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78-556: The Emily Dickinson Museum is a historic house museum consisting of two houses: the Dickinson Homestead (also known as Emily Dickinson Home or Emily Dickinson House ) and the Evergreens . The Dickinson Homestead was the birthplace and home from 1855 to 1886 of 19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson (1830–1886), whose poems were discovered in her bedroom there after her death. The house next door, called

156-454: A "memory museum", which is a term used to suggest that the museum contains a collection of the traces of memory of the people who once lived there. It is often made up of the inhabitants' belongings and objects – this approach is mostly concerned with authenticity . Some museums are organised around the person who lived there or the social role the house had. Other historic house museums may be partially or completely reconstructed in order to tell

234-664: A 32-year-old woman from Amherst, Massachusetts , sent a letter to Higginson, enclosing four poems and asking, "Are you too deeply occupied to say if my Verse is alive?" (Letter 260) He was not – his reply included gentle "surgery" (that is, criticism) of Dickinson's raw, odd verse, questions about Dickinson's personal and literary background, and a request for more poems. Higginson's next reply contained high praise, causing Dickinson to reply that it "gave no drunkenness" only because she had "tasted rum before"; she still, though, had "few pleasures so deep as your opinion, and if I tried to thank you, my tears would block my tongue" (Letter 265). In

312-566: A Democrat, but was defeated by Nathaniel P. Banks . Higginson was one of the leading male advocates of women's rights during the decade before the Civil War. In 1853, he addressed the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention in support of a petition asking that women be allowed to vote on ratification of the new constitution. Published as " Woman and Her Wishes ," the address was used for many years in

390-612: A close relationship with prominent landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux . He later led the effort to drain and beautify the town common, and spearheaded the drive to form a new style of park-like cemetery in Amherst after the fashion of Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge . Guided tours of the Emily Dickinson Museum are offered from March through December. The grounds and gardens are open to

468-669: A collection consistent with the historical structure. Some museums choose to collect pieces original to the period, while not original to the house. Others, fill the home with replicas of the original pieces, reconstructed with the help of historic records. Still other museums adopt a more aesthetic approach and use the homes to display the architecture and artistic objects. Because historic homes have often existed through different generations and have been passed on from one family to another, volunteers and professionals also must decide which historical narrative to tell their visitors. Some museums grapple with this issue by displaying different eras in

546-399: A common exhortation toward benevolence. Division among the faiths was ultimately artificial, he said: "Every step in the progress of each brings it nearer to all the rest. For us, the door out of superstition and sin may be called Christianity; that is an historical name only, the accident of a birthplace. But other nations find other outlets; they must pass through their own doors." He pushed

624-451: A famous document. Together with Stone, he compiled and published The Woman's Rights Almanac for 1858, which provided data such as income disparity between the sexes as well as a summary of gains made by the national movement during its first seven years. He also compiled and published, in 1858, " Consistent Democracy. The Elective Franchise for Women. Twenty-five Testimonies of Prominent Men ," brief excerpts favoring woman suffrage from

702-472: A hundred men in the ranks who had voluntarily met more dangers in their escape from slavery than any of my young captains had incurred in all their lives." Higginson described his Civil War experiences in Army Life in a Black Regiment (1870), He contributed to the preservation of Negro spirituals by copying dialect verses and music he heard sung around the regiment's campfires. In his book, Drawn With

780-485: A long record of residency in the Connecticut River valley, dating back to the early days of English colonial settlement of the area. Emily Dickinson's great grandfather Nathaniel Dickinson was one of the founders of Hadley, Massachusetts and surveyed the lands around the area including today's Amherst, Massachusetts . Nathan Dickinson moved to the relatively new town of Amherst, Massachusetts in 1742. By

858-501: A private testamentary trust, the Martha Dickinson Bianchi Trust, which began developing the house as a museum. The trust's work led to discussions with the college over collaboration between the two on administration of their respective properties. These culminated in the merger of the two efforts in 2003, when the trust transferred ownership of The Evergreens to Amherst College, and the Emily Dickinson Museum

