Old Manse
Why it's listed
Near the Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts, the Old Manse is a 2 1/2-story frame house with a gambrel roof, built about 1769 for the Rev. William Emerson, pastor of the Church in Concord. It stands on a 6.71-acre parcel of open land stretching from Monument Street to the Concord River. The house has a center-hall plan, paneled rooms, and French wallpaper that predates 1850. Window panes in the dining room and study carry inscriptions cut by Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife. Hawthorne and Sophia Peabody lived here from 1842 to 1846, and he named the house and wrote most of Mosses From an Old Manse in the upstairs study. Ralph Waldo Emerson, the minister's grandson, lived here in 1834 while working on Nature. The house stayed in private hands until 1939, when the Trustees of Reservations acquired it. It is now open to visitors as a museum.
Significance in brief: The house is significant mainly for its association with Nathaniel Hawthorne, who lived there for 3 1/2 years after his 1842 marriage and wrote most of the tales in Mosses From an Old Manse there. It is also tied to Ralph Waldo Emerson, who worked on his essay Nature in the house in 1834.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 66000775, listed October 15, 1966. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Monument St., Concord |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference number | 66000775 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Specific dates: c. 1769; 1834; 1842-46 |
| Areas of significance | Literature |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated December 29, 1962 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the Trustees of Reservations since 1939 and open to the public as a museum; described as relatively unaltered since construction. |
| Acreage | 6.7 |
| Coordinates | 42.46857, -71.34933 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 66000775.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4439852
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.