Discover Concord Winter 2019 by Discover Concord MA

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CONCORD THERE’S NO

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WITH GREGORY MAGUIRE & ANDY NEWMAN

A VERY BAD SUBJECT OF THE CROWN EXPLORING CONCORD’S MID-CENTURY HOMES

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THINGS TO SEE & DO THIS WINTER

LOUISA MAY ALCOTT’S

CHRISTMAS STORIES

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From that first bite of turkey on Thanksgiving to the last chocolate on Valentine’s Day, the holiday season brings together the things we love most: family, friends, laughter, and good food. The smell of pumpkin spice is everywhere, snow blankets Concord, and the gentle glow of holiday lights cheers up the dark winter evenings. Welcome to Winter in Concord. The holidays are a magical time – so what better way to celebrate imagination than to meet Gregory Maguire, author of dozens of children’s books and adult novels, including the book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West – the story that inspired the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit “Wicked”. His husband, Andy Newman, creates enchantment through his paintings – which grace the walls of galleries in close to a dozen countries. Concord is lucky to have both of these talented artists in our community. Our feature article (page 8) delves into their fascinating lives. Holiday traditions abound in Concord. With so many celebrations – from the Holiday Tree Lighting, to the Winter Solstice Celebration, to the Grand Community Chanukah Celebration – our Top Things to See & Do article (page 6) is a great guide to family fun this season. And remember to take some time for yourself this winter to relax and unwind. Why not curl up with a good book, perhaps one of Louisa May Alcott’s Christmas stories (page 12) or a recommended Cozy Book for a Winter’s Day from our friends at Concord Free Library (page 48)? We don’t know if Thomas Mann or Nathaniel Hawthorne brought chocolates to the Peabody sisters on Valentine’s Day, but the story of their courtships is fascinating. Have you Met My Sister: The Lost Loves of Elizabeth Peabody is our offering for Valentine’s Day.

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While the course of Elizabeth’s love story may not have run smoothly, we hope you will enjoy reading about her remarkable life. She studied history and literature, read ten languages, established the first English-speaking kindergarten in the U.S., opened a bookstore, and worked to promote the abolition of slavery (page 40). While we love the holidays, we know how busy this time of year can be. With all the shopping, cooking, cleaning, and celebrating, things can get hectic. Our Guide to Holiday Entertaining can help you entertain in style with less stress! We’ll show you how to decorate on a budget, showcase your collections, and make your guests feel welcome. Sarah Alden Bradford. Lydia Jackson Emerson. Sophia Peabody Hawthorne. Helen Louisa Thoreau. Each of these women played a pivotal role in the history of our nation, championing the abolition of slavery, human rights, art, and education. Women Who Influenced Concord’s History (page 14) brings these passionate, intelligent, and talented women to life. Concord has a fascinating collection of mid-century modern homes. Eve Isenberg, a local architect and deck house resident, shares her insights about what makes these homes so unique (page 28). We hope that your family dinners aren’t as stressful as they must have been for Phebe Bliss Emerson. Poor Phebe was probably seated between her husband William Emerson, a staunch revolutionary, and her brother Daniel Bliss, an equally committed loyalist. A Very Bad Subject of the Crown: William Emerson, Concord’s Patriot Minister, brings the story of these two men to life (page 30).

Happy Holidays!

By the way, if you’re thinking of enjoying a nice cup of eggnog or singing a few carols, remember that at one time it was actually illegal to celebrate Christmas in Massachusetts. Find out more in the article, Forbidden Fruitcake, on page 18. Whatever holidays you’re celebrating, please remember those who are hurting this holiday season; the bereaved, the lonely, those struggling with illness, and so many others. Reach out this holiday season and make a difference in someone’s life. It’s the nicest present you can offer yourself this year. We wish you the Happiest of Holidays and a joyous, safe, and healthy New Year!

Jennifer C. Schünemann Co-Founder

Cynthia L. Baudendistel Co-Founder

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Jennifer C. Schünemann ART DIRECTOR

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Olga Gersh ADVISORY BOARD

Bobbi Benson North Bridge Antiques

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Lisa LaCoste Colonial Inn

From our Readers… FEEDBACK FROM OUR FALL 2019 ISSUE “To be able to share the things we love most about our town – in a classy format that presents the best of our community – truly honors our past and our present.” — Doris Kearns Goodwin, Concord, MA “I love the beautiful layout and the rich content of Discover Concord magazine so much that I’ve ordered three gift subscriptions for friends and family across the country!” — Pamela Ford, O’Fallon, MO

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“We were thrilled to use Discover Concord as our guide during our recent visit. Providing the history of the town, recommending activities, and using delectable advertising to lure us into staying in Concord for shopping and restaurants (instead of driving to Boston), the magazine is a useful tool that should be given to every visitor. We can’t wait to visit again!” — Laura McGaha, Pittsburg, PA

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“We just received Discover Concord’s Fall issue. It looks beautiful and I’m already making a “To-Do” list of fall cocktails to try.” — Jill Jacques, Acton, MA

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Cover Photo: The North Bridge in winter ©alamy.com/mystory © 2019 Voyager Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISSN 2688-5204 (Print) ISSN 2688-5212 (Online) For reprint and permission requests, please contact cynthia@voyagerpublishing.com 314-308-6611 FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION:

“I have read and shown others the latest copy of Discover Concord and it is terrific. You two are really good! The articles, the ads, and the information are very interesting.“ — Dave Witherbee, Concord, MA “I just read the new issue of Discover Concord and it is fabulous! I so enjoyed your interview with Doris Kearns Goodwin and it only reminded me once again how lucky we are to be living surrounded by history. Thank you for your good work and contribution to Concord!” — Pat Clarke, Concord, MA “I LOVE, LOVE YOUR NEW ISSUE! Great article with Doris Goodwin, what a nice tribute to her and her husband. I love your 12 things to do and putting the numbers for each one. Your Toasty Cocktails came out amazing, so creative! I could go on…. you’re a natural at publishing a successful magazine! Thank you for all your hard work.” — Lisa LaCoste, Concord, MA

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“Today, I picked up a copy of Discover Concord at Debra’s Natural Gourmet, and it is lovely! How wonderful that Concord has this fine publication to share the town’s unique attributes.” — Lara Wilson, Concord, MA “We B Discover Concord! What a great resource for residents and visitors to this very special Town of Concord.” — Concord Festival of Authors

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p.34

contents 12 14 17 18 20 23 24 27 28 30 4

There’s No Place Like Home: An Interview with Gregory Maguire and Andy Newman Spending the Holidays with Louisa May Alcott Women Who Influenced Concord’s History Family Trees: A Celebration of Children’s Literature Forbidden Fruitcake: Holiday Treats & Traditions in Old Concord The Crucolo Cheese Parade: Ten Years and a 1,000-Pound Wheel of Cheese List of Shops & Restaurants

p.28

34 38 40 44 46

Walking Maps of Concord Debra’s Natural Gourmet Concord’s Mid-Century Modern Homes Define an Era A Very Bad Subject of the Crown: William Emerson, Concord’s Patriot Minister

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14 Things to See & Do in Concord This Winter

46 47 48

Concord in Winter Concord Trivia Have You Met My Sister? The Lost Loves of Elizabeth Peabody

p.8

Arts Around Town Little Women, Big Screen: A New Presentation of the Classic Novel Debuts on Christmas Day The Concord Players Celebrate 100 Years…Louisa May Alcott’s Legacy Lives On

Concord Coupons Cozy Books for a Winter Day

p.48

istock.com/nataliiaroboba

A New Concord Museum Experience

Come see the newly-renovated Concord Museum • Visit the new Gateway to Concord, including the Museum Shop • Explore the introductory gallery, Concord: At the Center of Revolution • Encounter the People of Musketaquid • Discover twenty remarkable works of art from four Concord private collections • Engage with the most outstanding clocks, furniture, needlework, and silver that the Museum has collected in the recent past

Open daily 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. now through January 12, 2020

www.concordmuseum.org

Crucolo Cheese Parade

Family Trees

Things to See & Do in Concord this Winter

Family Trees: A Celebration of Children’s Literature runs from November 27th through January 5th. This time-honored literary tradition makes reading fun for kids! Each year the Concord Museum is filled with trees and wreaths of all shapes and sizes, fancifully dressed for the holidays with original ornaments inspired by children’s picture books. You can read more about it on p. 16.

Children and adults alike will be fascinated to watch Candy Canes being made in front of their eyes at the Priscilla Candy Shop kitchen in Gardner, MA. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see how a holiday classic is made - November 29th and 30th.

Find a truly unique gift AND support the arts at The Umbrella Arts Center’s Annual Holiday Winter Market, November 30th through December 2nd. More than 50 6

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whole family will love this cherished tradition. You can read more about it on p.20.

resident and visiting artists from across the region sell their wares. A small works gallery exhibition, live music, and ornament making for the kids makes this a great event!

Get into the decorating mood by visiting some of Concord’s most stunning homes, all dressed up for the holidays at the Holiday Nothing puts you in House Tour on December the mood for winter Holiday Winter Market 7th. From Colonial to festivities like Concord’s Victorian to Shingle Style and more, each Holiday Tree Lighting and Parade on house will be decorated in a different holiday December 1st starting at 3pm. Dozens of roadside attractions culminate in a parade led theme. Presented by the Concord Museum Guild of Volunteers. by Santa to light the tree in Concord Center.

4 5

The fun and festive Crucolo Cheese Parade celebrates its 10th Anniversary on December 5th, starting at 3pm in Concord Center. Who knew that a giant wheel of cheese could be this much fun? We did! The

Grab the kids and head to Kimball Farm on December 18th for a Cookie Decorating Workshop from 6-7PM. Sip on hot drinks, snack on some treats, and let the kids unleash their creativity!

Gingerbread House Village

Mile Twelve Bluegrass Band

The Umbrella Arts Center invites you to the Winter Solstice Celebration at the Old Manse on December 21st from 6-7PM. Celebrate the longest night of the year around a solstice fire with song, drums, hot apple cider, and s’mores.

Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic Little Women hits the big screen nationwide on December 25th. You can read more about the film experience here in Concord on p. 46. Little Women Film

The Festival of Lights comes alive with the 2019 Grand Community Chanukah Celebration on December 22nd from 4-6PM at the Harvey Wheeler Community Center. This fun event includes arts and crafts, face painting, menorah & dreidel cookie decorating, a magic show, food and drinks – and even a grand 6-foot menorah lighting! All are welcome.