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936-486: A professor of history and political science, further adds to social history and its relationship to locations by saying – Following this historical movement, the concept of " open-air museums " became prominent. These particular types of museums had interpreters in costume re-enact the lives of communities in earlier eras, which would then be performed to modern audiences. They often occupied large wooden architecture buildings or outdoor sites and landscapes, that were true to

1014-507: A regular correspondent, that "I do not cross my Father's ground to any House or town" in response to his suggestion that she come to Boston so they might meet. She did, however, tend the flower garden, which was locally appreciated, and visited her brother's family next door. She died in 1886, and her funeral service was held in the Homestead's library. Pursuant to Emily's wishes, her sister Lavinia destroyed her correspondence. She found

1092-719: A valuable link between suffragists and the legislature. During the early part of the Civil War, Higginson was a captain in the 51st Massachusetts Infantry from November 1862 to October 1864, when he was retired because of a wound received in the preceding August. He was colonel of the First South Carolina Volunteers , the first authorized regiment recruited from freedmen for Union military service. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton required that black regiments be commanded by white officers. "We, their officers, did not go there to teach lessons, but to receive them," Higginson wrote. "There were more than

1170-707: A voyage to Europe for the health of his wife, who had an unknown illness, Higginson organized a group of men on behalf of the New England Emigration Aid Company to use peaceful means as tensions rose after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 . The act divided the region into the Kansas and Nebraska territories, whose residents would separately vote on whether to allow slavery within each jurisdiction's borders. Both abolitionist and pro-slavery supporters began to migrate to

1248-521: A women's rights tract, as was an 1859 article he wrote for the Atlantic Monthly , "Ought Women to Learn the Alphabet ?" A close friend and supporter of women's rights leader Lucy Stone , he performed the marriage ceremony of Stone and Henry Browne Blackwell in 1855 and, by sending their protest of unjust marriage laws to the press, was responsible for their " Marriage Protest" becoming

1326-400: A year, more than fifty percent of historic house museums received fewer than 5,000 visitors per year. These museums are also unique in that the actual structure belongs to the museum collection as a historical object. While some historic home museums are fortunate to possess a collection containing many of the original furnishings once present in the home, many face the challenge of displaying

1404-551: Is not only associated with the individual but is a shared experience. It also focused on the way individual memory is influenced by social structures, as a way of continuing socialisation by producing memory as collective experience. An example of a site that utilizes collective memory is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan. It was restored and is based on the dialectics of memory, however it also has

1482-757: The Parliament of the World's Religions in 1893 and praised the great strides that had been made in the mutual understanding of the world's great religions, describing the Parliament as the culmination of the FRA's greatest ambitions. After the Civil War, he devoted most of his time to literature. His writings show a deep love of nature, art and humanity. In his Common Sense About Women (1881) and his Women and Men (1888), he advocated equality of opportunity and equality of rights for men and women . In 1874, Higginson

1560-551: The 1970s and 1980s, as the Revolutionary War's bicentennial set off a wave of patriotism and alerted Americans to the destruction of their physical heritage. The tradition of restoring homes of the past and designating them as museums draws on the English custom of preserving ancient buildings and monuments. Initially homes were considered worthy of saving because of their associations with important individuals, usually of

1638-650: The Civil War, Higginson was an organizer of the New England Woman Suffrage Association in 1868, and of the American Woman Suffrage Association the following year. He was one of the original editors of the suffrage newspaper Woman's Journal , founded in 1870, and contributed a front-page column to it for fourteen years. As a two-year member of the Massachusetts legislature , 1880–82, he was

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1716-718: The Evergreens, was built by the poet's father, Edward Dickinson , in 1856 as a wedding present for her brother Austin . Located in Amherst, Massachusetts , the houses are preserved as a single museum and are open to the public on guided tours. The Emily Dickinson Home is a US National Historic Landmark , and properties contribute to the Dickinson Historic District , listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The Dickinson family had

1794-583: The FRA to tolerate even those who did not accept the liberal principles the Association espoused, asking, "Are we as large as our theory? ... Are we as ready to tolerate ... the Evangelical man as the Mohammedan?" Although his own relationship to evangelical Protestants remained strained, he saw the exclusion of any religious mindset as fundamentally dangerous to the organization. Higginson spoke at

