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Lincoln Mass.

Wheeler-Thoreau Shanty Discovery Acknowledged

The Wheeler-Thoreau Shanty site discovery by Jeff Craig has been welcomed by historians and Thoreau enthusiasts alike, for little was known about this “lost” shanty that Thoreau had lived at for six weeks during the summer of 1837.

Charles Stearns Wheeler had built the shanty in 1836 near Flint’s Pond in Lincoln, Mass.

It is widely accepted today that Thoreau got the idea to build his Walden cabin from his experiences at Wheeler’s shanty. However, the exact location of the shanty was a complete mystery, helping to launch Jeff Craig’s search to find it seven years ago.

Craig presented his findings about the discovery to the Thoreau Society last summer, including new details about the shanty that were previously unknown. The shanty shared some important similarities with the cabin that Thoreau built at Walden Pond in 1845.

Henry David Thoreau and Charles Stearns Wheeler.

Wheeler-Thoreau Shanty Discovery

Archaeologists from five major universities contributed advice and technical assistance to evaluate the site scientifically. Preliminary evaluations indicate the Wheeler-Thoreau Shanty measured 22 feet x 22 feet. That made it larger than Thoreau’s cabin at Walden Pond, which was 10 feet x 15 feet.

The larger size fits the historical narrative, because Wheeler also hosted other Harvard friends during the summers from 1838 to 1841.

Like Thoreau’s Walden cabin, Wheeler’s Shanty was made of wooden logs, but no nails have been found at the site. This indicates Wheeler may have cut notches at the end of the logs and then locked them in place at right angles. He built the shanty foundation of stone, while Thoreau used a mix of old bricks and stone at Walden.

How the shanty may have looked

According to a preliminary assessment, Wheeler used his shanty primarily during the summers. Therefore, it didn’t have a fixed fireplace and chimney. The Walden cabin, on the other hand, definitely did. Thoreau goes into great detail in Walden about how he winterized his cabin to stay warm during the two winters he lived there.

Also, unlike Wheeler’s Shanty, the Walden cabin did not have a cistern because Thoreau drank his water directly from Walden Pond. Wheeler may have needed the cistern because of the distance from Flint’s Pond to the shanty. Alternatively, the water at Flint’s Pond may not have been potable, and Wheeler built the cistern out of necessity.

Due to the continuing scientific research at the Wheeler site, the exact location will remain confidential for the foreseeable future.

Thoreau Cabin Site Discovery at Walden

In 1945, Roland Robbins had famously discovered the lost Thoreau cabin site at Walden Pond. His discovery provided critical information about the cabin’s construction, its exact dimensions and location. The discovery also allowed identification of important artifacts that Thoreau had used to build the cabin. Thoreau spent two years and two months living at Walden from 1845-1847, and he chronicled his experiences in his classic book Walden.

Aware of the historical significance of Robbins’ discovery, Jeff Craig began researching the history of Wheeler’s lost shanty site in 2012.

One source located the site on a reedy island in the middle of Flint’s Pond. Multiple sources gave conflicting location information, making the search even harder.

After five months, Craig found a possible shanty site location off the shore of Flint’s Pond. This site had a stone foundation underground, and he consulted archaeologists to help evaluate it. They identified the construction as “dry stone,” built without mortar.

Other tools included LIDAR, a laser detection method that allows archaeologists to see the actual ground surface beneath the forest and vegetation.

These two photos show aerial views of the Wheeler-Thoreau Shanty site search area at Flint’s Pond. The photo on the left illustrates the dense forest and vegetation in the search area. It made Jeff Craig’s search for the shanty site even more challenging.

Breakthrough

Jeff Craig made a breakthrough in 2017 when he discovered important evidence at the site. Subsequent evaluation over the next three months revealed artifacts consistent with a shanty used as permanent living quarters.

A key discovery was a cistern at the site, used to collect rain water, purify it and provide drinkable water to the inhabitants.

The cistern provided strong evidence that the builders of this shanty-size stone foundation intended people to live there. The fact that the site was located where a biography about Charles Stearns Wheeler had described it offered compelling justification for the Wheeler-Thoreau shanty discovery.

The site is also located on land the Wheeler family owned in the early 19th century.

