Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, June 6, 2017, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm. Houghton Library recently acquired Thoreau’s manuscript notes on his exhaustive but fruitless search for the bodies and belongings of war correspondent and feminist Margaret Fuller Ossoli and her family, shipwrecked off Fire Island on July 19, 1850....
Blog & News
Thoreau in Our Time, May 11, 2017, Jones Library, Amherst. Henry David Thoreau’s writings, especially Walden (1854), were a product of his own time and place. But the world is just now catching up with his insights into economy, society, and the human relationship with nature. Join UMass historian David Glassberg on an exploration of Thoreau and his legacy on the 200th anniversary of Thoreau’s birth in 1817. For more information, visit the Jones Library,...
Thoreau Celebration, First Parish, Concord, May 6, 2017, 4:00 pm - 7:30 pm. In honor of the Thoreau Bicentennial, this celebration at First Parish in Concord begins with a lecture entitled “Walking, Working, Waking: What was Thoreau Seeking?” by historian Jayne Gordon at 4:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. Following the lecture, guests are invited downstairs to the Parish Hall for an informal trivia night on topics related to Henry David Thoreau’s life and work. Hosting the trivia competition will be Richard Smith, Thoreau interpreter. A buffet dinner will follow. Sponsored by the...
Arbor Day Lecture by Richard Higgins, author of Thoreau and the Language of Trees, 12:00 noon, April 28, 2017, Smith College Campus Center. In this original book, Richard Higgins explores Thoreau’s deep connections to trees: his keen perception of them, the joy they gave him, the poetry he saw in them, his philosophical view of them, and how they fed his soul. His lively essays show that trees were a thread connecting all parts of Thoreau’s being—heart, mind, and spirit. Included are one hundred...
Henry David Thoreau described himself as “a mystic, a transcendentalist, and a natural philosopher to boot,” but he is probably most famous for his refusal to pay his taxes in protest against slavery and the Mexican War. Just as later political figures such as Emma Goldman and Martin Luther King cited Thoreau’s refusal as inspiration for their decisions to defy unjust laws, the ongoing protests against the Trump Administration have echoed his call for resistance to political evil. In order to gain a better understanding of this political legacy, Susan E. Gallagher explores how Thoreau’s...
On Thursday, April 20, 3-5pm, Donna Marie Przybojewski will launch her latest children’s book, “Henry David Thoreau Loved the Seasons,” at Thoreau Farm. Przybojewski, a junior high school teacher and Thoreau Society Ambassador for the Thoreau Bicentennial, will read from her book and give a short talk on how parents and teachers can introduce Thoreau to children at a young age. This event is FREE and open to the public. Children accompanied by an adult are welcome to attend this event. Space is limited, please email...
Art Exhibition—WALDEN: Window & Mirror, April 6 - May 14, 2017.
Artist Talks: Wednesday, April 12, 2017, 6:00 pm
Concord Center for Visual Arts, 37 Lexington Road, Concord MA 01742
In the spirit of celebrating Henry David Thoreau and the bicentennial of his birth, Concord Art presents WALDEN: Window & Mirror featuring the work of eight artists who, like Thoreau, strive to understand our relationship...
The Thoreau Society is proud to announce that the Thoreau Society Shop at Walden Pond has moved into its new home at the Walden Pond Visitor Center.
In 2015 the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) began the construction of a new visitor center at Walden Pond State Reservation. The construction phase of the building was completed last fall with a ribbon-cutting ceremony which took place on September 27, 2016.
The new visitor center is a state-of-the-art facility, designed with green technology in mind. Impressive for its small carbon footprint, the...
“Every movement reveals us....We judge a horse not only by seeing him handled on a racecourse, but also by seeing him walk, and even by seeing him rest in a stable.”
–Michel de Montaigne1
Thoreau was a prodigious walker. By his own account, his constitution required walking four hours a day at least.2 And he did not walk as others did. His contemporaries agreed...
Join us for the Thoreau Bicentennial Annual Gathering! We have an exciting lineup of activities planned this year, including walks, conversations, music, dramatic performances and more. All are welcome to help celebrate Henry David Thoreau's 200th Birthday! For more information, visit Thoreau Bicentennial.org