1872-463: The Homestead and The Evergreens was carefully arranged with an informal distribution of trees and shrubs meant to suggest natural growth, a mix of local and exotic specimens, and open areas where family members played lawn tennis and badminton . As Treasurer of Amherst College (1873–1895), Austin Dickinson was also deeply involved in landscaping of the college grounds, cultivating at the same time

1950-441: The Homestead back to Leland and Nathan, who in turn gave the entire property to General David Mack, Jr. Mack's family occupied the western half of the Homestead, while Edward and his family moved into the eastern half. They remained there until 1840, when they moved to a nearby house on West Street (now North Pleasant), overlooking Amherst's West Cemetery . By 1855, fifteen years later, Edward had risen to prominence and wealth, and

2028-399: The Homestead was repainted in its late-nineteenth-century colors to show it as Emily Dickinson knew it. The restoration also removed aging storm windows, repointed areas of failing masonry, and restored nearly 100 shutters and other architectural elements. In 2009 the plaster ceiling in the front parlor of the Homestead collapsed into the room. The building was open for tours at the time of

2106-547: The Newburyport Lyceum and against the wishes of the majority of the board, Higginson brought Ralph Waldo Emerson to speak. Higginson proved too radical for the congregation and resigned in 1849. After that, he lectured on the Lyceum circuit, initially receiving about $ 15 for each talk (Theodore Parker and Ralph Waldo Emerson could command $ 25). The Compromise of 1850 brought new challenges and new ambitions for

2184-581: The Parke family. In 1963 the house was designated a National Historic Landmark . In 1965, the Parke family sold the house to the Trustees of Amherst College . The college used the house for faculty housing, but opened portions of the house, including Emily's room, for public tours. Next door, Austin and Susan Dickinson lived at The Evergreens until their respective deaths in 1895 and 1913. Martha Dickinson Bianchi, their only surviving child, continued to live in

2262-543: The Secret Six fled to Canada or elsewhere after Brown's capture, but Higginson never fled, despite his involvement being common knowledge. Higginson was never arrested or called to testify. In 1879, Higginson was elected to represent Cambridge's first and fifth wards in the Massachusetts House of Representatives . He was re-elected in 1880. He made another run for U.S. House of Representatives in 1888 as

2340-589: The Sword , historian James M. McPherson cited Higginson as an example of a white officer in a black regiment who did not share the "[p]owerful racial prejudices" of others during the time period. After the Civil War, Higginson became active in the Free Religious Association (FRA) and in 1870 delivered the speech The Sympathy of Religions , which was later published and circulated. The address argued that all religions shared essential truths and

2418-482: The arrest and trial of the free black Frederick Jenkins , known as Shadrach. Abolitionists helped him escape to Canada . He participated with Wendell Phillips and Theodore Parker in the attempt at freeing Thomas Sims , a Georgia slave who had escaped to Boston. In 1854, when the escaped Anthony Burns was threatened with extradition under the Fugitive Slave Act, Higginson led a small group who stormed

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2496-441: The back of the house, erected a veranda on the western side, embellished the roof with an Italianate cupola , and built a conservatory for Emily's exotic plants. He finished the house in an ochre and off-white paint scheme, one that it wore until 1916, when new owners removed all layers of paint through a sandblasting process and painted the woodwork white in accord with early twentieth-century colonial revival tastes. In 2004

2574-482: The bulk of Emily's poetry in a locked chest in Emily's room, and immediately recognized the collection's significance. The complete works were first published in 1955. The longest-lived member of the family was Lavinia, who occupied the Homestead until her death in 1899. At that time, the Homestead was inherited by Austin's daughter, Martha Dickinson Bianchi. She leased the house to tenants until 1916, when she sold it to

2652-401: The collapse but no injuries were sustained by visitors or staff. Designed by well-known Northampton architect William Fenno Pratt , the house is one of the earliest and best-preserved examples of Italianate domestic architecture in Amherst. The house is still completely furnished with Dickinson family furniture, household accoutrements, and decor selected and displayed by the family during