Emerson’s Influence

While no one has found a written record of why Wheeler built the shanty in 1836, Ralph Waldo Emerson was Wheeler’s Transcendentalist mentor that year. Emerson also published his famous essay Nature in September 1836. He may have influenced Wheeler and Thoreau to carry out their Transcendentalist outdoor living experiment the following summer.

A view of the surrounding woods near the Wheeler-Thoreau Shanty Site

The shanty site has a beautiful view of Flint’s Pond and surrounding area. The location and the pond view have similarities with Thoreau’s cabin site at Walden Pond.

There is no doubt Thoreau was influenced by the beautiful setting of Wheeler’s shanty, and drew inspiration from it building his own cabin. The six weeks Thoreau lived at Wheeler’s shanty had a profound influence on him, changing his destiny forever.

For more information about the Wheeler-Thoreau Shanty discovery, click on this web address:

https://sites.google.com/view/wheeler-thoreaushanty/

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Six Revolutionary War Battlefields in New England

Revolutionary War battlefields abound in New England, where, after all, the whole thing began. The patriots fought the British in every colony before and during the war, and many of the sites remain undeveloped.

Here is our choice for the best six Revolutionary War battlefields in New England, with one in each state.

Fort Griswold, Connecticut

Fort Griswold, one of the most infamous Revolutionary War battlefields.

Named after Deputy Gov. Matthew Griswold, the Connecticut Colony built the fort in 1775 in Groton to defend the supply depot at the mouth of the Thames River. The fort also protected privateers operating out of the harbor.

In 1781, the traitor Benedict Arnold led a company of British soldiers in an attack on New London. Meanwhile, another British commander, Edmund Eyre, attacked the fort. The British had the advantage. Arnold knew the angle to attack so the American gun positions couldn’t fire effective shots.

The British forces infamously massacred the American soldiers. After Col. William Ledyard surrendered his sword to the British, they ran him through with it. At the time of surrender, six Americans were dead and 20 wounded. When it was all over, 83 Americans were dead and 36 wounded. Arnold went on to burn New London.

The earthen walls of the fort still stand. The Ebenezer Avery House, which sheltered the wounded after the battle, has been restored on the grounds. A Revolutionary War museum also depicts the era.

For directions to Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, click here. For information from the Friends of Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, click here.

Fort George, Maine

Fort George, the Revolutionary War battlefield where the Penobscot Expedition ended in ignominy.

Castine, located in Downeast Maine, is one of the oldest European communities in North America. Since the early 1600s, French, Dutch and English colonists have built trading posts, forts, missions and permanent settlements there.

In 1779, the British sent troops to occupy Castine with the hope of establishing a colony called New Ireland. They built a fort and named it after King George III.

Massachusetts, alarmed by the British occupation, sent a combined naval and military expedition to capture the fort that summer. Known as the Penobscot Expedition, it had 19 warships and 24 transports. Though the patriots outnumbered the British, they failed to take Fort George and suffered the worst U.S. naval defeat until Pearl Harbor. Paul Revere, in charge of ordnance, ended up court martialed for cowardice and insubordination. He fought the charges and won his acquittal.

Some of Fort George still remains, as does the British canal built in 1779, gravesites of Revolutionary War soldiers and historic houses, taverns and churches. Castine has marked its many historic sites with signs. (Click here for a map.)

Minute Man State Park, Massachusetts

North Bridge, the granddaddy of all Revolutionary War battlefields.

It doesn’t get much better than Minute Man National Historic Park in Lexington, Lincoln and Concord.

The 970-acre park memorializes the opening battles of the American Revolution – and then some.

Lexington Battle Green, site of the shot heard round the world, belongs to the Town of Lexington. The Buckman Tavern sits on the green, which leads to the five-mile-long Battle Road Trail. Patriot militia skirmished with the British regulars along the trail, now a restored colonial landscape that includes the Hartwell Tavern.

In Concord, Daniel Chester French’s famous Minute Man statue stands by the North Bridge, where the colonial militia shot back at British soldiers in the second battle of the day.

The Wayside also belongs to the park. Authors Amos Bronson Alcott and his daughter Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Margaret Sidney lived there (not all at the same time).

The Town of Lexington owns and maintains Lexington Battle Green, site of the shot heard round the world.

Fort Constitution, N.H.

Fort Constitution and the Portsmouth Harbor Light.

An important skirmish before the war took place in New Castle, N.H. A handful of British soldiers manned Fort William and Mary there in 1774, when tensions rose between the colonies and England. The stone fort stood at the mouth of the Piscataqua River, guarding access to the harbor and to Kittery, Maine (then Massachusetts).

