Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House

Louisa May Alcott’s father, Amos Bronson Alcott purchased a manor on 12 acres in 1857. After years of repeatedly moving, the Alcott family was delighted to have a permanent home. Today this home is a museum that honors Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, and her family.

Fun Facts

• Alcott purchased the property for $945. The manor house was built in the 1660s. He moved a small farmhouse and added it to the manor to make a larger home.

  

• Louisa’s father believed apples were a perfect food and planted an orchard with 40 apple trees. This is why the property is called “Orchard House.”
• The family lived here until 1877. Louisa wrote her classic Little Women at a small desk here in 1868.
• Today the home and grounds are open to the public. Eighty percent of the furnishings actually belonged to the Alcotts and renovations have been carefully done.
• A chapel on the property hosts seminars and classes in the summer.

 

Vocabulary

1. Manor: large country home
2. Renovation: refreshing and restoring something

 

Questions and Answers

Question: Where is the museum located?

Answer: The Orchard House is located in Concord, Massachusetts. Not far away is the Emily Dickinson Museum on the Dickinson Homestead in Amherst, Massachusetts.

This museum holds the original poetry and memorabilia of beloved American poet Emily Dickinson.

Learn More

Visit the website for the Orchard House to learn more about Louisa May Alcott and her remarkable family.