Amos
Bronson Alcott
Courtesy of Cornell University Library
Nineteenth
Century Periodicals Collection
Concord Books. [Harper's new monthly magazine.
/ Volume 51, Issue 301, June 1875]
In
the book, Henry Builds a Cabin, Mr. Alcott says "Henry,
your cabin looks too dark to read in!"
click
to view larger image
Thoreau Cairn
The
Thoreau cairn was started by Bronson Alcott. Everyone who visits the Walden
site is to bring a stone to palce on the existing pile.
Bronson
Alcott
Amos
Bronson Alcott was born on November 29, 1799 in Wolcott, Connecticut.
He was a self-educated man. Early in his life he worked as a peddler,
handyman, and gardener. In 1830, he married Abigail May.
His
experiment with education resulted in the founding of the Temple School
in Boston. Alcott believed school should be a pleasant experience for
children. His assistant, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, started the first kindergarten
in the United States. The Temple School closed in 1840. Alcott moved his
family to Concord.
From
1845 to 1852, Bronson, Abigail, and their four daughters, Louisa, Anna,
Elizabeth, and May lived in in the home they called Hillside. The name
was changed to Wayside after Hawthorne purchased it from the Alcotts in
1852. They later moved to Orchard House, famous as the place where Louisa
May Alcott wrote Little Women.
Abigail
May Alcott died in 1877. Bronson Alcott died on March 4, 1888 in Boston.
The Alcott family is buried on Authors' Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
located in Concord.