Trustees of Reservations (Old Manse)

The Trustees of Reservations will catalog and conserve the book and art collection of the Old Manse the home and gathering place for notable writers and thinkers of the mid-19th century, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller. The books and art jointly represent the intellectual pursuits of the inhabitants of the house over many generations, but have fallen into disrepair, preventing them from being exhibited or properly accessed by researchers. The project will catalog more than 2,100 books, conserve 25-30 books, create storage boxes for 250 books, repair three historic bookshelves, and conserve nine pieces of framed art from the collection. The result will be a permanent exhibition at The Old Manse that will provide better public and scholarly access to the books and art that inspired Transcendentalism, a uniquely American philosophy.