There can't be a better place in the world to celebrate Patriot's Day (celebrated in April) than Concord, MA where the "shot heard round the world" was fired, and America was on its way to becoming a nation. Watch the Orchard House staff and friends celebrate in the town's annual parade.
Want to book a vacation in Concord touring its literary treasures?
Here's a brand new start-up company founded by two enterprising women who offer in-depth tours of the literary treasures of Concord, MA.Ā Gatepost Tours began last February and is taking off like a rocket. Friends Joan Spinazola and Alida Bailey are the co-owners. Sounds like a great way to spend a summer vacation! Check out …
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Louisa the actress: meet her idol, Fanny Kemble
Kelly O'Connor McNees, author ofĀ The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott (now available in paperback), wrote an article recently about Fanny Kemble, a 19th century actress whom Louisa May Alcott greatly admired. There's a wonderful scene in Lost Summer where Louisa gets to perform in front of Kemble and I could just feel the …
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Here’s some good background for “Hospital Sketches”
This article from Nurse.com provided some excellent background for the emergence of women in nursing during the Civil War. It was truly new and Louisa May Alcott was right in the forefront, volunteering her services. She of course wrote about those experiences in Hospital Sketches. The Civil War and Nursing By Cathryn Domrose Friday April …
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Why Louisa May Alcott has Dorothea Dix to thank for her nursing career
Hereās an interesting article about Dorothea Dix, the powerhouse behind the organizatio of women nurses for the Civil War (the first time women were allowed to serve as nurses). Louisa May Alcott served under Dix: ā . . . Thirty-year-old Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women who nursed at Union Hospital in Washington, …
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An Old-Fashioned Girl circa 1926
My book arrived yesterday in the mail and I was so happy to have it back in my library! I look forward to reading this book. It seems so appropriate to have an 85 year-old copy of a book with the title, An Old-Fashioned Girl. I've assembled all the illustrations into a slide show; they …
Yay, I’m so excited!
I found something wonderful today and it makes up for something dumb that I did last year, before I started this blog, and before I knew just how passionate I was about Louisa May Alcott. My sister, brother and I spent last spring cleaning out our parents' house and in the course of things, we …
The essence of Fruitlands: a return to the Garden of Eden
Note: the following post is based upon the introduction to Fruitlands: The Alcott Family and Their Search for Utopia by Richard Francis, pages 2-11). Anything that has been italicized is my own conclusion, not Francis'. I will be including thoughts that I have as it relates to my understanding of Christianity and how it relates …
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Diving into Transcendentalism via Fruitlands
Talk about jumping off a cliff! That's what I feel like I've done with Richard Francis' Fruitlands: The Alcott Family and Their Search for Utopia . I wanted to learn more about Transcendentalism and feel like I'm practically drowning in it. But oh is it ever interesting! Disclaimer: I am writing as a student, just …
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More information about Orchard House’s centennial celebration
Here's an article from Boston.com about the upcoming celebration of Orchard House's 100th birthday as a moment to the Alcott family: By Sarah Thomas, Town Correspondent The Louisa May Alcott Memorial Association is celebrating its centennial anniversary, marking 100 years since the group formed to purchase and restore the beloved Concord author's home of Orchard …
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Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 