Concord Museum facts for kids

The Concord Museum.

The Concord Museum is a special place in Concord, Massachusetts, United States. It's like a time capsule that shows you what life was like long ago. The museum is famous for its collection of items from famous writers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.

You can find the museum at 53 Cambridge Turnpike. To visit, check their website (concordmuseum.org) for the latest hours. There is a small fee to get in.

What You'll See at the Museum

A powder horn and gun from the American Revolution at the Concord Museum.

The Concord Museum first opened in 1886, but its collections started even earlier, around 1850. It has some of the oldest and best-documented collections of early American history. Here are some of the most exciting things you can discover:

Famous Historical Objects

• The "One If By Land" Lantern: This lantern is super famous! It's said to be one of the lanterns hung in the Old North Church in 1775. This signal helped warn people that British soldiers were coming by sea. The story was made famous in the poem "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
• American Revolution Treasures: You can see real items from the American Revolution. This includes things like powder horns (used to carry gunpowder), muskets (old guns), cannonballs, and fifes (small flutes used in military bands).
• Ralph Waldo Emerson's Study: Step into a recreated study of Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was a very important writer and thinker. The room looks just like it did when he died in 1882, with his own books and furniture.
• Henry David Thoreau's Belongings: The museum has the largest collection of items that belonged to Henry David Thoreau. He was another famous writer who loved nature. You can see the bed, desk, and chair from his small cabin at Walden Pond. This is where he wrote his book A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers and got ideas for his famous book Walden.

Old American Homes and Art

The museum also has many beautiful items from the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s. These include furniture, clocks, mirrors, fabrics, pottery, and metal items. Many of these are set up in rooms that look like homes from different time periods:

• Early 1700s Room: See what a main room in a rich Concord citizen's house looked like around 1720.
• Mid-1700s Room: Imagine having tea in this room, with its old tea table, pottery, and silver.
• Early 1800s Room: This room shows how homes were furnished in the early 1800s.
• 1800s Dining Room: A fancy dining room from the 1800s, set up for a meal.

Other Cool Collections

You can also find other interesting things at the museum, such as:

• Native American Tools: Stone tools used by Native American people.
• Puritan Household Items: Everyday items used by early settlers called Puritans.
• Old Posters: Posters from local events like lectures (called lyceums) and cattle shows.
• Concord-Made Machines: Clocks and other machines that were made right there in Concord.
• Sculptures: Works by a famous sculptor named Daniel Chester French.

More Information

If you want to learn even more about the Concord Museum in Spanish, you can visit:

• Museo Concord para niños