Paul Revere rode to Portsmouth in December to warn patriots that British troops might seize powder and guns at the fort. A raiding party of 400 men then stormed the fort. They subdued the six soldiers inside and took the gunpowder, muskets and cannon.

The fort, renamed Fort Constitution, now belongs to the State of New Hampshire. The Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse stands inside the fort.

Fort Constitution Historic Site is a great spot for a picnic. For more information click here.

Quaker Hill, R.I.

The most famous Rhode Island battle of the American Revolution is called the Battle of Rhode Island or the Battle of Quaker Hill. By August 1778, the British had occupied Newport, on Aquidneck Island, for almost two years. That month, Continental Army troops led by Gen. John Sullivan sailed from Tiverton to Portsmouth and set up a siege on Aquidneck. They planned to drive the British soldiers back to Newport and then recapture the town with the help of French naval forces.

But a hurricane prevented the French naval commander, Count d’Estaing, from attacking the 6,000 entrenched British soldiers. D’Estaing instead sailed his fleet to Boston for repairs. The patriots then tried to withdraw, but the British attacked them in Portsmouth in a valley among three hills. The Americans retreated to Tiverton without a single soldier killed. The 1^st Rhode Island Regiment, comprised of African- and Native-American soldiers, took part in the action.

The 365 acres of the battlefield had no structures on them at the time of the conflict, but since then 36 houses and a barn have been built.

At the intersection of Route 2 and West Main, the state chapter of the NAACP put up a marker to commemorate the 1st Rhode Island’s role in the battle. And a granite memorial stone marks the Battle of Rhode Island on the corner of Union Street and Route 138 in Portsmouth.

A site of another skirmish is nearby. On the night of July 11, 1777, Col. William Barton and about three dozen infantrymen sailed from Tiverton to Middletown and captured British general Richard Prescott in his bed.

Prescott was occupying a farm owned by a Loyalist, despite warnings of inadequate security. That farm, now known as Prescott Farm, was restored with the help of heiress Doris Duke. The public can now visit. Visitors can tour the house where Barton captured Prescott, a windmill, a country store, a guardhouse and a historical vegetable garden. For more information, click here.

Hubbardton Battlefield, Vermont

Vermont’s only Revolutionary War battlefield, in Hubbardton.

The Hubbardton Battlefield in Hubbardton is the site of the only Revolutionary War battle fought entirely in Vermont (or what would become Vermont). (The Battle of Bennington was actually fought in New York state.) It’s also one of the best preserved battlefields in America.

The battle started on July 7, 1777, when British forces caught up with the American rear guard of the forces retreating after they withdrew from Fort Ticonderoga. The Americans, led by Seth Warner, fought with discipline and inflicted heavy casualties on the British. Though they lost the battle, they halted the British and prevented them from pursuing the main American army.

The battlefield itself and the small museum that explains it lie off the beaten path, but they feature stunning views of the Vermont landscape. It’s off Exit 5 on Route 4, between Rutland and New York state.

Click here for more information.

Photos: Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse and Fort Constitution By Kenneth Dupont – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62728239. Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park by By Staxringold via English Wikipedia. Fort George earthworks and cannon by Jerrye and Roy Klotz via Wikipedia. Old North Bridge By Daderot at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5942756. This story about Revolutionary War battlefields was updated in 2022.

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Henry David Thoreau Goes Looking for Signs of Spring

On the afternoon of March 9, 1855, Henry David Thoreau roamed the woods looking for signs of spring. It was a cloudy, rain-threatening day in Concord, Mass.

Henry David Thoreau

So far it had been a mild winter. Snow hadn’t whitened the ground since Feb. 9.

That morning Thoreau painted the bottom of his boat. The day before he had taken it out of the cellar and turned it up in the yard to let the seams open before he caulked it. The blue river, he wrote, had almost no ice on it and ‘admonishes me to be swift.’

Thoreau catalogued his observations in his journal., published as The Writings Of Henry David Thoreau: Journal, Ed. By B. Torrey, 1837-1846, 1850-nov. 3, 1861.

On that March afternoon in 1855, Thoreau took a hike to the Andromeda Ponds, kettle hole bogs on the border of Concord and Lincoln. There he saw the minute seeds of the Andromeda calyculata scattered over the melting ice.

