FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Nancy Grohol, Executive Director
Thoreau Farm Trust
978.369.3091
978.369.1515 (fax)
nancy@thoreaufarm.org

March 26, 2007

Concord, MA— The path to Henry David Thoreau’s birth house on Virginia Road will be paved in bricks, and one of them could have your name on it. For a minimum capital gift of $1,000, a donor can have a brick inscribed with a name or dedication of choice. Those who have already made contributions of that amount or more are automatically eligible to inscribe a brick at the site.

“Thoreau Farm belongs to the Concord community, and we are committed to celebrating those who have helped preserve it,” said Lucille Stott, president of the Thoreau Farm Trust. “We will permanently record every gift made to the capital campaign. There will be a commemorative donor book and a wall plaque in the foyer. But we wanted to create another way to allow donors to leave their personal mark at the house. One of our supporters suggested the brick idea, and we think it fits the property perfectly.”

The Thoreau Farm Trust is nearing the end of its multi-year campaign to raise the funds necessary to purchase the historic farm house and two acres of its original farm from the Town of Concord for $1. The Trust has worked with the town on an effective plan for using the restored house, including the creation of a community meeting room. The Trust has already hosted several successful events on the property, including a fall pumpkin festival, a children’s author appearance, a Thoreau Society picnic, a seminar on sustainable energy, and several open houses. Stott said, “The Trust has always envisioned this historic property as a forward-looking, active, community-centered space. We want it to be warm and welcoming.”

Robert Pinsky, who served as U.S. Poet Laureate from 1997-2000, is the Honorary Chair of the New Life for Thoreau Farm campaign. Pinsky, a professor of English at Boston University and the author of several acclaimed books of poetry, translation, and literary criticism, wrote the introduction to the 2004 Princeton University Press edition of Thoreau’s Cape Cod. On Sunday, June 10, Pinsky will do an open reading on behalf of the Thoreau Farm Trust. This major event will be held in the Concord Academy Chapel, at 3:30 pm.

“Henry David Thoreau remains enduringly central to our memory and imagination. His influence, which has extended to Gandhi and Tolstoy, seems deeply related to his home ground,” said Pinsky. “His home, and our ability to preserve it or not, epitomizes the notion of ‘heritage’ on a direct, sensible scale that is in the Thoreau spirit.”

The Thoreau birth house has both regional and national significance. Built around 1730, it is a typical New England farmhouse that retains many of its early architectural features and sits on 20 acres of farmland, a unique combination that represents Concord’s colonial and agricultural heritage. The land surrounding the house has been cultivated for over 300 years.

The house also symbolizes America’s literary renaissance through its bucolic setting and as the birthplace of Thoreau. Of all the literary talents of his time associated with Concord, Thoreau was the only one to have been born in the town.

Unfortunately, the house, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is in serious disrepair and continues to deteriorate. The Thoreau Farm Trust needs to raise $800,000 to gain title to the property, and an additional $200,000 to complete the rehabilitation project. The Trust has received many significant gifts, including two $100,000 contributions from local citizens. The rest has come from a public-private effort involving contributions from individuals, foundations, and businesses.

The Thoreau Farm Trust (www.thoreaufarm.org) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring and rehabilitating the Henry David Thoreau’s birthplace in Concord and using the site as an education and community center. If you are interested in touring the house, learning more about the organization, or how you can help, please contact Nancy Grohol at 978.369.3091 or nancy@thoreaufarm.org.