A Hot July Visit with Thoreau at Walden Pond

July 16, 2013 was a scorching hot day in New England. But my granddaughter and I had already planned a photographic tour of historic locations in Concord, Massachusetts. With a list of desired pictures in hand, our first stop was Walden Pond. I was researching Henry David Thoreau’s year plus stay at the cabin he built on its shores in 1845.

Even at 10:00 am, cars were turning into the state park entrance with fervor. I turned into the next lot which belongs to the Thoreau Society bookstore. Parking was limited to store customers only. That suited me fine. Bookstore at Walden Pond link.

My granddaughter and I were the only customers. I purchased three books and a 1906 map of Concord. Restrooms were back in the state parking lot. With the car correctly parked there, we stepped out into no air-conditioning. That’s when I realized that today’s crowd was from the local area. Strollers were being loaded with children and beach balls. Backpacks likely carried towels, water or juice, and lunches. A state-owned park with a public beach was what these ‘tourists’ were seeking.

Following the path of strollers ahead, we stopped before crossing the road. A nearly life-sized bronze of Thoreau himself beckoned to us.

Thoreau Bronze Statue
Walden Pond

Behind the statue was a reproduction of the one-room cabin with lean-to woodshed he had built over a century and a half before. The original cabin no longer exists, having been sold in 1868.

The single door was open, inviting passersby to come in and visit for a while. My granddaughter and I availed ourselves of the invitation.

Replica of Thoreau Cabin

With the familiarity of a writer who has done her research, I began to call him Henry—as if we were best friends. Inside were replicas of the furniture Henry built or had moved to the cabin. We saw the cot where he slept and the slant-topped desk where he penned A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers and then Walden, Life in the Woods. There was a table and several chairs that Henry kept for visitors who stopped by. His original furniture is on display at the Concord museum, across the street from Bush, Emerson’s house.

I noted that the four walls were plastered and a fireplace had been built around the wood stove. These comforts were added by Henry the second year. (Actually, he liked the wood stove better without the fireplace.)

On an earlier July day—hopefully one not so hot—Henry had moved in. He recorded that the cabin cost him 28 dollars and 12 and half cents to build.

Click to read Part II
Click to read Part III