Valentine’s Day is special for all your sweethearts. Treat your little one to a special day at the Valentine’s Princess Tea at Concord’s Colonial Inn. Dress as your favorite Princess. Royal attire for the adults is optional and always in good taste.

Our Arts Around Town article on p. 44 is a great resource for lively concerts (like the Mile Twelve Bluegrass Band), a host of theatrical productions, and gallery exhibits to keep you entertained and cultured on the chilliest of winter days. Princess Tea

Stop by Concord’s Colonial Inn from December 7th through Christmas Day to view their 6th Annual Dazzling Gingerbread House Village! You can vote for your favorite gingerbread house – or even build one yourself and enter the contest.

Ring in the New Year with a delicious evening out at one of Concord’s fine dining restaurants – there are lots to choose from! See our list of “Where to Eat” on p. 23 – and remember to make your reservation early!

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There’s No Place Like

There’s something magical about Concord, Massachusetts. A persistent and insistent energy over the course of centuries has attracted artists, innovators, writers, revolutionaries, philosophers, abolitionists, social justice warriors, scholars, and a whole host of leaders and creative disrupters. They live among us today, and I had the great honor to sit down with two artists - Gregory Maguire and Andy Newman – in their Concord home to learn about their creative journey, and also about the very special place they created to raise their three adopted children.

The Power of Story

Gregory Maguire was drawn to the power of stories to heal and teach from a very young age. His mother died from complications following childbirth, and his grieving father could not care for newborn Gregory or his three other children. Gregory spent a good portion of his toddler years at an orphanage before being reunited with his (then remarried) father and his siblings (who had been sent to live with other relatives). The family and their new 8

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Home

BY JENNIFER C. SCHÜNEMANN

step-mother would go on to welcome three more children, but that sense of loss and guilt would never leave Gregory. “I grew up with such a sense of moral debt and grief over depriving my father of his first wife – and of depriving my older siblings of their mother,” he shared. “Those classic folk tales of the young son of a dead mother, going out into the world and doing good those were object lessons for me. It wasn’t just distracting or amusing – they were case studies for survival. I believe this is what first drew me to fairy tales.” Life for Gregory evolved around the three pillars of school, church, and the town library. Books became trusted friends. “I dove into children’s stories – and on the other side of these fantastic adventures, I would come back larger and more experienced,” he said. “My mental health would emerge restored, and I felt stronger and better able to navigate the world.” Television was rarely permitted in the household of nine, but one exception was the annual ritual of watching The Wizard of Oz.

“We all knew the story inside and out – but imagination runs wild with found objects. And really, all stories are found objects for children,” Gregory shared. “I would routinely direct reenactments, while changing the roles or creating plot twists around characters and asking my siblings and friends to act out new versions of the story.” He saw in the character of the Wizard of Oz, the embodiment of a deceptive authority figure sending innocent children off to do his dirty work. “The lying and cowardice of the Wizard – sending Dorothy out to the West to assassinate the witch - struck me as so wrong,” said Maguire. “It was just like what the government was doing during the Vietnam War. From first grade into college, I grew up frightened of war and suspicious of the authorities who were drafting children to go off to die. I deeply cared about right and wrong from a very young age. It bothered me that the Wizard placed Dorothy and her friends in such danger – and that they forgave him so readily. I realized early on that the concepts of good and evil may not be as

Wicked, the Broadway Musical

“Children’s literature can be an amazing inoculation against trauma and struggle in real life. These stories teach that conflict and adversity exist in the world. But they also teach that dedication to a cause is powerful, that fortitude and courage and strategy can help you persevere, that allies are present, and that hope is valid,” he said. Sharing that gift of story was the key to Gregory to pay back what he felt was a moral debt. “I had a strong sense of obligation. When I realized that I could tell these stories in a way that connected with children and helped them in the same way that the great authors had done for me, I knew I had found my path.”

A World of Art, Created in Concord

“Architecture lends itself to creating a scaffolding or a frame for what the form of that painting will be. My landscapes are purposefully devoid of people, because that’s not what interests me in a landscape painting. I am particularly drawn to dilapidated places and what interesting things that does to the lines and structure of buildings – particularly if you look at the backdrop of light and shadow. That’s probably why I rarely paint scenes of Concord. Ironically, it’s too charming and perfect here!” After Gregory and Andy brought home Luke, their first adopted son, Andy’s rhythm around the creation of art made an immediate and fundamental change. It was no longer feasible to paint abroad. Rather, he would gather ideas and inspiration overseas, but create his paintings in Concord.

Andy Newman was born American, but raised in France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In all three places, Andy was placed in the local schools and taught the native languages. A deep appreciation of those cultures stayed with him into his adulthood, including a love of art. Although he had earned degrees in both history and law, Andy made the decision almost 30 years ago to walk away from a career as an attorney and to embrace that inner artist. He made the decision while he was in France and was so thoroughly immersed in being there, that he simply could not wait any longer. He had never really been happy as a lawyer. It was time. “Although art is not seen as a money-earning or stable career, I was so energized by the idea of becoming a better painter that the fire of that feeling overrode any Trees on Kibling Hill V, mixed media on panel. fear I had about walking away As they welcomed Alex and Helen a few from a career in law,” he said. The result has years later, family needs became the firm been impressive – his art graces the walls of priority over work schedules. “Although my galleries in close to a dozen countries and he work brought me around the world, I never routinely travels to Europe to show his work. wanted to leave Gregory on his own to In the 1990s, most of Andy’s paintings care for the children longer than absolutely were of individual figures. Starting 10 or necessary,” he explained. “While the kids 15 years ago, Andy moved his focus on to were very young, my trips to Europe were landscapes – particularly as they relate to out Wednesday and back by Sunday. Later, architecture. “I have a real, systemic love I could stretch it to out Tuesday and back for French villages and architecture, as well Sunday. It’s only now that the kids have all as Victorian and Edwardian era small scale graduated high school that we can entertain housing. All of that comes very naturally to the idea of traveling together — and for paint as subjects of choice,” said Andy.

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simple as we think. There was no rationale for what made the ‘wicked witch’ evil. And why was the Wizard considered good?” Years later, expounding on that line of puzzling resulted in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West – a story which did not necessarily present the “witch” as less bad, but rather, tried to explain the humanity of how she got there. The Tony Award-winning Broadway adaptation became a runaway hit and continues to delight audiences around the world. In fact, as of the end of October 2019, it surpassed Les Miserables to become Broadway’s fifth-longest running show. “There’s a little bit of that ostracized green girl in all of us,” Maguire explained. “I’ve never met a human being who isn’t marginalized or misunderstood in some way. It can be quite interesting to step back…to slow down and revise the focal depth of moral judgment around how people become who they are. We all struggle with temptation to do the wrong thing. We all struggle with grief and remorse over mistakes we have made. And we all struggle with grief and sadness over wishes and dreams we are not able to attain.” That unique patience with the human condition has guided Gregory to write more than 30 children’s books and adult novels – including a fascinating collection of stories that present a new perspective on classic fairy tale characters.

A Sense of Place Gregory and Andy met at the Blue Mountain Center in the Adirondacks in 1997. When they later decided to build their lives together and started talking about a family, it made sense to settle in Gregory’s house in Concord. They sought a place that would become a permanent home for them and their future children. A place to lay down roots and to create the foundation that would transform a house into a home. “Our children came to us from Cambodia and Guatemala, and we very specifically engineered our lives so that they would never have to be displaced again,” said Gregory. “When we chose Concord, we chose it knowing this would always be the place 10

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where our children’s orbits would bring them back. We worked hard to ensure that Concord would always have, for them, such a strong sense of home.” You can sense this dedication to family in so many ways. It’s in the smell of Andy’s homemade soup when you walk in the door. Or in the way that Gregory excuses himself if the phone rings, just to make sure it’s not one

much interest in his work as a painter. Both parents were careful to manage their children’s exposure to museums and art galleries. They worried that a constant barrage of the arts might inadvertently alienate their kids from something that brought such richness to their lives. And yet, Helen is now attending art school. So it seems that the balance they struck was successful.

of the kids calling for help with something. It’s in all the tiny touches – from a whimsical garden gate inviting a new story to appear, to a magical winter scene on paper in a frame - hand-cut by Hans Christian Andersen himself, to a tiny pair of ruby shoes placed just-so by a study door. This home is filled with magic and a loving energy that speaks to children and tells them they are safe, they are secure, and they have absolute permission to let their imaginations roam free. Ironically, Gregory admits that raising three children did not help him improve as a children’s writer! “As an investment in my writing career, they have given me very little,” he joked. “The parental mind dominates everything. My job as a parent is omnipresent in my mind. I go to sleep thinking about the children and I wake up thinking about them. I used to think this way about fiction. Now, my conscious thought is dominated by the needs of the kids.” Andy insists that the children never took

This past June, the last of the three children graduated from high school. Having successfully raised three amazing young adults and sent them out into the world, Gregory and Andy are looking forward to a bit more freedom to travel and to enjoy time at their homes in Vermont and in France. But Concord will always draw them back. It’s the center of their art, the center of their story, and most of all – the center of their family.

more than a week. Our children were always – and still are – our absolute priority.” With strict limits on time away from home, Andy came to rely on the creative space of the artist studio that he and Gregory share at the Umbrella Arts Center. Andy transforms his ideas into paintings there, surrounded by artistic energy, his notes and photos from his trips, and the magic of musing as he revisits a village or a winding road in his mind. “The Umbrella Arts Center and my studio is my world. This building – with more than 50 resident artists, classes, workshops, exhibits, and performing arts – has been an extension of my life for close to 20 years,” he said. Despite a robust history of success in painting, Andy still stresses that “every time I face a blank white canvas, there is still that fear of failure. Every single painting entails risk. Every artistic endeavor is like walking across a tightrope. A single misstep can mean failure. But how wonderful - and what magic - if it turns out not to be. But it never changes. The fear and worry about the risk never go away. Paradoxically, this keeps me on my toes and makes me a better painter.” Gregory concurred. “I think that a lot of people who are not writers or artists may have a false idea about the nature of confidence in a writer’s life. To have had a little success, as I have done, can prevent people from realizing that basically every time I start a new project – or turn to a new blank page – I’m just as dumbfounded as when I was a kid starting out. It is ever a challenge – and the temptation not to do it is rich. It continues to be hard work. Rewarding, but hard.”

