History
The Alcotts had first moved to Concord in 1840, although they left in 1843 to start Fruitlands, a utopian agrarian commune in nearby Harvard. The family returned in 1845 and purchased a house named "Hillside", but left again in 1852, selling to Nathaniel Hawthorne who renamed it The Wayside.
The Alcotts returned to Concord once again in 1857 and bought another property in May 1858. At the time of purchase the site included two early eighteenth century houses on a 12 acre (49,000m2) apple orchard. Consequently the Alcotts named it Orchard House. Bronson moved the smaller house to adjoin the rear of the main house, making a single larger structure. While the home was being renovated, the family rented rooms next door at The Wayside while the Hawthornes were still in England.
The Orchard House is on the historical road to Lexington, is adjacent to The Wayside, and less than half a mile from Bush the home of Ralph Waldo Emerson, where Henry David Thoreau and the Alcotts were frequent visitors.
Read more about this topic: Orchard House
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