2730-658: The early 19th century, the Dickinson family had accumulated some 14 acres (5.7 ha) of land on the east side of town. In 1813, Samuel Fowler Dickinson (1775–1838) built the Dickinson Homestead on Main Street, its grandeur reflecting his prominence as a lawyer. His financial affairs, however, were less secure, and by 1817 he had mortgaged the house for $ 2,500. In 1825, he mortgaged the Homestead again, along with other properties, to Oliver Smith for $ 6,000. In 1828, when Samuel Fowler Dickinson went bankrupt, Smith sold

2808-403: The elite classes, like former presidents, authors, or businessmen. Increasingly, Americans have fought to preserve structures characteristic of a more typical American past that represents the lives of everyday people. Historic house museums usually operate with small staffs and on limited budgets. Many are run entirely by volunteers and often do not meet the professional standards established by

2886-538: The end of his first year of divinity training, he withdrew from the school to turn his attention to the abolitionist cause. He spent the subsequent year studying and, following the lead of Transcendentalist Unitarian minister Theodore Parker , fighting against the expected war with Mexico . Believing that war was only an excuse to expand slavery and the Slave Power , Higginson wrote antiwar poems and went door to door to get signatures for antiwar petitions. With

2964-549: The equivalent of Bunker Hill ; he called it a rehearsal for the violence to come. As sectional conflict escalated, he continued to support disunion abolitionism, organizing the Worcester Disunion Convention in 1857, favoring the North's secession from the slave-holding South and federal government. The convention asserted abolition as its primary goal, even if it would lead the country to war. Higginson

3042-420: The era, adding to authenticity. Collective memory is sometimes used in the resurrection of historic house museums; however, not all historic house museums use this approach. The notion of collective memory originated from philosopher and sociologist Maurice Halbwachs , in "La Memoire Collective" ("On Collective Memory", 1950). This extended thesis examines the role of people and place, and how collective memory

3120-410: The facades exposed to more public scrutiny. During his ownership, General Mack "enlarged the attic space by replacing the hip roof with gables, raised the roof line on the north and south sides, and added a second story to the wooden 'office' on the west". Edward Dickinson made extensive interior and exterior alterations to the Homestead in 1855. He built a brick addition for the kitchen and laundry on

3198-708: The federal courthouse in Boston with battering rams, axes, cleavers, and revolvers. They could not prevent Burns from being taken back to the South. A courthouse guard was killed, proof that "war had really begun." Higginson received a saber slash on his chin; he wore the scar proudly for the rest of his life. In 1852, Higginson became pastor of the "fervently anti-slavery" Free Church in Worcester. During his tenure, Higginson not only supported abolition, but also temperance, labor rights, and rights of women. Returning from

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3276-414: The first federally authorized black regiment , from 1862 to 1864. Following the war, he wrote about his experiences with African-American soldiers and devoted much of the rest of his life to fighting for the rights of freed people, women, and other disfranchised peoples. He is also remembered as a mentor to poet Emily Dickinson . Higginson was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts , on December 22, 1823. He

3354-513: The home's history within different rooms or sections of the structure. Others choose one particular narrative, usually the one deemed most historically significant, and restore the home to that particular period. There are a number of organizations around the world that dedicate themselves to the preservation, restoration, or promotion of historic house museums. They include: Thomas Wentworth Higginson Thomas Wentworth Higginson (December 22, 1823 – May 9, 1911), who went by

3432-531: The homeopathic physician of the department, chief teacher and probably the most energetic person this side of civilisation [sic]: a person of splendid health and astonishing capacity.... I think she has done more for me than anyone else by prescribing homeopathic arsenic as a tonic, one powder every day on rising, and it has already, I think (3 doses) affected me." In 1850, Higginson was the Free Soil Party candidate for Congress and lost. Subsequently, he

3510-481: The house to shelter the family's horses, cow, and chickens and provide rooms for the groundskeeper. Linking the two Dickinson houses was a path described by Emily Dickinson as "just wide enough for two who love," crossing the lawn from the back door of the Homestead to the east piazza of The Evergreens. In the 1860s, Edward and Austin Dickinson planted a low hemlock hedge that spanned the street frontage of both houses. Edward Dickinson died in 1874; his funeral service