You can experience the works of both of these amazing men right here in the Concord area. Andy’s art is represented by Powers Gallery in Acton, and also graces the walls of Woods Hill Table in West Concord (where both Andy and Gregory strongly recommend saddling up to the bar and enjoying a nice glass of “Widow Jane” for inspiration!). Gregory’s books can be found at the Concord Bookshop – and of course, at Concord’s beautiful Free Public Library.

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BY SUSAN BAILEY

“‘Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents, grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.’” This opening line from Little Women has linked Louisa May Alcott with Christmas for the past 150 years. In keeping with the spirit of the novel, Alcott penned dozens of short stories about the true meaning of Christmas, loosely modeled after Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Like Dickens, Alcott sought to teach her young readers about the virtues of giving versus receiving. These stories reflect Alcott’s home life, as noted in her 1852 journal: “Our poor little home . . . was a shelter for lost girls, abused wives, friendless children, and weak or wicked men. Father and Mother

had no money to give, but gave them time, sympathy, help; and if blessings would make them rich, they would be millionaires. This is practical Christianity.” 1 Like Little Women, these stories are quasi-autobiographical. Alcott had much life experience upon which to draw. Bronson and Abba Alcott insisted that although they were impoverished themselves, the family would always have something to share with the poor. The wealth and fame that resulted from the success of Little Women provided

Alcott with the means to live out the directives of her parents. She recounted an incident in her 1881 journal: “A poor woman in Ill. writes me to send her children some Xmas gifts, being too poor and ill to get any. They asked her to write to Santa Claus & she wrote to me. Sent a box and made a story about it.” 2 The letter and Alcott’s subsequent action inspired the writing of Bertie’s Box, a heartwarming short story about a young boy inspired to play Santa Claus to an impoverished family after hearing a letter read aloud by his mother. Bertie took the poor children to heart; his spontaneous sacrifice of many of his own treasures moved other family members to join in his efforts. The closing scene depicts the reaction of the recipient family at receiving this Christmas surprise. The purpose of Bertie’s Box, as with all of Alcott’s juvenile writing, was to teach morality. What makes these stories rise above the popular but tedious didactic tales of the day was the genuine love, respect, and understanding that the author had for her readers. The virtues of love, patience, industry, and generosity that she imparted were qualities she had listed in her diary as personal goals.3 Children somehow knew that Louisa May Alcott was their friend who understood their struggle to be good. All of her Christmas stories demonstrate that Alcott’s “practical Christianity” was also personal: the poor were individuals with a name, a face, and a story. In an age where charitable giving was becoming institutionalized, and the poor vilified,

Louisa’s stories bestowed dignity upon the poor while teaching children how to care for them. Such a timeless message keeps her tales relevant for today’s readers. Samplings of Alcott’s Christmas tales include: A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True tells the story of Effie and how a dream inspired by a reading of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol transforms this privileged, selfish, and ungrateful child into an angel of generosity to orphaned girls. The Little Red Purse belongs to Lu, who, moved by the plight of the poor she met on her street, gives up her beloved candy and instead saves her pennies for those in need. She “adopts” Lucy and her impoverished family, providing for their needs as she learns of their hardships. A Christmas Turkey, and How It Came is about the children of a poor family who band together to provide a turkey for Christmas dinner. Their actions inspire their drunken father to reform his life. You can find Louisa May Alcott’s Christmas stories in these two collections: Louisa May Alcott’s Christmas Treasury: The Complete Christmas Collection, edited by Stephen M. Hines Christmas Tales and Stories by Louisa May Alcott, edited by Laura Ciolkowski ————————————————————————— Susan Bailey is the author of two books (Louisa May Alcott: Illuminated by The Message and River of Grace) and webmaster for the Louisa May Alcott is My Passion blog at louisamayalcottismypassion.com.

1 Joel Myerson and Daniel Shealy, Eds., The Journals of Louisa May Alcott (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1989), p. 67. 2 Ibid, p. 231. 3 Louisa May Alcott’s Christmas Treasury: The Complete Christmas Treasury, edited by Stephen W. Hines (River Oak Publishing, 2002), pg. 283

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Book cover photo by Susan Bailey; Victorian Christmas Card: Courtesy Wikipedia Commons

Spending the Holidays with Louisa May Alcott

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All this history is making me hungry! Where can we grab a quick lunch without any fuss?

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Women Who Influenced

Concord’s History

W We all know the old adage, “Behind every great man there is a great woman.” In fact, throughout history many women have distinguished themselves just as much as their men. Women such as Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, Eleanore Roosevelt, or Jackie Kennedy were a force to be reckoned with in their own right, their place in history assured. Here in Concord, our “Two Revolutions” revolved around the names Ripley, Emerson, Hawthorne, and Thoreau. But these great men were surrounded by equally impressive and influential women, who also played a pivotal role in our nation’s history. We would like to share a few of their stories here…

BY RICHARD SMITH

In 1818 Sarah married the Reverend Samuel Ripley, the son of Concord’s minister Ezra Ripley. Together the two would run a small boarding school, but it was Sarah who earned a reputation as a first-rate scholar and educator. Harvard’s president Edward Everett once commented that Sarah could have filled in for any professor at the college, had it been allowed. As it was, Harvard boys who’d been suspended due to bad grades were sent to Sarah (now living with her husband in the Old Manse in Concord) and

it was reported that they would come away “better instructed than they would have been if they had stayed in Cambridge.” Along with her tutoring, Sarah was also raising a large family; she gave birth to nine children, seven of whom grew to adulthood. Sarah would discuss botany and Darwin’s theories with Thoreau and enjoyed debating spiritual matters with Emerson and Margaret Fuller. When she died in 1867, Emerson called her “one of the best Greek scholars in the country” who was also “faithful to all the

The Brilliant Scholar

Sarah Alden Bradford was born in Boston in 1793, the direct descendant of two Pilgrim families. She had an inquisitive mind from an early age. Her father was a sea captain and often brought her books from his travels. Sarah taught herself to read French and Italian, and also studied chemistry, physics, and botany on her own. As a teen, it took Sarah a few weeks to get up the courage to ask her father for permission to study Latin. When she finally did ask, her father laughed and said, “A girl study Latin! Yes, study Latin if you want to. You may study anything you please.” She learned several other languages as well, including Greek, German, and even Sanskrit! 14

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| Winter 2019

The Old Manse

The Passionate Abolitionist

Lydia Jackson Emerson and Edward Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson was world-famous as The Sage of Concord. He was married in 1835 to Lydia Jackson of Plymouth, Massachusetts; it was his second marriage, and Lydia’s first. He soon re-christened his new wife “Lidian”, hoping to avoid her name being pronounced “Lidiar” as was common in the New England dialect. It is the name she would use for the rest of her life, but Emerson also called her “My Asia’, “My Queen”, or just “Queenie.” Lidian was brilliant and funny and it was her intellect that attracted Waldo to her in the first place; in fact, he proposed after meeting her just once! Even more than her husband, Lidian was a Reformer and was involved in many of the social issues of her day, including the abolition of slavery and the fight for women’s rights. Every year on Independence Day she would decorate the Emerson front fence with black crepe, rather than red, white and blue, as a sign of mourning for the millions of enslaved people still held in bondage. When Waldo began speaking out against slavery in the 1840’s, it was mainly due to Lidian’s influence. She was also an early and vocal advocate for animal welfare. When she died in 1892 (ten years after Waldo) she was remembered as “a stately, devoted, independent person...and given up to her garden, her reforms, and her unceasing hospitalities.”

duties of wife and mother” while the minister and Transcendentalist Frederic Henry Hedge observed that Sarah Ripley was, simply, “a perfect woman.”

The Talented Artist

She illustrated her husband’s short story, “The Gentle Boy: A Thrice Told Tale” in 1838, and her drawings were used in Hawthorne’s book “Grandfather’s Chair.” She would outlive her husband by seven years, dying in London on February 26, 1871.

Another resident of the Old Manse was Sophia Peabody Hawthorne, the wife of Nathanial Hawthorne. The couple arrived in Concord on their wedding day, July 9, 1842 In 1837, the mother and sisters of Henry and theirs was the great Concord romance. David Thoreau (along with their friend The well-documented letters between Lidian Emerson) founded the Concord Sophia and Hawthorne Female Anti-Slavery were funny, romantic, Society. Helen sexy, and full of love, Louisa was the first with Hawthorne born of the Thoreau calling his new wife siblings in 1812. “My Ownest” and She was, in many “Dove.” Sophia was ways, just as radical just as taken with and intellectual as her husband, telling her brother Henry. her mother in a letter She spoke several that he “filled her languages and she completely.” and her brother Sophia was an wrote letters to accomplished artist each other in and illustrator. One classical Greek. year her paintings When Frederick fetched 60 dollars – Douglass visited almost a year of rent Concord in 1844, Sophia Peabody Hawthorne for the young family! he and Helen

The Human Rights Advocate

became correspondents, and she became well known in abolitionist circles. Along with her anti-slavery sentiments she was an advocate for Native American rights, and she taught school for a few years as well, until her health gave out. Like her brother, Helen suffered from tuberculosis and she would succumb at just 36 years old to the disease on June 14, 1849. Her obituary appeared in William Lloyd Garrison’s Liberator under the heading, “Another Friend of The Slave Gone”. She was, it said, “intelligent and true” and “endowed by nature with tender sensibilities, quick to feel for the woes of others.” It continued: “She had a mind of fine native powers, enlarged and matured by cultivation.” These passionate, intelligent, and talented women were part of the backbone of Concord. They worked for the betterment of society through reform, literature, art, and education. While their stories may not be as well-known as those of their male contemporaries, they certainly played a key role in creating Concord’s legacy. ————————————————————————— Richard Smith has been an independent historian and writer in Concord since 1999. He is the General Manager of Concord Tour Company and has written five books.

