Wheeler-Minot Farmhouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Wheeler-Minot Farmhouse
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Wheeler-Minot Farmhouse
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Concord, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 20.3 acres (8.2 ha) |
| Built | 1730 |
| Architectural style | Colonial, Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000190 |
| Added to NRHP | March 19, 2004 |
The Wheeler-Minot Farmhouse is a very old house in Concord, Massachusetts. It is also known as the Thoreau Farm or the Henry David Thoreau Birthplace. This house is special because the famous writer Henry David Thoreau was born here.
The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Today, it is a historic house museum. This means you can visit it and learn about its history.
History of the Farmhouse
The Wheeler-Minot Farmhouse sits on a large property of about 20 acres. It is located on the north side of Virginia Road in eastern Concord. The house is a two-and-a-half-story building made of wood. It has a roof that slopes down on two sides and a big chimney in the middle. The outside is covered with clapboard siding, and it has a stone foundation. The front door is in the center, with columns on each side and a fancy border above it.
The house was first built around 1730 by a man named John Wheeler. Later, Deacon Samuel Minot bought the farm. He bought it for his second son, Jonas. Jonas Minot became the stepfather of Thoreau's mother. This means he married Thoreau's grandmother after her first husband died.
Even though the house has been changed a lot over the years, it was an important farm for 200 years.
Henry David Thoreau was born on this family farm on July 12, 1817. He was the only famous writer from Concord who was actually born there. Other well-known writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa May Alcott lived in Concord, but they were not born in the town. Thoreau lived in Concord for most of his life.
After Thoreau passed away in 1862, many people became interested in his life and writings. Scholars, students, and tourists started looking for the place where he was born.
Bringing the House Back to Life
In 1995, a non-profit group called the Thoreau Farm Trust bought the house. They worked hard to fix it up and make it look like it used to. This big project is called a restoration.
Now, the house is a museum that is open to the public. You can visit it on weekends between May and October. It's a great place to learn about Henry David Thoreau and what life was like in his time.
See also
In Spanish: Hacienda Wheeler-Minot para niños
