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Thoreau-Alcott House offered to the Thoreau Society in 1948, but Society was forced to decline

At the TS Annual Meeting in the July, 1948, Mrs. Ruth Wheeler announced that the Alcott heirs had offered to sell the Thoreau-Alcott house to the Thoreau Society for $25,000. Unfortunately, by the end of August, the Society decided that it could not undertake the purchase since only $6800 had been raised by then. The Alcott heirs then placed the house on the open market for $30,000. In 1988, the next time the house came on the market, it was offered for $1.1 million.

Three documents about these transactions are below:

1. The offer by the Alcott-Pratt heirs in 1948.

"A THOREAU MEMORIAL"
by Walter Harding (Thoreau Society Bull. #24 of July 1948 page 1)

"Biggest news of the annual meeting of the Thoreau Society on July 12th [1948] was our vice-president's announcement that the Thoreau-Alcott House had been offered for sale to the society by the Alcott-Pratt heirs for $25,000. Competent men have adjudged the price to be a reasonable one and the society voted to empower the members of the executive committee and the board of trustees to investigate all possibilities to effect the purchase of the house. Under separate cover we have mailed to each member a plea for gifts and loans to make the purchase -possible. And we must stress that we have only to August 15, 1948, to raise sufficient funds. May we once again urge each of you to help as much and as quickly as possible, not only with gifts or non-interest-bearing loans, but also with the names and addressee of people outside the society who might be able to help.

In the adjacent column we reprint a clipping [by Ruth Wheeler] from the Concord Journal of Sept. 22, 1938, giving some of the history of the house, to which should be added the fact that Thoreau lived in -this house longer than in any other and died there, in the downstairs living-room in 1862.

We would welcome any suggestions to aid in the raising of necessary funds and also as to the use of the building if it is acquired. We would like to make it more than the usual museum of relies. Among the suggestions already offered are that an apartment be set aside for the use of students doing research on the Concord authors, the rent derived therefrom to be used for the upkeep of the house, and that a summer school of American literature be established somewhat in the vein of the old Concord School of Philosophy of Bronson Alcott's days. At any event, should the society succeed in purchasing the house it would bring about the preservation of one of Concord's most historic buildings, connected intimately as it is with both the Thoreau and the Alcott families. Never before has the Thoreau Society conducted a drive for funds of any kind. And it is a likelihood that never again will there be another opportunity to so fittingly pay tribute to Henry David Thoreau. We assure you that should the society be unable to raise sufficient funds to effect the purchase, all monies will be immediately returned to the donors. Send your checks to any of the officers of the society: Raymond Adams, Chapel Hill, N.(;.; Mrs. Caleb Wheeler, Concord, Mass.; or Walter Harding, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J."

2. The failure to raise sufficient funds in 1948

"SPECIAL: REPORT ON THE THOREAU-ALCOTT HOUSE
by Walter Harding (TSB #25 P. 3, Oct. 1948)

It is my unpleasant duty to report that the drive to purchase the Thoreau-Alcott House for the Thoreau Society has failed in its objective. On August 28th, the executive committee met in Concord and heard the report of Mrs. Wheeler that a total of $6789.50 in gifts, pledges, and loans had been raised. While all members were in accord with a desire to see the house purchased by the society, they also agreed that such an undertaking would not be feasible unless the larger portion of the $25,000 sales price were available. It was thus voted to return all gifts, cancel all pledges, and notify the Pratt heirs of the society's decision not to purchase the house. The house has since been placed on the open market for $30,000.

We are all very much indebted to the Pratt heirs for their continued and generous cooperation with the committee; to the many newspapers and magazines who aided in the publicity; to the members of the Concord committee-Mrs. Anderson, Mrs. Hosmer, Mr. Newbury, Mr. Robbins, and Mrs. Wheeler--who headed the drive; and to the many friends of Thoreau, both members and nonmembers of the society, who contributed to the funds. Our particular thanks are due Mrs. Wheeler for the many hours and days she devoted whole-heartedly to the campaign.

In the few weeks of the campaign, the society received more favorable publicity than in its entire previous history. Here, briefly, are the notations we have heard of: Editorials N.Y.TIMES 7/2-5. AMERICAN VEGETARIAN ?. NEWARK (NJ) NEWS 7/?, N.Y.HERALD TRIBUNE 7/23. HARTFORD (Conn) TIMES 7/23. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR 7/24. NZW YORKER 8/7, BOSTON HERALD 8/6, BOSTON POST 7/23, News Items N.Y.TIMES 7/22 8/16, N.Y.SUN 7/23, EASTON (Pa) EXPRESS 7/22, BOSTON HERALD 7/25 8/15, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR 8/5. BOSTON TRAVELER 7/21, CONCORD JOURNAL 7/15 7/22, CONCORD ENTERPRISE 7/22, CHICAGO TRIBUNE 7/29 8/8. BENNINGTON (Vt) BANNER 7/26, BROCKTON (Mass) ENTERPRISE 7/7. TIME MAGAZINE 8/16; Letter to editor N.Y.HERALD TRIBUNE 7/30. Undoubtedly we have missed many clippings. The secretary would appreciate receiving copies of any notices not listed above."

3. The 1988 million dollar sale to another private owner

The following item by Walter Harding appeared in the Thoreau Society Bulletin (TSB #181, Fall 1987):