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Rachel Napear Photography

Family Trees:

A Celebration of Children’s Literature

BY CAROL THISTLE

A love of books and reading is a lifelong treasure passed from adult to child, from generation to generation. The 24th annual Family Trees: A Celebration of Children’s Literature at the Concord Museum gives Concord’s renowned literary tradition a creative twist. From November 27, 2019 through January 5, 2020, the Museum’s newly renovated galleries are filled with 39 fanciful trees and wreaths, decorated with original ornaments inspired by acclaimed children’s storybooks and contemporary picture book favorites. The exhibition’s focus on children’s literature makes Family Trees unique among the many holiday events in Concord. The books are chosen by the Concord Museum’s Guild of Volunteers Co-Chairs, Pam Nelson and Lyn Carroll, along with Karen Ahearn and Fayth Chamberland, children’s room librarians at the Concord Free Public Library, and the staff of the Concord Museum. Each tree serves as a canvas for the artistic creations of a dedicated team of volunteer decorators—artists and artisans, school children and teachers, librarians and garden club members, and sometimes even the authors and illustrators themselves. Inspired by the storyline, the illustrations, the characters, or setting of a particular book, the decorators let their imaginations take flight, much to the delight of visitors of all ages. This year, award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Pamela Zagarenski will serve as Honorary Chair. “Concord has been an integral part of my life ever since I was a very little girl. Family Trees weaves together my love of family, of Concord, and my love of the picture book in a very personal way. I hold dear what Family Trees says to our community, especially to children. Words matter. Light matters. Art and creativity matter. Imagination matters. Dreams can come true!” The event is organized by the Concord Museum’s Guild of Volunteers as a benefit for the Museum’s educational initiatives. Family Trees is supported by Barefoot Books and Boston Parents. For more information and a list of this year’s books, please go to www.concordmuseum.org or call 978-369-9763 x216.

In addition to seeing these creative and inspiring trees, don’t miss these special events presented in conjunction with Family Trees: Voices From Around The World December 14 Bindy Fleischman, Books for Young People Ambassador, and Nancy Traversy, Co-founder of Barefoot Books, share books that open children’s hearts and minds to voices from around the world. Make What You Love December 15 Join author Linda Booth Sweeney and illustrator Shawn Fields for a family program about the life and art of Concord sculptor Daniel Chester French from their new children’s book, Monument Maker. An Afternoon With Authors & Illustrators December 15 Meet some of the award-winning authors and illustrators whose books are featured in Family Trees.

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Forbidden Fruitcake

BY VICTOR CURRAN

Holiday Treats & Traditions in Old Concord

hearth for festive holiday desserts and a cup of syllabub (whipped cream flavored with wine or sherry). An orange, fresh off a ship in the port of Boston, was such a rare treat that it might be welcomed as a precious gift. In 1832, America saw its first Christmas tree just a short sleigh ride away from Concord. Rev. Charles Follen, minister of a church in Lexington, wanted to re-create a cherished tradition from his childhood in Germany, so he cut a small fir tree and placed it in the drawing room of his home. Family and friends all joined in making colorful decorations that covered the tree from top to bottom. Journalist Harriet Martineau saw Follen’s tree and brought it national attention in the popular magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book. “It was delightful. The children poured in,” she reported, “all eyes wide open, all lips parted,” and one little boy “leaped for joy.”3 The holidays aren’t “The Puritan Governor interrupting the Christmas Sports,” by Howard Pyle c. 1883. Public Domain just a time to treat December 25.” He condemned our December ourselves, as Concord’s Louisa May Alcott merrymaking as no better than “the reminds us. In her 1868 novel Little Women, Heathens Saturnalia” practiced by the pagans the March sisters tumble out of bed on of ancient Rome.1 Christmas morning, eager for the hearty breakfast they had planned. But their mother Things got so bad that in May 1659, the tells them, “Not far away from here lies a General Court of the Massachusetts Bay poor woman with a little newborn baby. Six Colony declared, “whosoever shall be found children are huddled into one bed to keep observing any such day as Christmas or the from freezing, for they have no fire. There like [by] feasting, or any other way . . . shall is nothing to eat over there . . . will you give pay for every such offence five shillings,” a them your breakfast as a Christmas present?” hefty fine at that time.2 By the early 1800s, though, the influence of Inspired by the season’s message of love, the Puritans was fading, and Concord families the March sisters hasten through the cold to deliver food and firewood to their less would gather friends and family around the It’s that time of year, when Concord bids farewell to pumpkin spice as our homes fill with the aroma of pine boughs and gingerbread. These smells evoke images of the distant past, but our colonial forbearers might be surprised—if not downright scandalized— to see the “profane and superstitious customs” that we enjoy at midwinter. Reverend Increase Mather, the stern voice of Puritan morality in 17th-century New England, admonished us that “The very name of Christmas savours of superstition. It can never be proved that Christ was born on

fortunate neighbors, and one of the girls declares, “That’s loving our neighbor better than ourselves, and I like it.”4 One Concord woman even found a way to put that holiday staple, the humble fruitcake, to work in the service of a good cause. Mary Merrick Brooks was one of the town’s most active abolitionists before the Civil War, bringing orators like Frederick Douglass to rally local audiences. To raise money for the cause, she baked and sold ttea cakes laced with currants. Pro-slavery neighbors might have scorned this as “forbidden fruitcake,” but their resistance was as futile as that of the Puritans who tried to ban Christmas. One Concord resident described Brooks cake as “fit for a banquet of the gods.” In her honor, this popular treat is still called Brooks Cake.5 In November 1885, just in time for the holidays, Louisa May Alcott published a children’s story in St. Nicholas magazine. It’s the tale of a girl named Lily who takes a magical journey to “The Candy Country,” where the rivers flow with molasses, the rocks are made of chocolate, and even the people are made of sugar, “as if they had stepped off of wedding cakes.” From there she travels to Cakeland, where the gingerbread men and women live. Finally, she visits Bread-land, where she learns to make the “perfect loaf,” and returns home to show her mother her new baking skills. Alcott assured her readers that Lily grew up to become a “fine, strong woman, because she ate very little cake and candy, except at Christmas time, when the oldest and the wisest love to make a short visit to Candyland.”6 Lily’s moderation sounds like better advice than the Scrooge-like prohibition of the early Puritans. ————————————————————————— Victor Curran teaches the Concord Town Guide Course, gives tours of historic Concord, and is an interpreter at the Old Manse and the Concord Museum.

1 Increase Mather, A Testimony Against several Prophane and Superstitious Customs. London, 1687 2 Records of the General Court, Massachusetts Bay Colony, May 11, 1659 3 Harriet Martineau, Retrospect of Western Travel, Volume 2. London, 1838 4 Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, Roberts Brothers, Boston, 1868 5 Harriet Robinson, “Warrington” Pen-Portraits, 1877, ©2013, Concord Free Public Library 6 Louisa May Alcott, “The Candy Country,” first published in St. Nicholas magazine, 1885

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| Winter 2019

97 Lowell Road Concord, MA 01742 978-610-6633 www.thetrailsendcafe.com

Home Decor Jewelry Accessories Stationery

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Breakfast | Brunch | Lunch | Dinner On and Off-Site Catering | Private Event Space

41 MAIN STREET (978) 369-3223 WWW.SARACAMPBELL.COM @SARACAMPELLLTD

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Photos courtesy of The Cheese Shop

The Crucolo Cheese Parade:

Ten Years and a 1,000-Pound Wheel of Cheese

The Crucolo Cheese Parade is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year and you won’t want to miss the festivities! Starting in 2010, Peter Lovis, owner of The Cheese Shop, began importing a 400-pound wheel of Italian cheese to Concord to help kick off the festive holiday season. Why? Well, as Peter says, “Who doesn’t love cheese?” The thousands of people who turn up each year to cheer on the parade would agree! That first year, the wheel of Crucolo cheese was rolled through town on a red carpet. As the crowds grew, Peter needed to raise the cheese up so that everyone could see it. So, the massive wheel now rides proudly on a flatbed truck accompanied by a marching

band, costumed militiamen with bayonets, dance troupes, a band, flying flags, and more. To honor the 10th Anniversary of this fun-filled event, the parade will feature a wheel of Crucolo cheese weighing a whopping 1,000 pounds! Town officials proudly pronounce Crucolo Day at the culmination of the parade – which is promptly celebrated with a ceremonial slicing up and sharing of the giant wheel. That’s right – everyone who comes to the parade has a chance to sample the cheese. History buffs will be interested to know that the wheel of Crucolo cheese that Peter imports each year is handmade by the Purin

family in Scurelle, Italy. The Purins have been cheese makers and innkeepers since 1782 and today, the eighth generation of the Purin family continues that tradition. As the owner of a specialty cheese shop, Peter was naturally interested in the tradition of handmade, artisanal cheeses and wanted to bring that craft to Concord. The parade now draws a dedicated following of more than 1,500 people each year. So don’t miss the 10th Annual Crucolo Cheese Parade, Thursday, December 5th at 3:30 pm. 29 Walden Street. Bring your sense of humor – and your appetite!

Discover RD’s CONCO

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Don’t Miss Discover Concord’s

Guide to Holiday Entertaining for tips on decorating, welcoming guests, the best wine pairings, holiday recipes, and more! See it online at discoverconcordma.com

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| Winter 2019

“ ‘Tis the good reader that makes the good book.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Barrow Bookstore RARE AND GENTLY READ BOOKS

Specializing in Concord Authors and History; Transcendentalism; Revolutionary War, American, and Military History; Children’s Literature; and a wide selection for the eclectic reader. Literary-themed gifts, postcards, and beeswax candles. 79 Main Street, Concord, MA (behind Fritz and Gigi) | www.barrowbookstore.com | 978-369-6084

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Let us help you be victorious in your visit! Check out concordtourcompany.com for a complete list of tours and events

I came. I saw. I Concord. Discover CONCORD

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CONCORD& Surrounding Areas WHERE TO STAY Concord Center Concord’s Colonial Inn North Bridge Inn Hawthorne Inn

West Concord 48 Monument Sq 21 Monument Sq 462 Lexington Rd

Best Western Residence Inn by Marriott

740 Elm St 320 Baker Ave

WHERE TO SHOP Concord Center * Albright Art Supply + Gift Artinian Jewelry Artisans Way Gallery Barrow Bookstore Blue Dry Goods Callie & Fen Gift Shop Cheese Shop of Concord Colonial Stores Comina Concord Bookshop Concord Lamp and Shade Concord Market Copper Penny Flowers Craft.ed Creative Studios Dotted i Fairbank and Perry Goldsmiths Footstock Fritz & Gigi French Lessons George Vassel Jewelry Gräem Nuts and Chocolate Grasshopper Shop Hatch Irresistables J McLaughlin Jack & Toba Lacoste Gallery Lois Andersen Art Lyn Evans Montague Gallery Nesting North Bridge Antiques Patina Green Priscilla Candy Shop * Revolutionary Concord Sara Campbell Ltd Tess & Carlos Thistle Hill Thoreauly Antiques Vanderhoof Hardware Viola Lovely Walden Liquors Walden Street Antiques Winston Flowers