3588-412: The house, and preserved it, without change, until her own death in 1943. Her heirs – co-editor Alfred Leete Hampson, and later his widow, Mary Landis Hampson – continued to preserve the house as a "time capsule" of a prosperous nineteenth-century household in a New England town, recognizing the tremendous historical and literary significance of a site left completely intact. In 1991, The Evergreens passed to

3666-446: The inclusion of joyous festivals to mask the turmoil. The Hiroshima Traces (1999) text takes a look at the importance of collective memory and how it is embedded in culture and place. Thus, collective memory does not only reside in a house or building, but it also resonates in outdoor space – particularly when a monumental event has occurred, such as war. Problematic creation of collective memory occurs within historic house museums when

3744-443: The mortgaged properties to John Leland and Nathan Dickinson, Samuel's nephew. In March 1830, Samuel Fowler Dickinson's eldest son Edward purchased the western half of the Homestead for $ 1,500, and moved in with his wife and young son Austin . Nine months later, on December 10, their second child, Emily Dickinson , was born there. Lavinia was born there three years later. In 1833, persistent money troubles forced Edward to sell

3822-553: The museum industry. An independent survey conducted by Peggy Coats in 1990 revealed that sixty-five percent of historic house museums did not have a full-time staff, and 19 to 27 percent of historic homes employed only one full-time employee. Furthermore, the majority of these museums operated on less than $ 50,000 annually. The survey also revealed a significant disparity in the number of visitors between local house museums and national sites. While museums like Mount Vernon and Colonial Williamsburg were visited by over one million tourists

3900-578: The name Wentworth , was an American Unitarian minister, author, abolitionist , politician, and soldier. He was active in abolitionism in the United States during the 1840s and 1850s, identifying himself with disunion and militant abolitionism. He was a member of the Secret Six who supported John Brown . During the Civil War , he served as colonel of the 1st South Carolina Volunteers ,

3978-403: The narrative of all people who lived there is dangerous. While some plantation museum narratives have changed following an outcry from the public and the academy, "plantation museums reflect, create, and contribute to racialized ways of understanding and organizing the world" by limiting or eliminating the narrative of the enslaved inhabitants. A degree of authenticity is also to be considered in

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4056-491: The narrative of non-family members is dismissed, ignored, or completely rejected. Within the Southern United States, plantation museums (the former homes of enslavers) constitute a significant portion of the museum community and contribute to the racialized collective memory of the United States. Because museums are responsible for "the building of identity, cultural memory and community", neglecting to include

4134-405: The nineteenth century. Situated on two high terraces , The Evergreens was surrounded by cultivated planting beds and looked out to the west over a neighbor's orchard. Austin Dickinson applied the design principles of Andrew Jackson Downing and Frederick Law Olmsted to The Evergreens' landscape. His wife, Susan, tended flower gardens that were held in high regard by townspeople. The lawn between

4212-472: The previous inhabitants through an explanation and exploration of social history . The idea of a historic house museum derives from a branch of history called social history that is solely based on people and their way of living. It became very popular in the mid-twentieth century among scholars who were interested in the history of people, as opposed to political and economical issues. Social history remains an influential branch of history. Philip J. Ethington,

4290-468: The public good and the preservation of American history, especially centered on the first U.S. president, General George Washington. Since the establishment of the country's first historic site in 1850, Washington's Revolutionary headquarters in New York, Americans have found a penchant for preserving similar historical structures. The establishment of historic house museums increased in popularity through

4368-475: The public, but the interiors of both houses are only accessible by guided tour. Specially themed tours change periodically. The museum also hosts literary events that vary from year to year, including contemporary poetry readings and an annual poetry festival. The museum is a member of Museums10 , an association of ten museums in the Amherst area. The museum is owned by Amherst College . Historic house museum Historic house museums are sometimes known as

4446-405: The restoration and creation of a historic house museum. The space must be authentic in terms of truly replicating and representing the way it once stood in its original form and appear to be untouched and left in time. There are three steps when declaring if a space is authentic: The earliest projects for preserving historic homes began in the 1850s under the direction of individuals concerned with

