It is rare to find the very home where a beloved feminist author penned her most famous work, Little Women—a novel that has never been out of print for over a century and has been translated into more than 50 languages. Rarer still is to find that home still preserved just as she and her family left it, filled with their personal belongings. Add to that a rich history spanning centuries, and you have Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts.

Built in the 1600s, Orchard House underwent various modifications before 1857, when Amos Bronson Alcott—father of the then-unknown Louisa May Alcott—purchased it along with its outbuildings, 12 acres of land, and a flourishing apple orchard of over 40 trees. Despite the home’s poor condition, Mr. Alcott proudly named it after the orchard. Family friend Lydia Maria Child later wrote:

“The house of the Alcotts took my fancy greatly. When they bought the place, the house was so old that it was thrown into the bargain, with the assumption that it was fit only for firewood. But Mr. Alcott has an architectural taste... He let every old rafter and beam stay in its place and added [all the outbuildings] to the rear. The result is a house full of queer nooks and corners, and all manner of juttings in and out... The capable Alcott daughters painted and papered the interior themselves. Gradually, the artist-daughter filled all the nooks and corners with panels on which she painted birds or flowers; over the open fireplaces, she painted mottos in ancient English characters. Owls blink at you,and faces peep from the most unexpected places. The whole leaves a general impression of harmony.”

Desk that Louisa May Alcott’s father built for her in her bedchamber, upon which Little Women was written in 1868

| Courtesy of Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House ©Trey Powers

The work on the house took nearly a year, but the results were utterly charming. Louisa wrote, “The wandering family is anchored at last,” and indeed, Orchard House became the Alcotts’ longest-held residence. A decade later, at the desk her father built in her bedchamber, Louisa wrote her timeless classic Little Women, using Orchard House as the setting. Inches away sits her well-worn pincushion and sewing basket, with her name inscribed on the notions pouch she carried while serving as a Civil War nurse. Her sister May painted directly on the walls above Louisa’s desk and fireplace, and three of May’s beautiful, framed paintings also adorn the room.

In May’s bedchamber, her original drawings—done directly on her walls—remain intact. One is greeted by charming angels, gods, and goddesses, along with her lovely rendering of Aurora Greeting the Dawn, which she copied from a painting borrowed from neighbor and close family friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson. A costume trunk, used by the sisters for their theatricals—echoed in Little Women—rests in the corner, further immersing visitors in the Alcott family’s world. Every room holds family treasures, and many visitors remark that stepping into Orchard House feels like walking through the pages of the book.

The Concord School of Philosophy in winter

| Courtesy of Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House ©John Kennard

Just beyond the house stands The Concord School of Philosophy, a unique structure designed by Mr. Alcott. One of the first adult education programs in the country was conducted there, attracting esteemed lecturers and attendees from near and far. Women were treated as intellectual equals to men, which was remarkable for the time. It remains unchanged, still inspiring intellectual discourse through programs held today.

The Alcotts also cherished the home’s history where five generations of the original Hoar(e) family lived before them and witnessed pivotal moments in American history.

In 1675, during Metacom’s (King Philip’s) War, Sachem Metacom led a tribal coalition against English colonists. Christianized Native people—known as Praying Indians—were caught between two worlds and persecuted by both sides. Most were forcibly removed to Deer Island in Boston Harbor, where many perished from starvation and exposure. However, the home’s owner at the time, John Hoare, successfully petitioned the Massachusetts General Court for the right to shelter the Nashobah Praying Indians on his land, saving many lives. To this day, their descendants honor his act of compassion and friendship.

A century later, on April 19, 1775, the house and John Hoare’s descendants bore witness to the start of the American Revolution. Timothy Hoar Sr., a member of the Concord militia, rushed from the home to join his fellow soldiers upon hearing the alarm. His 16-year-old son, Timothy Jr., was milking cows when he saw British troops marching past the house, their fifes and drums boldly proclaiming their power. Stirred by the sight, he later joined George Washington’s Continental Army to fight for independence.

As powerful as this history is, it is the Alcott family and Little Women that yearly draw tens of thousands of visitors from across the U.S. and the world. They bear witness to the enduring impact of a novel whose flawed yet resilient characters—based on real Alcott family members and friends—never give up, no matter how difficult the struggle. The story’s themes of love, perseverance, and valuing people over possessions transcend time and culture.

Visitors sometimes share deeply personal connections to the novel. One woman from India, through tears, said she had “waited her entire life to visit this house” and described how she and her mother read Little Women together in India and that she lovingly called her mother “Marmee.”

While Little Women captures the heart of the Alcott family, their real-life contributions to literature, art, education, philosophy, and social justice are even more profound and ahead of their time. Many visitors are surprised to learn, for example, that the Alcotts were involved in the Underground Railroad and that Louisa, an early suffragist, was the first woman to vote in Concord—albeit in a local election when women were allowed to vote for the school committee.

Despite its significance, Orchard House nearly faced demolition in 1910. A real estate prospectus advertised it as “a splendid location for a new mansion.” It was saved solely because of its association with Louisa May Alcott, her inspiring family, and Little Women. In 1911, a group of dedicated Concord women banded together to preserve and open the house as a museum.

Over time, Orchard House has become a beacon of hope and a testament to the enduring power of compassion, personal agency, and the determination to make the world a better place. Louisa’s friend, Cyrus Bartol, profoundly captured the essence of Orchard House when he said:

“She unlatches the door to one house and... all find it is their own house which they enter.”

We are proud that TripAdvisor named Orchard House “The #1 Thing To Do in Concord” and that Yankee Magazine designated it as “Simply the Best.” It is a National Registered Historic Landmark, visited in 2002 by Honorary Save America’s Treasures Chair Laura Bush, who passionately advocated for its preservation. Thanks in part to this bipartisan program (initiated by Hillary Rodham Clinton), the house—once sinking unevenly into the ground with near-collapsing walls—was saved and remains exactly as the Alcotts left it. Today, The National Trust for Historic Preservation lists Orchard House as one of  America’s 11 Most Endangered Places for a different reason. Scan the QR code to learn more.

This article made possible with the support of Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House