West Concord 32 Main St 39 Main St 18 Walden St 79 Main St 16 Walden St 93 Main St 29 Walden St 24 Main St 9 Walden St 65 Main St 21 Walden St 77 Lowell Rd 9 Independence Court 44 Main St 1 Walden St 32 Main St 46 Main St 79 Main St 8 Walden St 40 Main St 49 Main St 36 Main St 14 Walden St 16 Walden St 14 Walden St 17 Walden St 25 Main St 40 Stow St 29 Main St 10 Walden St 44 Main St 28 Walden St 59 Main St 19 Walden St 32 Main St 41 Main St 81 Main St 13 Walden St 25 Walden St 28 Main St 38 Main St 18 Walden St 23 Walden St 32 Main St

Thoreau Depot ATA Cycles Concord Provisions Concord Toy Shop Crosby’s Supermarket Frame-ables Juju Juju For Men

* Money Saving Coupon on p. 47

93 Thoreau St 75 Thoreau St 89 Thoreau St 211 Sudbury Rd 111 Thoreau St 82 Thoreau St 97 Thoreau St

A New Leaf Belle on Heels Concord Firefly Concord Flower Shop Concord Outfitters * Debra’s Natural Gourmet J’Aim Joy Street Life + Home Rare Elements Reflections Three Stones Gallery Village Art Room Vintages Adventures in Wine *West Concord 5 & 10 West Concord Wine & Spirits

74 Commonwealth Ave 23 Commonwealth Ave 23 Commonwealth Ave 135 Commonwealth Ave 113 Commonwealth Ave 98 Commonwealth Ave 84a Commonwealth Ave 49 Commonwealth Ave 33 Bradford St 101 Commonwealth Ave 115 Commonwealth Ave 152 Commonwealth Ave 53 Commonwealth Ave 106 Commonwealth Ave 1215 Main St

WHERE TO EAT Concord Center Caffè Nero Comella’s *Fiorella’s Cucina Forge Tavern at the Colonial Inn Haute Coffee *Helen’s Restaurant Liberty at the Colonial Inn Main Street’s Market & Café Merchant’s Row at the Colonial Inn Sally Ann’s Bakery & Food Shop Trail’s End Cafe

55 Main St 33 Main St 24 Walden St 48 Monument Square 12 Walden St 17 Main St 48 Monument Square 42 Main St 48 Monument Square 73 Main St 97 Lowell Rd

Thoreau Depot 80 Thoreau Bedford Farms Ice Cream Chang An Restaurant Dunkin’ Donuts Farfalle Italian Market Café Karma Concord Asian Fusion New London Style Pizza Sorrento’s Brick Oven Pizzeria Starbucks

80 Thoreau St 68 Thoreau St 10 Concord Crossing 117 Thoreau St 26 Concord Crossing 105 Thoreau St 71 Thoreau St 58 Thoreau St 159 Sudbury Rd

West Concord 99 Restaurant & Pub Adelita Club Car Café Concord Teacakes Dino’s Kouzina & Pizzeria Dunkin’ Donuts Nashoba Brook Bakery Reasons to Be Cheerful Saltbox Kitchen Walden Italian Kitchen Woods Hill Table

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13 Commonwealth Ave 1200 Main St 20 Commonwealth Ave 59 Commonwealth Ave 1135 Main St 1191 Main St 152 Commonwealth Ave 110 Commonwealth Ave 84 Commonwealth Ave 92 Commonwealth Ave 24 Commonwealth Ave | discoverconcordma.com

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North Bridge Visitor Center 174 Liberty St Old Hill Burying Ground 2-12 Monument Sq The Old Manse 269 Monument St Ralph Waldo Emerson House 28 Cambridge Turnpike The Robbins House 320 Monument St Sleepy Hollow Cemetery & Authors Ridge 120 Bedford St South Burying Ground Main St & Keyes Rd *The Umbrella Arts Center 40 Stow St Walden Pond State Reservation 915 Walden St The Wayside 455 Lexington Rd * Money Saving Coupon on p. 47

Concord Museum 200 Lexington Rd Concord Visitor Center 58 Main St Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard 62 House 399 Lexington Rd Minuteman National Historical Park 250 N. Great Rd (Lincoln) The North Bridge

Points of Interest

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Concord’s Colonial Inn: - Liberty Restaurant - Merchant’s Row Restaurant

Inkstone Architects

North Bridge Antiques North Bridge Inn

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Lexi ng

* Money Saving Coupon on p. 47

William Raveis Real Estate

Trail’s End Café

Sara Campbell Ltd

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*Revolutionary Concord

Patina Green

Montague Gallery

18 19

Lois Andersen Art

LandVest

*Helen’s Restaurant

11 13

Hawthorne Inn

*Fiorella’s Cucina

Colonial Stores

Brokerage (2 locations)

Concord Market & Catering

Coldwell Banker Residential

The Cheese Shop

- Forge Tavern

Barrow Bookstore

Barrett Sotheby’s Int’l Realty

*Albright Art Supply + Gift

1 1

Featured Businesses

THOREAU DEPOT

Points of Interest

Concord Train Station

90 Thoreau St

United States Post Ofﬁ ce

35 Beharrell St

West Concord Train Station

Commonwealth Ave & Main St

Featured Businesses 11

A New Leaf

Adelita

Concord Teacakes

*Debra’s Natural Gourmet J’Aim

Joy Street Life + Home

6 7 8

Three Stones Gallery

4 9

West Concord Wine & Spirits

*West Concord 5 & 10 Woods Hill Table

* Money Saving Coupon on p. 47

WEST CONCORD

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| Winter 2019

All photos ©Debra’s Natural Gourmet

The Stark Family, Debra and Adam

Red Lentil Soup with Ginger From our first cookbook, If Kallimos Had a Chef Debra filming her TV show

Debra’s Natural Gourmet

Did you know that one of the country’s best providers of organic foods, natural medicines, and fairtrade goods is right here in West Concord? Says Christine Kapperman, Natural Foods Merchandiser, “Talk to Debra and it’s easy to forget her staff run a business. The talk is of friends and farmers, of pulling together for the greater good, for the betterment of community and cohorts. Inspired to be like ‘the place where everybody knows your name’, Debra’s Natural Gourmet has become a healthy Cheers, a place of community…. At the heart, it’s all about people.” The staff at Debra’s want you to know that this shop has amazing food (and other products!) and amazing service. It’s that simple. The staff all love to cook, and part of their mission is to make it fun and easy for the rest of us. All the staff at Debra’s Natural Gourmet cherish the friends they’ve made in the shop, people who have become like family. This place does feel like home, and it smells like home, too, because the kitchen always has something simmering on the stove. Debra’s is definitely a place where folks want to hang out, and they do. There’s a love affair, says Debra, between the people who work at Debra’s, the producers, and the guests who come through the doors. There’s passion for organic food, natural medicine, shampoo bars, and all manner of fair-trade goods from around the world. Together, everyone is learning about medicinal mushrooms, fresh, raw organic vegetable juice, good salts, and real extra virgin olive oil. There’s excitement about CBD (cannabidiol). Debra’s is nationally recognized, with awards such as USA Retailer of the Year for the natural products industry as well as Yankee magazine’s “Best of New England — Readers’ Choice” award for best take-out kitchen. National TV show 20/20 filmed at Debra’s, and Inc. magazine called Debra’s “a home town powerhouse.” Debra also has the TV show “Eat Well Be Happy” and three cookbooks to her name. Natural Products Expo West named her a legend. Debra’s Natural Gourmet is located in West Concord at 98 Commonwealth Avenue. To sign up for Debra’s monthly newsletter with terrific articles and recipes, go to www.DebrasNaturalGourmet.com.

Easy peasy. Take a few ingredients, throw them into the pot and you’ve got soup! Even if you don’t like ginger, you’ll love every spoonful. Of course, use organic ingredients because you’re worth it.

Recipe: Serves 10 4 cups red lentils 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger 1 pound carrots, diced 4 stalks celery, sliced 12 cups water or vegetable stock 1/2 cup dried parsley 1 tsp good salt (like Himalayan or Celtic) 1 tsp black pepper

Directions: Place ingredients, except salt and pepper, in a large soup pot and bring soup to a boil. Lower heat, cover pot and simmer on low for one hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving. Spoon out into bowls and serve with a lovely green salad. A piece of cheese, a pear for dessert and thou. That’s all you need. Leftovers? Good for lunch the next day or pop into the freezer.

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Concord’s Mid-Century Modern Homes Deﬁne An Era

There is more to Concord architecture than white clapboard and immaculate colonials. Like its neighbors in Lincoln and Lexington, Concord abounds with fi ne examples of midcentury modern homes. Built between 1930 and 1970, these examples of architectural history have largely been ignored until recently - too young to be considered “historical.” World War II veterans and young families sought out the fresh air, forest, and farmland, seeking healthy and affordable lifestyles - eschewing the more expensive city and settling in the suburbs. Some of these settlers were well educated and design savvy. They gravitated to honest materials and structure, solidly built houses with fresh, forwardlooking style, and they admired architects from Europe and California who were spearheading a new, Modern movement. We can divide mid-century houses into two categories: “high design” or unique, customized homes commissioned by clients from local architects; and catalog plan ordered, partially prefabricated in a factory houses for “Everyman,” designed by the professor/architect as the new machine for 28

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| Winter 2019

BY EVE ISENBERG

living. Concord has a plentiful selection of well-maintained examples of each.

the pine forest. The visitor must follow a bluestone path through an enclosed courtyard and step up to the front door. It is diffi cult to determine the size of the house from the diminutive entrance. After being received into the low-height entry vestibule, removing shoes and hanging coats in the generous guest coat closet, one passes through a second set of doors and is treated to a two story view down a fl oating staircase and outside through fl oor to ceiling windows into the sloping yard of ferns and forest.

Marvin Goody Houses: Mid-Century Modern High Design Marvin Goody (1929-1980) was a Professor of Architecture at MIT and founded his own fi rm with Richard Hamilton in 1955. In 1960 John Clancy (1930-2004) became a partner. In 1962, the fi rm name changed to Goody Clancy, as it is still known today. One of the homes by Goody Clancy was commissioned by Richard Adler (1922-1990), a professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT. He and Marvin Goody discussed plans for this unique house for two years before it was constructed in the winter of 1962. It was designed to suit the family with three boys who would travel from upper story to lower via a rope which came through an opening in the fl oor. The approach to the house is The ﬂoating staircase anchors the lower level and sets the stage for entertaining. down a long driveway through

Photos this page © Inkstone Architects LLC

Exterior walls extend into the setting to blur the transition from inside to out.