4524-451: The same letter, Higginson warned her against publishing her poetry because of its unconventional form and style. Gradually, Higginson became Dickinson's mentor and "preceptor," and he visited her twice, in 1870 and 1873, at her home in Amherst. Higginson never felt that he fully understood Dickinson. "The bee himself did not evade the schoolboy more than she evaded me," he wrote, "and even at this day I still stand somewhat bewildered, like

4602-471: The speeches or writing of such men as Wendell Phillips , Henry Ward Beecher , William Henry Channing , Horace Greeley , Gerrit Smith , and various governors, legislators, and legislative reports. A member of the National Woman's Rights Central Committee since 1853 or 1854, he was one of nine activists retained in that post when that large body of state representatives was reduced in 1858. After

4680-603: The split of the antislavery movement in the 1840s, Higginson subscribed to the Disunion Abolitionists, who believed that as long as slave states remained a part of the Union, the Constitution could never be amended to ban slavery. Higginson re-entered divinity school, and after graduating in 1847 and being ordained as the minister of a Newburyport Unitarian church (see below), he married Mary Channing. Mary

4758-512: The story of a particular area, social-class or historical period. The " narrative " of the people who lived there guides this approach, and dictates the manner in which it is completed. Another alternative approach, deployed by nonprofit organization House Museum , includes contemporary art integration, where artists are invited to respond to the physical and conceptual history of a site, thus injecting contemporary perspectives and value into historic places. In each kind of museum, visitors learn about

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4836-750: The territories. After his return, Higginson worked to keep activism aroused in New England by speechmaking, fundraising, and helping to organize the Massachusetts State Kansas Committee . He returned to the Kansas territory as an agent of the National Kansas Aid Committee , working to rebuild morale and distribute supplies—crates of rifles, revolvers, knives, ammunition, and a cannon —to settlers. Higginson became convinced that abolition could not be attained by peaceful methods. He celebrated Kansas as

4914-554: The unemployed minister. He ran as the Free Soil Party candidate for Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district in 1850 but lost. Higginson called upon citizens to uphold God's law and disobey the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 . He joined the Boston Vigilance Committee , an organization whose purpose was to protect fugitive slaves from pursuit and capture. His joining of the group was inspired by

4992-492: The west by a public park. The grounds include a wide lawn east of the buildings, which was originally the site of the Dickinson family gardens. The Homestead began as a fashionable Federal style house, and was probably the first brick house in Amherst. It was originally painted red to mask the color and texture variations of bricks and mortar. Subsequent changes to the house in the 1830s and 1840s introduced Greek revival architectural features as well as stylish white paint on

5070-511: The worthy cause. The writings of William Lloyd Garrison and Lydia Maria Child were particularly influential to Higginson's abolitionist enthusiasm during the early 1840s. Higginson claimed that Child's book, An Appeal in Favor of That Class of Americans Called Africans , first convinced him to speak against slavery. Higginson was a strong advocate of homeopathy . In 1863, he wrote to his wife Mary Channing Higginson: "and also Ms. Laura Towne,

5148-503: Was a descendant of Francis Higginson , a Puritan minister and one of the original settlers of the colony of Massachusetts Bay . His father, Stephen Higginson (born in Salem, Massachusetts , November 20, 1770; died in Cambridge, Massachusetts , February 20, 1834), was a merchant and philanthropist in Boston and bursar of Harvard University from 1818 until 1834. Through his mother he

5226-408: Was a fervent supporter of John Brown and is remembered as one of the " Secret Six " abolitionists who helped Brown raise money and procure supplies for his intended slave insurrection at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia . When Brown was captured, Higginson tried to raise money for a trial defense and made plans to help the leader escape from prison, though he was ultimately unsuccessful. Other members of

