Misplaced Pages

#253746

41-674: Orchard House is a historic house museum in Concord, Massachusetts , United States, opened to the public on May 27, 1912. It was the longtime home of Amos Bronson Alcott (1799–1888) and his family, including his daughter Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), who wrote and set her novel Little Women (1868–69) there. The four daughters— Anna (the oldest), Louisa (one year younger), Elizabeth (three years younger than Louisa), and Abigail (the youngest, five years younger than Elizabeth)—lived in Orchard House from 1858 to 1877. The house

82-669: 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

123-562: A post in India. Meanwhile, Sir Frederick's former mistress, the long-widowed Eleanor Vibert, rents his lodge at Clere, near the family house. Eleanor brings along her son Claude, who (unknown to himself) is the illegitimate child of Sir Frederick. After many complications including some minor fisticuffs, Mildred and the returned Norman will marry, Claude learns the truth about his parentage and forgives his mother, and Eleanor refuses Sir Frederick's offer of marriage. Mildred embraces Eleanor to close

164-415: A pretty retreat," Bronson Alcott wrote soon after moving in, "and ours ; a family mansion to take pride in, rescued as it is from deformity and disgrace." Bronson Alcott made significant changes to the building. He installed alcoves for busts retrieved from his failed Temple School , repaired the staircase, installed bookcases, constructed a back studio for his youngest daughter May's artwork, and installed

205-486: 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

246-569: A rustic fence around the property. He also moved a smaller tenant house to adjoin the rear of the main house, making a single larger structure. While the home was being renovated, the family rented rooms next door at The Wayside while the Hawthornes were living in England. Later, Lydia Maria Child visited the house and recorded her thoughts: "The result is a house full of queer nooks and corners and all manner of juttings in and out. It seems as if

287-400: A tone into the reader's ear the ghostly ordeal will in a manner have been passed and the dim footlights faced." Compared to this discussion the plays themselves seem artificial and way too busy. Tenants is probably the better of the two thanks to Eleanor Vibert, who faces the secrets of her past and overcomes them. The incessant comings and goings of Disengaged mostly dissipate any interest

328-400: 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

369-522: Is a book of two plays by Henry James published in 1894. The plays, Tenants and Disengaged , had failed to be produced, so James put them out in book form with a rueful preface about his inability to get the plays onto the stage . Based on a short story Flavien: Scènes de la vie contemporaine by Henri Rivière , Tenants tells of a widowed Englishman, Sir Frederick Byng, his son Norman, and his ward Mildred Stanmore. Norman and Mildred are in love, but Sir Frederick disapproves and forces his son to take

410-429: 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

451-454: Is full of memories. But places have not much hold on me when the persons who made them dear are gone." Orchard House is open for guided tours daily, with the exceptions of Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and January 1 and 2. An admission fee is charged. The exterior looks much as it did in the Alcotts' day. Care has been taken to keep extensive structural preservation work invisible. All of

SECTION 10

#1732780976254

492-551: 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

533-412: The woodwork and doors. In Louisa's room, May painted a panel of calla lilies , as well as an owl on the fireplace. Copies of Turner landscapes by May adorn various rooms in Orchard House. In 1868, Louisa May Alcott wrote her beloved classic novel, Little Women , in her room on a special "shelf desk" built by her father. Set within the house, its characters are based on members of her family, with

574-551: 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

615-627: The School was one of the first highly successful adult education centers in the country. In 1877, Louisa May Alcott bought a home on Main Street for her sister Anna. After Mrs. Alcott's death in the same year, Louisa and her father moved into the home as well. The Alcott family were officially moved out of Orchard House by November 14. Orchard House was then sold to long-time family friend William Torrey Harris in 1884. Alcott said that she's "glad to be done with it, though after living in it for 25 years it

656-410: The book may be James' brief but witty introduction, where he tells of his failure to get these two plays onto the stage. He barely consoles himself with the publication of the plays in book form: "The covers of the book may, in a seat that costs nothing, figure the friendly curtain, and the legible lines the various voices of the stage; so that if these things manage at all to disclose a picture or to drop

697-487: The dining room table. The family performed theatricals using the dining room as their stage while guests watched from the adjoining parlor . The parlor was a formal room with arched niches built by Bronson to display busts of his favorite philosophers, Socrates and Plato . On May 23, 1860, Anna married John Bridge Pratt in this room. The youngest daughter, May, was a talented artist . Her bedroom contains sketches of angelic , mythological , and biblical figures on

738-403: 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

779-420: 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

820-502: The furnishings are original to the mid-nineteenth century—with roughly 75% belonging to the Alcott family—and the rooms look very much as they did when the Alcotts were in residence. The dining room contains family china, portraits of the family members, and paintings by May, along with period furnishings. The parlor is decorated with period wallpaper and a patterned reproduction carpet, while family portraits and watercolors by May adorn

861-421: 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: Theatricals Theatricals