Ribbons of windows foster a lantern effect at night.

The Deck House: Mid-Century Modern Customizable Catalog Plan Houses The Deck House is a response to the work of MIT professor and architect Carl Koch (1912-1998), whose fi rst innovative community of 1952 pre-fabricated homes in Concord is called Conantum. After Conantum, Carl Koch went on to develop the Acorn Company and Techbuilt. In 1959, after a downturn for Techbuilt, William Berkes, a draftsman, and Robert Brownell, a construction manager, left and founded the Deck House Company to see if they could design and provide quality houses of excellent design for a reasonable investment.

The Deck House is a post-andbeam, two story house that has vaulted cedar ceilings, panoramic views through expanses of glass, fl exible interior space, and is usually sited half way into the ground with the ability to walk out of both fl oors. It is built from standardized panels manufactured in a factory to save money and was, after the company carefully located the house around the trees and topography, assembled on site by local contractors. Berkes specifi ed upgraded materials like Peruvian mahogany and Canadian cedar, which could not be found in a local hardware store, to give the small houses a feeling of value. The most prominent feature of the house is the cedar boards which could span the distance between the structural beams to form the roof deck and the fl oor deck - thus the name Deck House. These boards were assembled on site with glued tongue-andgroove connections that were nailed through such that the roof deck and fl oor deck acted as diaphragms to resist horizontal/wind loads. This allowed for an open interior (no load bearing walls) and expanses of glass and inviting views. The ribbons of windows connect so closely with the underside of the roof that the beams supporting the two-foot eaves are continuously visible and seem to pierce the windows, drawing attention to the surrounding outdoors. This effect is the same on the fi rst fl oor due to a two-foot

Mid century Deck Houses were always carefully sited such that each ﬂoor had access at grade level.

Photos this page © Ben Gebo

At the bottom of the stairs, the space opens up into a lovely open entertaining space featuring a partial wall of painted concrete block containing a fi replace and fourteen-foot long fl oating hearth perfect for perching and socializing. The rest of the lower fl oor is an open fl oor plan progression from public to increasingly private spaces (dining room, kitchen, tv room, and kid play space) separated gracefully by sliding walls, subtle changes in ceiling height, and cultivated snap-shot views of the Japanese garden along the side of the house. The house was technologically advanced in passive green design. Rain collecting on the fl at roof is funneled via scuppers through the central chimney, under the fl oor slab, and out the back of the house at the foundation level down into the steeply sloped yard. There are two heating and cooling systems to accommodate the passive solar gain and to keep the house comfortable through all seasons. The operable windows are positioned to take advantage of winds and microclimates on the property to successfully and quickly cool the interior when needed. The baths upstairs are interior but are not claustrophobic because they receive natural light through skylights. From the outside this house seems to “put a shoulder into the hill.” It blends naturally with the site, creating a sense of balance and peacefulness. The house serves its inhabitants through its form and execution and represents the fi nest qualities of midcentury architecture.

setback from the fl oor above which creates a 4’ overhang around the perimeter of the house and protects the foundation from rain and run-off. The overall effect is of a Japanese pavilion. The company spared no expense in the volumes of catalogs and advertising, marketing these houses to educated, middle class, young families. The Deck House Company is still building new houses and there are estimated to be 15,000 Deck Houses in the U.S. Concord boasts one of the fi rst neighborhood developments of Deck Houses. Keep your eyes open as you drive through town for glimpses through the trees of these well-loved homes. ————————————————————————— Eve Isenberg is a registered Architect in the State of Massachusetts and a Principal of the women-owned InkStone Architects LLC. Eve is also happy to be a Deck House homeowner in Concord.

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“A Very Bad Subject of the Crown”: William Emerson, Concord’s Patriot Minister

The holiday season is here; time for awkward family gatherings! And if you were Concord resident Phebe Bliss Emerson, you might find yourself in the middle of one. Born in 1741, Phebe was the second child of the Reverend Daniel Bliss. Her family lived in Concord, MA, where Rev. Bliss was the pastor of the Congregational Church from 17381764. Rev. Bliss’ fire and brimstone sermons left his parishioners quaking, crying, and praying for salvation. Like his father, Rev. Bliss’ oldest son, Daniel, was a driven man, passionate about his beliefs and work. Daniel graduated from Harvard College in 1760 and became a lawyer. Upon passing the bar, Daniel took an oath swearing allegiance to the English Monarch and the laws of England and her Colonies. Daniel took the oath seriously; in his mind, to disobey would be treasonous. When Daniel and Phebe’s father died at age 50, his pulpit was filled by a revolving cast of visiting ministers, including a young man named William Emerson. Born in Boston in 1743, William graduated from Harvard and became a teacher and then minister. When 30

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it was his turn to fill the deceased Reverend Bliss’ pulpit, William boarded with the widow Bliss. It was here that William met – and courted - Phebe. In 1766, the Church of Concord officially made William Emerson the new minister. Shortly thereafter, William married Phebe and purchased property next to Concord’s North Bridge, where he built (or renovated) the Manse (now a museum, which can be visited by the public). Over the next nine years, William and Phebe had five children, the eldest of whom became the father of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Around the time that Phebe and William settled into the Manse, Phebe’s brother Daniel married Isabella Murray, daughter of an English loyalist. The couple bought a house in Concord center, a half a mile from the Manse. Despite the proximity of

©istock.com/Luxbar. All other photos ©Jaimee Leigh Joroff

BY JAIMEE LEIGH JOROFF

their homes, Phebe’s brother and husband were not close. He didn’t, but Daniel could have described William as his “Holy Brother-In-Law from Hell”, because William was a man of God, and an ardent patriot. While Daniel frequently hosted British officials and officers in his house, William was preaching from the pulpit about freedom from England and false idols. Yet, this same minister owned several slaves. The irony of this was not lost on his brother-

The Old Manse

in-law Daniel, who, like John Adams, did not believe in slavery. Daniel viewed William as a hypocrite and traitor to the crown; and William viewed Daniel as an enemy in their own household. Tensions between the Colonies and England, and presumably the brothers-in-law, continued to grow. In May of 1774, General Gage, commander of the English forces in the Colonies, was appointed Military Governor of Massachusetts. Gage dissolved the Massachusetts provincial assembly, but its members (including John Hancock and Old Hill Burying Ground Samuel Adams) ignored Gage’s order and This “Very Bad Subject of the Crown” had reassembled in Concord’s Meeting House excellent hearing, for, a few months later, as the Provincial Congress. Lawyer Daniel Bliss disapproved; Reverend William Emerson on the morning of April 19th, 1775, when the town bells rang in response to the alarm accepted an appointment as Chaplain of the that the King’s troops were on the march to Provincial Congress. Concord, William heard the Pressure on both Phebe’s bells half a mile away at the brother and husband began to Manse. Up rose William and, mount. Concord neighbors who Sources and gun in hand, the Minister was had once been friends with Recommended the fi rst Concordian to reach Daniel Bliss now turned on him. Reading: the town center where he One evening, as two British Brooks, Paul (1983) was shortly joined by fellow soldiers visited his house (and The Old Manse and the townsmen and minutemen. likely collected information People Who Lived There Rumors swirled about the about Concord happenings), Gross, Robert A. (1976) massacre of fellow minutemen townsmen’s anger boiled over The Minutemen and Their World in neighboring Lexington (the and murmurs and threats of battle on Lexington Green). tar and feathering or even Shattuck, Lemuel (1835) With William in their midst, death reached Daniel. Under A History of the about 100 men began to the cover of darkness, Daniel Town of Concord advance towards Lexington. slipped away from Concord to Emerson, William They were met by 800 the safety of Boston. He never (1775) The Stand at the bayonets sparkling in the rising returned to Concord. Concord Bridge dawn; the King’s troops were Likewise, William’s actions (Audio version available arriving in Concord! Still unsure did not go unnoticed. Governor on the Barrow Bookstore of the details of what had Audio Series YouTube Gage had a wide network of Channel) occurred in Lexington, and not spies working for him, one of wanting to instigate a fi ght, the whose identity was kept so Places to Visit: Concord men paused. Several secret that his or her name is The Old Manse sources report Rev. William forever shrouded to history. Museum Emerson urging the group, “Let This person would write 269 Monument Street us stand our ground! If we die, reports in French, perhaps Old Hill Burying let us die here!” as an attempt at encryption. Ground In modern English, the In early 1775, this spy sent a Monument Square consensus of the vastly report from Concord to Boston (top of Main Street) outnumbered group was describing the Reverend The North Bridge & “Nope. Not today,” and they fell William Emerson as “un très Minute Man National back, fi rst to the hill above the mauvais sujet” - a very bad Park Visitor Center Old Hill Burying Ground by the 174 Liberty Street subject (of the Crown).

town green and then further up the road, past William’s house, over the North Bridge and up the hill on the other side. William’s whereabouts over the next few hours are debated. He could have been in his nearby home, the Manse, but most likely he was at the North Bridge, in the midst of the activity. Wherever he was, William wrote a detailed account of the morning and the subsequent fi ght at the North Bridge that launched the American Revolutionary War. A year later, William accepted a position as a Chaplain to the Continental Army at Fort Ticonderoga, NY. Upon arrival, William found the camp rife with disease. Soon after, the 33-year-old minister was himself stricken. Too ill to continue in his post, William received a medical discharge and attempted to return home. He made it to Rutland, VT, where, on October 20, 1776, he died in the house of local minister Benjah Roots. Two years later, Massachusetts passed “The Banishment Act of 1778”, banning more than 300 Loyalists who had supported England. On the list: Daniel Bliss, Esquire. Daniel and his family were forced to leave America. They relocated to New Brunswick, Canada. Daniel never saw his sister Phebe or his home country again. The American Revolutionary War ended fi ve years later. But where were William’s remains? Generations passed. Phebe and William’s grandson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, went in search of his grandfather’s remains and learned that William had been buried in Rev. Benjah Root’s family plot in Vermont. His remains were not disturbed, and an empty tomb was erected in Concord’s Old Hill Burying Ground to forever serve as a memorial to William Emerson, Concord’s Patriot Minister, loving husband and father, champion of liberty, and “a very bad subject of the crown.” ————————————————————————— A Concord native, Jaimee is the manager of the Barrow Bookstore in Concord Center which specializes in Concord history, transcendentalism, and literary ﬁgures. She has been an interpreter at all of Concord’s historic sites and is a licensed town guide.

