excited. Looking at the writing desk, the trunk of costumes, the drawings and paintings May (Amy) made on her walls and around the house (another favorite part of the home for me), Marmie's room - all of it - she was just in awe. She ended the tour nearly weeping with joy at finally seeing this place. I saw the house with new eyes.
It was a reminder to me that I grew up in a truly formidable and phenomenal town. I grew up in the town in which Louisa May Alcott lived and wrote her seminal work. A work which has influenced and inspired millions of women and girls. The Empress of Japan had read Little Women and was such a fan she made a special trip here herself! The Alcotts are such a quintessential part of our history, that to let this home fall into disrepair really would be a crime. Please give to Orchard House, and allow many more special moments, like that of Rebecca's to continue; particularly when they reopen the eyes of jaded townsfolk like me.
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Literary Bus Trip
Submitted by Karen, West of Boston
I organized a literary bus trip to Concord and we visited Orchard House. We had a fantastic experience!
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Louisa May Alcott Orchard House
Submitted by Jill, West of Boston
My Mother's copy of "Little Women" is on my bookshelf across from my computer. I grew up in Belmont, Ma. and my 9th birthday party was held on the lawn of the Alcott's Orchard House. My husband and I moved to the Netherlands and I saw copies of Louisa's beloved stories in the bookshelves abroad. We moved back to the USA and settled in Concord. I began volunteering at Orchard House 50 years after that birthday party. I am over 70 now and Louisa will always be in my heart. Her home must be preserved for the generations to come. It will help little women grow up to be great women.
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long-time association
Submitted by marni, West of Boston
My great-aunt first took me to Orchard House when I was just a girl - about 60 years ago! I grew up reading and loving her books. And I still love them.
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Submitted by AbbaMay, West of Boston
40 years of history? 50+ years? 150 years? Try 319 years of history! That's how old the actual structure of Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House really is! Can you imagine what those walls would tell us if only they could speak?
This wonderful place, so cherished by generations around the world because "Little Women" was written and set there in 1868, began as home to a family of progressive Concord farmers in the late 1600s. John Hoar also actually harbored Christianized Native Americans in a secret shelter on one corner of his property to prevent their persecution!
Decades later, on 19 April 1775, the house was home to a Concord Minute Man and its occupants watched nervously as upwards of 750 British Regulars marched past to do battle at Concord's North Bridge. Finally, the diversely talented Alcott family moved into the home in 1858 and eventually made it the touchstone that it is for so many.
Talk about longevity! This home -- initially built like any other for routine family life -- now sees as many people as a train station or airport terminal, and yet has withstood the ravages of time, traffic, and the elements with an architectural integrity that is unsurpassed!
Passionate? You bet I am! Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House is a treasure in your own backyard that cannot be denied. It's also a treasure that has been open to the public since 1911 -- nearly 100 years! And it's not a place that's been encased in glass or partitioned by railings and barriers. Visitors walk through on a tour and feel as if the Alcotts have just left; schoolchildren participate in the same activities within rooms of the house that the Alcotts did when they lived there; couples have been known to get engaged there; grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and their families share love for and memories of a timeless coming of age story. There is just such an unmistakable and indescribable feeling of warmth and comfort emanating from this place, and it truly holds something for everyone.
All 25 sites are very deserving, it's true. So please think carefully about your vote -- and about how long-lasting the impact of your special place has been ... and can continue to be.
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Discovering Orchard House for the First Time
Submitted by Jill, West of Boston
I am a professional writer today because of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," which I read in elementary school. Years later, my family was driving through the Concord-Lexington area while on vacation, and I was staring out the car window not focusing on anything. But when we passed Orchard House, an immediate spark of recognition struck, and like the little girl in "Miracle on 34th Street," I shouted at my father, "Stop the car!!!!" My first visit to Orchard House was very much like that little girl in the movie who had finally found the house she so longingly wanted to call home.
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Great minds and free thinkers
Submitted by Wanderer, South Shore
Orchard House and the School of Philosophy are powerful places. Stepping on the grounds, seeing the Alcott's books and artifacts, and sitting in the SOP have changed me. I want to write when I visit; I want to read more works of LMA; I want to teach my daughter about transcendentalism. Please help preserve these treasures.
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Orchard House, mysecond home
Submitted by Peggy, West of Boston
I recall the warm summer day, when I was seven years old, that my grandmother brought my sister and me to Orchard House for the very first time. I remember the slightly musty smell and the warm breeze through the window. A kind older lady gave us a tour, and although I remember little of what she said, I remember the feeling of comfort I felt at Orchard House.
Almost a decade later I became a guide at Orchard House and spent six wonderful summers learning to love the Alcott family and to understand what a truly amazing influence they had, not only on nineteenth century America, but on the continuing generations. All of the Alcott women were strong, having an influence far beyond any they could have imagined. Orchard house is filled with May Alcott's painting, Louisa's writing, Elizabeth's music, Anna's love of learning and drama and Bronson and Abba's love of family.
Now, many decades later, I am still associated with Orchard House. I cherish the time I occasionally spend sharing the legacy of the Alcott's with visitors from around the world, who come to find the happy moments of their childhood when they, too, imagined themselves as "Little Women".
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Always wanted to be Jo
Submitted by Martha, West of Boston
I first encountered "Little Women" when I was in the fourth grade. Some of you may remember Weekly Readers and each month you could order books. I turned in my order to my 4th grade teacher Mrs. Lombardi who in turn looked it over and said "Little Women is too hard for you to read get something else." I remember being very surprised and I said "I want to get it." After all I was spending my owen money and it sounded good. Little did I know that already I was being a girl like Jo. Independent and a free thinker. When the book came the minute I got home I started to read and as it did and does for so many girls the magic came over me. I was living life with Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth. I sobbed when Beth died and I was so bitterly disappointed when Jo turned Laurie away and then I was thrilled when her true soul mate appeared at the end of the book. It totally influenced me and the woman I've become. And I learned that even though I was a lonely child I would always have friends and acceptance through books. And as teacher myself I NEVER said to a child "that's too hard for you."
Even though I grew up just 10 miles from Orchard House I never went until I was in my fifties. The first time was with my astounding aunt who is VERY much a Jo too. We went at Christmas time and walked around the house enjoying every aspect. The best was actually talking with "Jo" who when she heard my comment of "there's a breeze blowing around my ankles" responded with "you should try it in a hoopskirt."
The second time was the following May when I took my wonderful 8 year old friend and we went on the tour. Laura is an exceptional child who had already read an abridged version of "Little Women" We had the BEST time and especially liked the "indoor plumbing" Mr. Alcott devised for his family. AND the best part was we were there when two of the dresses the girls had actually worn were being displayed. When we got to the gifts shop Laura said "I want to buy the real book" meaning the unabridged. I was thrilled. It was wonderful and a memory I shall cherish it forever.
All of the locations involved in this initiative are worthy of the grant BUT I truly believe that the Orchard House is the most worthy. It was the home of an incredible woman who was her own person in a time when women were expected to by quiet and sit by the fire. Her book has inspired SO many girls to be true to themselves.
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