SECTION 20

#1732780976254

902-446: 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

943-553: 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

984-403: 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

1025-554: 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

1066-635: The play might have generated. Based on the hopelessly outmoded idea of a "compromised" woman and far too encumbered with frenetic stage business, Disengaged collapses under James' misguided efforts to keep things lively. Ironically, the play did get a couple performances in New York in 1902 and 1909. It received scathing reviews as "nerveless, heartless, soulless" and "fantastic nonsense." It would be an Everest-sized understatement to say that James' plays have gotten bad notices from critics . Some have gone so far as to recommend would-be readers of James to skip

1107-408: The play on a bittersweet note. The other play published in this book, Disengaged , was based on James' own story, The Solution . At Brisket Place, forty miles outside London, a naive army captain, Llewellyn Prime, is made to believe that he has compromised Blandina Wigmore and must propose to her. He does so and is accepted. Many entrances and exits and much other stage business follow. Eventually,

1148-412: The plays altogether, or at most to approach them gingerly after reading just about everything else he wrote. Deprived of the interior monologue and intense analysis of consciousness that James made such a large part of his fiction, the plays in this book do seem superficial and unconvincing compared to his narratives . Although James fell under the spell of the theater from an early age, he never mastered

1189-468: The plot loosely based on the family's earlier years and events that transpired at The Wayside. Also written in the house were Bronson Alcott's Ralph Waldo Emerson (1865; published 1882), Tablets (1868), Concord Days (1872), and Table Talk (1877). On the grounds to the west of the house is a structure designed and built by Bronson Alcott originally known as "Hillside Chapel," and later as " The Concord School of Philosophy ." Operating from 1879 to 1888,

1230-472: 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,

1271-468: 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

Orchard House - Misplaced Pages Continue

1312-405: 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

1353-557: The spirit of some old architect had brought it from the Middle Ages and dropped it down in Concord...The whole house leaves a general impression of harmony, of a medieval sort." Orchard House is adjacent to The Wayside on the historic "American Mile" roadway toward Lexington , and is less than a half-mile from Bush , the home of Ralph Waldo Emerson , where Henry David Thoreau and the Alcotts were frequent visitors. Orchard House

1394-512: 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

1435-400: The tradition of Mr. Alcott's Concord School of Philosophy by hosting "The Summer Conversational Series" since 1977, and has recently added a "Teacher Institute" component. The Hillside Chapel is also used for youth programs, poetry readings, historical reenactments , and other special events. Historic house museum Historic house museums are sometimes known as a "memory museum", which

1476-486: The walls. Abigail May's bread board, mortar and pestle , tin spice chest, and wooden bowls are displayed on the hutch table in the kitchen. Other original kitchen features include a laundry drying rack designed by Bronson and a soapstone sink bought by Louisa. The study is furnished with Bronson's library table, chair, and desk. The parents' bedroom contains many of Abigail May's possessions, including photographs, furniture, and handmade quilts. Orchard House has continued

1517-402: The youthful widow Mrs. Jasper gets Prime out of his engagement to Blandina and then accepts his marriage proposal. She was one of the plotters who had got him to propose to Blandina in the first place, but she quickly repented of her folly. Meanwhile, Blandina accepts Percy Trafford, who was also one of those who got Prime into the original mess, but regretted it soon afterwards. The best part of

1558-503: Was elusive. Bronson Alcott was disappointed, and recorded: "Nobody gets a chance to speak with him unless by accident." However, he added, "Still he has a tender kindly side, and a voice that a woman might own, the hesitance is so taking, and the tones so remote from what you expected." The Alcotts were vegetarians , and harvested fruits and vegetables from the gardens and orchard on the property. Conversations about abolitionism , women's suffrage , and social reform were often held around

1599-445: Was first built sometime between 1690 and 1720. The Alcotts had first moved to Concord in 1840, although they left in 1843 to start Fruitlands , a utopian agrarian commune in nearby Harvard . The family returned in 1845 and purchased a house named "Hillside," but left again in 1852, selling to Nathaniel Hawthorne , who renamed it The Wayside . The Alcotts returned to Concord once again in 1857. They moved into Orchard House—which

1640-538: Was the most permanent home of the Alcotts, with the family in residence from 1858 to 1877. During this period, the family included Bronson , his wife Abigail May , and their daughters Anna , Louisa , and May . Elizabeth , the model for Beth March , had died in March 1858, just weeks before the family moved in. The Alcott girls befriended the Hawthorne children, who lived next door, though Nathaniel Hawthorne himself

1681-404: Was then a two-story clapboard farmhouse—in the spring of 1858. At the time of purchase the site included two early eighteenth-century houses on a 12-acre (49,000m) apple orchard. Consequently, the Alcotts named the property "Orchard House." Initially, Orchard house was too dilapidated for them to move in immediately. The Alcotts stayed in a house on Bedford Street while repairs were being made. "'Tis

Orchard House - Misplaced Pages Continue

#253746