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River view: Winter is not a time to just sit in and chill out. It is also a time to get out and see the blueish light, especially on the snow. Frosted plants: Designs can be lovely. Three does: The wild animal life is often easier to view with less foliage. River reï¬&#x201A; ections: Refl ections can be magical in the winter light. 34

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event spaces, our team will help you plan A unique shop with gifts you an unforgettable holiday celebration. 978.226.6222 Millbrook Tarry, 77-97 Lowell Road, love to Concord give…and receive! www.theconcordmarket.com Millbrook Tarry, 77-97 Lowell Road, Concord www.theconcordmarket.com | catering@theconcordmarket.com 49 Commonwealth Ave. Concord MA 01742 catering@theconcordmarket.com 978.226.6222 joystreetgifts.com 978.226.6222 Discover CONCORD

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1. Presents.

2. They gave it to the Hummels, a poor German family in need. 3. The Witch’s Curse, an Operatic

Barrow Bookstore Presents:

Trivia

CONCORD

Little Women Christmas Trivia

Concord Christmas & New Year Trivia

In the opening line of Little Women Jo grumbles “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any….” what? a) Snow b) Visitors c) Presents d) Parties

2 3

What did Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy do with their special Christmas morning breakfast?

On Christmas Eve, the March sisters put on a play written by Jo. What was the name of the play? a) The Witch’s Curse, an Operatic Tragedy b) Macbeth c) By the Rude Bridge: an Etiquette Drama d) The Curious Case of the Pickled Limes

On Christmas day, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy each gave their mother a gift. Which girl gave the following gift: a) A bottle of cologne b) A nice pair of gloves c) Handkerchiefs with “Mother” sewn onto them d) Slippers

In addition to many other novels, this author wrote the world’s most famous Christmas story. In Little Women the March sisters are fans of this author and form a club whose name is inspired by one of the author’s books. Who is the author and what is the name of the March sisters’ club?

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Tragedy. Jo would have preferred to perform Shakespeare’s Macbeth if they’d “only had a trapdoor for Banquo.”

4. A: Amy, B: Meg, C: Beth, D: Jo

5. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Club, or “P.C.” for short.

Concord, Massachusetts was settled in 1635. Which of the below residents were most likely to receive Christmas cards? a) 17th century residents b) 18th century residents c) 19th century residents d) All of the above

6. C: 19th century residents and beyond. The idea of sending Christmas cards was started in 1843 by Englishman Sir Henry Cole. His artist friend John Hosley designed a threesided card and the men marketed them. The idea caught on and the rest is history … and Hallmark.

7. Concordian.

What is the correct term for a resident of Concord? a) Concordite b) Concorded c) Concordian d) Hey-youse

Puritans. Fun. Two words you don’t often see together, and there’s a reason for that. In 1647, the Puritan-led Parliament in England did something that was later adopted in 1659 by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Massachusetts residents who violated the decree were subject to a fiveshilling fine. What did Parliament and the General Court do?

A New Year’s Eve tradition in England and the Massachusetts Bay Colony included firing shots into the air. If you lived in Concord before 1752, on what day would you pick up your musket to participate in this tradition?

Name the drink! A beverage so special that Thomas Jefferson thought it would replace tea and coffee in America, and Little Women’s Jo March wondered if it was “the nectar drunk by the gods.” What is it?

8. They put a ban on Christmas. Unhappy with Christmas celebrations and its perceived pagan pageantry, the 1647 English Parliament said December 25th should be a day for fasting and humiliation to account for one’s sins. Inspired by this uplifting idea, the Massachusetts Bay Colony General Court implemented the ban in 1659 and made it a criminal offence to publicly celebrate Christmas. In Massachusetts, the ban was repealed in 1681. One hundred and seventy five years later, in 1856, Christmas officially became a state holiday. 9. March 24th. Unlike their European neighbors who used the Gregorian calendar, England and her Colonies (including Massachusetts) followed the Julian Calendar until 1752. New Year’s Eve was March 24th; New Year’s Day, March 25th.

Have You Met My Sister?

The Lost Loves of Elizabeth Peabody

O BY ALIDA ORZECHOWSKI

On a rainy morning in early May, in the small back parlor of 13 West Street, Boston, a wedding was about to take place. It would be the second wedding for the Peabody family in less than a year, and while 38-year-old Elizabeth could certainly claim an intimate relationship with each of the handsome grooms, she would be bride to neither. Five weeks before, in March of 1843, tall, silver-haired Horace Mann had proposed to Elizabeth’s younger sister Mary, who immediately accepted. She had, after all, been patiently awaiting Horace for ten years - since the day they met. Upon seeing his smile for the very first time in 1832, Mary wrote that she was “riveted” by Mann and, “I felt the glow permeate every fibre & vein. I knew nothing more till I was seated by the window in my own apartment…. Here was 40

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life and something to do…. to make that smile perpetual.” At the same time, Mary correctly sensed that she should probably keep these rather astonishing feelings to herself at the moment, for Horace was in absolutely no state to return Mary’s instant ardor. He had only recently lost his young wife, Charlotte, who had died of consumption less than two years into the marriage (and was likely pregnant with their first child). She was nursed by her tender husband right up to the end. The loss staggered and broke Mann so completely that friends describe watching his dark hair turn completely white in a matter of weeks. While both sisters were inexorably drawn to the intense sadness that was Horace Mann, Elizabeth, perhaps, had more in common with him, and Mary was nervously

aware of this. The elder sister’s fiery intellect and ability to converse endlessly on nearly any subject meant she often commanded Mann’s full attention, even in larger social settings with other women present. Mary worried to herself at having to watch the two “hold metaphysical arguments long enough to exhaust all common minds” and at their “talk, talk, talk, ad infinitum”. Nor would it have soothed Mary’s nerves while she was unavoidably far away in Cuba, to receive a letter from Elizabeth in which she describes a private visit from Horace and how he “took both my hands—and drew me for one moment absolutely in his arms.” Two years later it was still unclear to everyone involved if Horace Mann’s heart would ever mend, or whether it would ultimately lean towards Mary or Elizabeth.

Portrait by Charles Osgood, Peabody Essex Museum

On the day of Sophia’s fi rst appearance, she was dressed in a “simple white wrapper” and managed to stand long enough to glide down to the parlor where she immediately occupied the whole of a couch reserved there for her use. Elizabeth later recalled how Hawthorne, stopping mid-conversation “rose and looked at her— he did not realize how intently.” Whatever torments Mary may have suffered worrying if she would lose her Mann to her older sister, it was Elizabeth’s turn to watch aghast at the obvious admiration Hawthorne was freely bestowing towards Sophia. He showed “an intentness of interest” in everything her soft spoken, ethereal sister uttered, and Elizabeth later wrote, “I was struck with it, and painfully.” Later, after the fi rst wedding on West Street, and the newly minted Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne had moved to the Old Manse in Concord, Elizabeth would vehemently deny her relationship to Nathaniel was anything but professional interest. She claims to have written to him immediately, reframing their understanding as a “mistake on both our parts to regard it other than mere friendship…. I bade him farewell and then I went away.” She took a softer view of her previous relationship with Mann during he and Mary’s ceremony the following spring, delighting in the newly “illuminated countenance of Mr. Mann, so full of joy & tenderness” which was once, “so heartrending to see.” While it can’t be said that the Peabody sisters all lived happily ever after, they did live fully within the lives each had chosen. Elizabeth, unlimited and unfettered by any one relationship, continued to engage with fascinating and intellectual people over her long, productive life. If you’d like to learn more about Sophia, Mary, and Elizabeth Peabody, Megan Marshall’s The Peabody Sisters is a magnifi cent biography that reads like a novel, and is the perfect place to start. Other sources for this article include Philip McFarland’s Hawthorne in Concord, and Van Wyck Brooks, The Flowering of New England.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1841, one year before he and Sophia Peabody were married on West Street.

US Library of Congress

But in less than three years this particular sibling love triangle would be surpassed by a second, much messier one involving the youngest Peabody sister, Sophia. Plagued by debilitating headaches, mysterious pains, and general frailty her entire life, Sophia spent a great deal of time in her room alone, painting when she was well enough. Simple things, such as the clatter of knives and forks would become “excruciating torture”, and she forbid her own father from rocking in his chair when she was in the room due to the extreme dizziness it caused her. Sophia existed fi rmly within this puzzling miasma of symptoms that both exasperated and greatly concerned her family. So in the late fall of 1837, when Elizabeth triumphantly succeeded in gaining a visit from an unknown author she had been pursuing, she couldn’t wait to tell Sophia, and perhaps bring a little cheer into her day. Momentarily leaving her hard-won guest, Elizabeth fl ew up the stairs to Sophia’s sick room and exclaimed, “Mr. Hawthorne and his sisters have come, and you never saw anything so splendid—he is handsomer than Lord Byron!” She urged her younger sister to dress and come meet the writer, but Sophia replied that she thought it “rather ridiculous to get up…. if he has come once, he will come again.” Sophia’s prediction was correct. During the long winter months of 1838, the shy, remarkably good-looking Nathaniel Hawthorne would visit the Peabody household frequently. Many dozens of letters would be exchanged until the very nature of his relationship with Elizabeth progressed into new levels of intimacy. “I will come for you whenever you say I may, and wait on you at home”, Hawthorne wrote to Elizabeth, and then quite boldly added, “I wish you would come for my sake.” The attachment grew stronger on both sides until an understanding of sorts would be reached; he and Elizabeth were to marry. It wasn’t until spring that the delicate Sophia fi nally felt strong enough to venture forth and meet her sister’s love interest, Nathaniel.

Horace Mann, 1849, six years after he and Mary were married on West Street.

————————————————————————— Alida Vienna Orzechowski has served as the Director of Marketing and historic interpreter at The Old Manse, Board Member of Thoreau Farm Trust, and a member of the Concord Historical Collaborative. She is currently the founder and owner of Concord Tour Company and is a licensed Concord guide.

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HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH

December 6 – 22, 2019

1 week only! Special limited return engagement of 2019’s sold-out hit!

