Cultural Landscape Report for the Wayside, Minute Man NHP

Dietrich-Smith, Deborah; Tisinger, Jacob; Coffin Brown, Margie

The Wayside Unit is located near Concord, Massachusetts, straddling the main corridor that traverses the Minute Man National Historical Park (NHP) northwest of Boston. The six-acre property is comprised of three distinct land parcels and contains maintained lawn, a house and barn, terraced hillside, and agricultural areas. As a part of the Minute Man NHP, the National Register identifies the Wayside Unit as nationally significant in areas of military, commemoration, and literature and locally significant in architecture, agriculture, and archeology. Like the other areas of the park (Battle Road and North Bridge Units), the Wayside contributes to the park’s mission to preserve and express the story and events of the American Revolution through existing features of the landscape. Although the Town of Concord stored some ammunition on this property prior to the British advance that would mark the beginning of the American Revolution, the stores were relocated before the conflict on April 19, 1775. The park is also significant for the period of Revolutionary War commemoration, yet no markers are located in the Wayside Unit specifically. This area is significant due to its associations with the nineteenth century literary Renaissance in America and its connection to prominent literary figures. Several influential Concord authors resided at The Wayside, including Bronson Alcott and Louisa May Alcott (residents from 1845-1848), Nathaniel Hawthorne (1851-1852 and 1860-1864), and Harriett Lothrop (1883-1924). Flowering trees, shrubs, and ornamental perennials suggest traces of earlier gardens, and walking paths circulate the property. The cultural landscape at The Wayside contains sufficient integrity to convey its appearance during this period. Journals kept by the inhabitants of the property have further contributed to documentation of the historic land use and character. The Hawthorne Centennial Plaque was placed in 1904 as a commemorative feature. Additionally, the buildings on the site are significant for associations to Colonial and Period Revival Architecture (c. 1705 to 1946), and it retains importance for its agricultural heritage (1655-1951). A small parcel at the southeast of the land is a remnant of an agricultural plot historically associated with the home. Although the fruit trees have been lost and the land is not currently under agricultural production, the barn and terraced hillside provide evidence of the land’s agricultural history. Finally, the Wayside Unit is significant for containing archeological sites that are likely to provide information on various stages of the site’s history. In addition to pre-history resources, building foundations dating to the property’s initial ownership in 1665 may provide insight into the use and history of the land. Even before its inclusion into the National Park System in 1965, the Wayside Unit has served as a place of commemoration and education for visitors and school groups, using the landscape to understand America’s Revolutionary War and literary heritage. The purpose of this report is to document the physical history of the Wayside Unit, particularly in 1904 at the centennial of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s birth. This provides the basis for development of a treatment plan for rehabilitation of the landscape to a c. 1904 appearance. Although several areas are worn or overgrown, The Wayside remains in good condition overall.

Cultural Landscape Report for the Wayside, Minute Man NHP

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