5304-519: Was able to purchase the entire Homestead and surrounding land for $ 6,000 after Mack's death. The family moved back to the Homestead in 1856. That same year, Edward began construction of The Evergreens just west of the Homestead, presenting it as a wedding gift to his son Austin and new wife Susan . The property included a 1.5-acre (0.61 ha) garden, which was tended by Emily, Lavinia, and their mother, and Emily often sent flowers along with notes to her acquaintances. A large barn stood directly behind

5382-744: Was an Advisory Editor for the second attempt at the Massachusetts Magazine . Higginson died May 9, 1911. Although his death record states that he was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he is actually buried in Cambridge Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the intersection of Riverview, Lawn, and Prospect paths. Higginson's deep conviction in the evils of slavery stemmed in part from his mother's influence. He greatly admired abolitionists, who, despite persecution, showed courage and commitment to

5460-654: Was called as pastor at the First Religious Society of Newburyport, Massachusetts , a Unitarian church known for its liberal Christianity. He supported the Essex County Antislavery Society and criticized the poor treatment of workers at Newburyport cotton factories. Additionally, the young minister invited Theodore Parker and fugitive slave William Wells Brown to speak at the church, and in sermons he condemned northern apathy towards slavery . In his role as board member of

5538-772: Was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society . In 1891, Higginson became one of the founders of the Society of American Friends of Russian Freedom (SAFRF). He edited its public appeal "To the Friends of Russian Freedom". Later, in 1907 Higginson was the vice-president of the SAFRF. In 1905, he joined with Jack London , Clarence Darrow , and Upton Sinclair to form the Intercollegiate Socialist Society . Higginson

5616-513: Was elected to Phi Beta Kappa at sixteen. He graduated in 1841 at age 18 and taught at a private school for four months, but he detested it and became "a tutor of the three children of his Brookline cousin, Stephen Higginson Perkins". After that, in 1843, he became "a nonmatriculated student at Harvard". In 1842 he became engaged to Mary Elizabeth Channing. He then studied theology at the Harvard Divinity School . In 1845, at

5694-482: Was formally established to manage the recombined properties. The houses today are located at 280 Main Street, across the street from the First Congregational Church (constructed in 1739). The property is one block east of the center of town and two blocks north of Amherst College . It is bounded on the south by Main Street, on the east by Triangle Street, on the north by Lessey Street, and on

5772-538: Was held in the Homestead. His wife died, after years of chronic illness and a stroke, in 1882. Emily Dickinson occupied the Homestead for much of her life. The longest absence was between 1840 and 1855, when the family's finances necessitated a move. Beginning in the 1850s she became increasingly secluded from outside contact, although the reasons for this are not entirely clear. She took to interacting with visitors through closed doors, and did not travel unless necessary. In 1868 she wrote to Thomas Wentworth Higginson ,

5850-573: Was related to Boston's influential Storrow family. His grandfather, also named Stephen Higginson , was a member of the Continental Congress . He was a distant cousin of Henry Lee Higginson , founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra , a great grandson of his grandfather. A third great grandfather was New Hampshire Lieutenant-Governor John Wentworth . Higginson entered Harvard College at age thirteen and

5928-561: Was successively a Republican, an Independent and a Democrat. He described having had an interest in his early youth in Brook Farm and Fourierism . Higginson is remembered as a correspondent and literary mentor to the poet Emily Dickinson . In April 1862, Higginson published an article in the Atlantic Monthly , titled "Letter to a Young Contributor," in which he advised budding young writers to step up. Emily Dickinson,

6006-403: Was the daughter of Dr. Walter Channing , a pioneer in the field of obstetrics and gynecology who taught at Harvard University , the niece of Unitarian minister William Ellery Channing , and the sister of Henry David Thoreau 's friend Ellery Channing . Higginson and Mary Channing had no children but raised Margaret Fuller Channing, the eldest daughter of Ellen Fuller and Ellery Channing. Ellen

6084-510: Was the sister of the Transcendentalist and feminist author, Margaret Fuller . Mary Channing died in 1877. Two years later Higginson married Mary Potter Thacher, with whom he had two daughters, one of whom survived into adulthood. Higginson was also related to Harriet Higginson, whose Wooddale, Illinois, home was the first commission of famed architect Bertrand Goldberg in 1934. Having graduated from divinity school, Higginson

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