He scared up a rabbit chewing sumac. He tasted a few drops of the sweet red maple juice that ran down the stem of the trunk where a rabbit nibbled off a twig.

Thoreau also clambered over great white pine masts where the woods had been laid waste, and remarked on the jewel-like brilliancy of the sawed ends thickly bedewed with crystal drops of turpentine.

Andromeda calyculata

He heard the tche tche tche tche tche of a robin from a dense birch wood. He saw the bluish bloom on thimble-berry vines and the horn-shaped buds of the skunk cabbage, green with a bluish bloom, ‘standing uninjured, ready to feel the influence of the sun, — the most prepared for spring – to look at – of any plant.’ He wrote:

You are always surprised by the sight of the first spring bird or insect; they seem premature, and there is no such evidence of spring as themselves, so that they literally fetch the year about. It is thus when I hear the first robin or bluebird or, looking along the brooks, see the first waterbugs out circling. But you think, They have come, and Nature cannot recede.

It snowed the next day.

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The Gropius House: A Quest for Freedom, And A Home

The Gropius House stands as a symbol of modern architecture in Lincoln, Mass. But in 1937, Lincoln itself was a symbol of freedom to Walter Gropius, a German architect who had fled the country during World War II.

Gropius House

Gropius and his wife lived in London for three years after leaving Germany with only their possessions. When Harvard appointed Gropius to its faculty, the couple gravitated toward the historic town. Many of the people who lived in Lincoln descended from the Americans who had fought at Lexington and Concord.

“We began looking around for a house in the beautiful countryside of Boston,” wrote Ise, “and tried to rent a small house in Lincoln, one of the three towns… that had been the site for the first battle for independence…

Gropius House living room

“Freedom,” however, did not mean dressing up in period-era clothing for battlefield reenactments or buying an 18^th-century home and filling it with Colonial Revival furniture. It meant designing a modern house in the style of the Bauhaus, the German modernist school that Gropius had founded.

The Gropius House

But Walter Gropius couldn’t afford to build a house.

As luck would have it, Gropius and his wife attended a dinner party held by Helen Osborne Storrow, a philanthropist and wife of James J. Storrow, a prominent banker. She was intrigued by Gropius, who would soon head Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. So she gave him a piece of land to build on and loaned him the money for the house.

Gropius built a simple, efficient contemporary home that melded industrial and traditional New England architectural materials. He used a fieldstone foundation, white painted wood, a brick chimney and a screened-in porch. Many of the fixtures were ordered from catalogs. It cost $18,000 to build. He explained what he was trying to do:

…I made it a point to absorb into my own conception those features of the New England architectural tradition that I found still alive and adequate. This fusion of the regional spirit with a contemporary approach to design produced a house that I would never have built in Europe with its entirely different climatic, technical and psychological background.

Gropius attached towel bars to radiators, anticipating the heated towel rack

Gropius also believed that an architect should work with the user to design a building. He consulted his 12-year-old adopted daughter Ati about her bedroom. She wanted to bring her friends directly to her room, so Gropius added a metal spiral staircase to the front of the house — near a large window, so adults could see who was coming and going. He even designed treads that scraped the dirt off the children’s shoes.

Many of the Gropiuses’ adult friends visited them in Lincoln, including Alexander Calder, Joan Miro, Henry Moore and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Avant-garde Weimar

When finished, the Gropius House created a sensation. Composer Igor Stravinsky, lecturing at Harvard, was so anxious to see it that he and his new bride visited it scarcely an hour after their wedding in March 1940. “A taste of avant-garde Weimar within walking distance of Walden Pond,” gushed one critic.

Mrs. Storrow was so pleased she let three other Harvard professors build Modernist houses on her land. She made the same arrangement with Marcel Breuer that she made with Gropius. Breuer built a house next door.

Walter Gropius

Not everyone liked it. A neighbor, James Loud, called it a chicken coop. Some questioned its durability — until the house came through the New England hurricane of 1938 with minimal damage.

Walter Gropius lived in the house until he died on July 5 1969 at the age of 86. In 1974, his wife Ise donated it to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, and lived in it until her death in 1983.

In 2000, the Gropius House was declared a National Historic Landmark. It is now owned by Historic New England and is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday (June 1 – October 15, and weekends (October 16 – May 31).

This story was updated in 2022.

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