January 9 – 12, 2020

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HUNDRED DAYS Regional premier of the inspirational folk-punk musical by the Bengsons

D A Y S

January 24 – February 16, 2020

TheUmbrellaStage.org 40 Stow Street, Concord 978-371-0820

The Concord Museum’s Guild of Volunteers presents the Ninth Annual

Holiday House Tour in historic Concord, Massachusetts Saturday, December 7, 2019 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. For more information, visit concordmuseum.org

Special thanks to our media sponsors:

Russell’s Garden Center

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Louisa May Alcott is My Passion Analysis and reflection on the life, works and legacy of Louisa May Alcott and her family • Join our community! Susan Bailey, author • www.louisamayalcottismypassion.com

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Sodalite Ring by Lisa Scala

Courtesy of Three Stones Gallery

Arts Around Town

Art is everywhere in Concord. As the weather turns cold why not spend an afternoon at one of Concord’s extraordinary galleries and immerse yourself in the world of art? Nothing better to chase away the evening chill than a lively concert, a compelling fi lm, or a stunning theatrical performance at one of our talent-fi lled theatres. And don’t miss the holiday markets at Concord Art, The Umbrella Arts Center, or the Three Stones Gallery. From unique gifts to something special for yourself, celebrate the season with art!

MUSIC

Live music abounds in Concord. Be sure to check schedules at these popular spots for music ranging from Jazz to Blues to Folk and more: CONCORD CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC 1317 Main Street Concert Series Winter 2020 Mile Twelve – Bluegrass February 7, 2020 Brandy Rymer and the Little Band that Could February 9, 2020 (2 performances)

Also check these venues for regular performances of live music from a variety of talented groups: CONCORD’S COLONIAL INN (THE FORGE TAVERN) 48 Monument Square MAIN STREET’S MARKET & CAFÉ 42 Main Street TRAIL’S END CAFÉ 77 Lowell Road

THEATRE THE UMBRELLA ARTS CENTER 40 Stow Street Tuck Everlasting December 6 – 22, 2019 Hedwig and the Angry Inch January 9-12, 2020 (limited engagement) Hundred Days January 24 – February 16, 2020 (New England Premiere!) CONCORD PLAYERS 52 Walden Street Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park February 7 – 22, 2020 istock.com/csabatoth

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Courtesy of Lacoste/Keane Gallery

VISUAL ARTS CONCORD ART 37 Lexington Road These carefully curated exhibitions feature paintings, drawings, mixed media, photography, pottery, prints, sculpture, wood, and fi ber artwork. Each piece has been created by local artists and crafts people. Observation & Imagination: Works on Paper Through December 20, 2019 Members’ Juried Exhibition January 16 – February 9, 2020 LACOSTE/KEANE GALLERY 25 Main Street For almost 30 years, the Lacoste/Keane Gallery has brought some of the most innovative, thought-provoking, and beautiful pieces of sculpture to Concord. Their upcoming shows this winter will continue that tradition with works by leading ceramicists that push the boundaries of this ancient, yet contemporary, art form. Breaking the Ceiling: Japanese Women In Clay December 7 - 28, 2019 Ani Kasten Solo: Debris Poems January 18 - February 8, 2020 Renata Cassiano Alvarez: Consumed by the Gospel of Uncertainty February 15 - March 7, 2020

Sculpture by Aya Murata

THE UMBRELLA ARTS CENTER 40 Stow Street If you haven’t seen the newly renovated Umbrella Arts Center yet, now is the time to visit. The Umbrella is celebrating with two exciting new exhibits this winter: Off the Wall: Small works November 14, 2019 - January 2, 2020 A Change in Atmosphere (juried ceramics) January 9 - February 16, 2020

HOLIDAY MARKETS CONCORD ART 37 Lexington Road Holiday Originals and Juried Crafts December 4 - December 20, 2019 THREE STONES GALLERY 115 Commonwealth Avenue The Winter Bazaar November 29, 2019 – January 4, 2020 THE UMBRELLA ARTS CENTER 40 Stow Street The Annual Holiday Winter Market November 30 – December 2, 2019

FILM The Concord Film Project selects a thought-provoking fi lm to screen at the newly renovated, state-of-the-art Umbrella Arts Center each month. Tickets include popcorn, and you can pre-order a delicious meal from Saltbox Kitchen and enjoy it while watching the fi lm. Films will show December 17, January 21, and February 11. Details at https://theumbrellaarts.org. istock.com/anyaberkut

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Little Women, Big Screen:

A New Presentation of the Classic Novel Debuts on Christmas Day

©Sony Pictures

Each year, more than 100,000 people visit Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House. This December 25th, millions more will have the chance to learn about Louisa May and her amazing family through the lens of Sony Picture’s newest presentation of the classic book Little Women. In a recent interview, Jan Turnquist, Executive Director of the Louisa May

Jan went on to say how lovely the cast and Alcott’s Orchard House, told us that the film’s director, Greta Gerwig, was passionate crew were to work with. “It was such a joyful experience to have them at Orchard House about getting the details of Little Women right. She visited Orchard House three times and to be able to share all we know about the Alcotts. Its why Orchard House exists – we before bringing the cast to tour and learn want to share the real people behind Little about the Alcotts. Women,” Jan told us. “They truly cared about understanding the Although written 150 years ago, Little real family that inspired the book,” said Ms. Turnquist, who consulted extensively with the Women still speaks to us today. In Ms. Gerwig’s film. “They did so much to tie Orchard House new film, the beloved story of the March sisters – four young women each determined to live life to the film and to showcase the brilliant on her own terms – is both timeless and timely. humanity of the Alcotts.” Portraying Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth March, the Much of the movie was filmed right here film’s stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, in Concord. Although the filmmakers had Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, with Timothée hoped to film inside of Orchard House itself, Chalamet as their neighbor Laurie, Laura Dern the ambient sounds of modern-day life such as cars and airplanes (and the delicate nature as Marmee, and Meryl Streep as Aunt March will let us fall in love, once again, with these of the many antique and original pieces remarkable women. inside the house) made that impossible. Nonplussed, the crew recreated Orchard The Louisa May Alcott Orchard House is open House in its entirety on private land in in Winter, weekdays 11-3 PM and Saturdays Concord, with remarkable likeness! 10-4:30 PM, Sundays 1-4:30 PM.

The Concord Players Celebrate 100 Years… Louisa May Alcott’s Legacy Lives On The Concord Players trace their roots to Louisa May Alcott who, along with her sisters, founded the Concord Dramatic Union in 1857. The Alcotts performed their plays, many of them original, in the parlor of their home at Orchard House and in the homes of friends in the town. In 1872 the Concord Dramatic Union became The Concord Dramatic Club, and in 1919, The Concord Players. It is then, in the early years of the 20th century, that the organization as it is now began to take shape. Playwright, author, and editor Samuel Merwin moved to Concord from New York, inspiring renewed vigor in the company. He capitalized on his literary and publishing contacts from New York, bringing star power to leading roles, and invested his formidable 46

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talents into breaking new ground in community theater. Plays to dramatize, edify, and amuse have been staged with earnest deliberation and thoughtful planning. Actors and directors study the playwright’s intent and, through the unique and wondrous collaboration that is theatre craft, invite the audience to share in the accomplishment. Today the Players produce three shows annually: typically a comedy, a dramatic play, and a musical.

BY LINDA McCONCHIE, THE CONCORD PLAYERS

The Concord Players are located at The Performing Arts Center, 51 Walden Street in Concord Center. For more information about their 100th anniversary season please visit: www.concordplayers.org

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Cozy Books for a Winter Day istock.com/nataliiasirobaba

BY LARA JK WILSON

Winter in Concord invites us to retreat to a cozy corner with a good book. Concord’s rich literary heritage brings us works on history, activism, biography, essays, and more. Warm up with these works from celebrated Concord authors.

For the nature lover:

A Winter Walk by Henry David Thoreau (2014, Applewood Books) This beautifully bound version of Thoreau’s essay (originally printed in the Dial in 1843) reminds us of the importance of connecting with nature in all seasons. Thoreau invites us to join him on a winter walk in Concord, where “we step hastily along through the powdery snow, warmed by an inward heat, … in the increased glow of thought and feeling.”

For the history buff:

Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2018, Simon & Schuster) Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin presents an insightful look at the authentic leadership of four U.S. Presidents. The experiences of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson unfold through the lens of adversity and growth, revealing how strengths cultivated during challenging times created some of America’s greatest leaders.

For the adventuring spirit:

The Education of an Idealist by Samantha Power (2019, Dey Street Books) Former United Nations Ambassador and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Samantha Power gives an unflinching look at the fortitude it 48

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takes to promote human rights and to work toward equitable global solutions. When the question is posed “What can one person do?”, Power advocates that we “shrink the change” into a reasonable step that has lasting impact. Power’s autobiography reminds us that sharing our story of struggle and vulnerability can empower us all.

For fantasy lovers:

Gregory Maguire offers three recent additions with a twist on classic folks tales: Hiddensee (2017, Harper Collins Publishers); After Alice (2015, Harper Collins Publishers); and Egg & Spoon (2014, Candlewick Press).

For the contemplative connection:

Lives We Carry With Us: Profiles of Moral Courage by Robert Coles (2010, The New Press) Robert Coles, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Award, collects his signature profiles of people who have influenced his thinking in this compendium of human connection. With insight and passion, Coles explores the lives and impact of 13 people, both famous and unknown. Cole’s window into the

lives of others invites us to consider multiple perspectives with empathy and kindness.

For family time:

Monument Maker: Daniel Chester French and the Lincoln Memorial by Linda Booth Sweeney, illustrated by Shawn Fields (2019, Tilbury House Publishers in association with the Concord Museum) Read how young Daniel Chester French, growing up on a farm in 19th century Concord, followed his passion to create The Minuteman statue, Mourning Victory in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and the Lincoln Memorial. Monument Maker examines the ways our hands can create art with historical resonance as well as the role of nature, family, mentors, and compassionate communities in the cultivation of our creative spirit. ————————————————————————— Lara JK Wilson, a short story author and writing instructor, curates the Concord Festival of Authors and oversees the Concord Free Public Library’s Author Series and Mindfulness Programming.

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Articles inside

Concord's Mid-Century Modern Homes Define An Era

There's No Place Like Home

Forbidden Fruitcake: Holiday Treats & Traditions in Old Concord

Women Who Influenced Concord's History

Spending the Holidays with Louisa May Alcott