Louisa May Alcott Death March 2013

A few years back I read a wonderful biography of Louisa May Alcott by Harriet Reisen.  Throughout the book, it mentioned places she lived in Boston.  Sometimes exact addresses were given, sometimes just street names or intersections.  I realized that a person could design a Louisa May Alcott Boston Homes Walk for themselves.

For those who want to try it themselves, here are the details.  I have tried to put the places in chronological order as much as possible, however, sometimes it just would not have made sense and would have required an extreme amount of back tracking for very little reward.

Cast of Characters:

• Louisa May Alcott
• Anna Alcott (oldest sister, Meg)
• Beth Alcott (younger sister)
• May Alcott (youngest sister, Amy)
• Abigail Alcott (Marmee)
• A. Bronson Alcott (Father)
• Colonel James May (Abigail’s father)
• Sewell Cousins (Louisa’s cousins through Abigail)

If driving, there is a good underground parking lot in the Commons.  If taking the T, go to the Park St/Downtown Crossing area.

There are two possible starting spots. 

Hard Core Fan Starting Spot: Financial District and Downtown Crossing

1)  Corner of Congress and Milk Streets in the Financial District.  Elegant mansion owned by Colonel James May, Abigail’s father.  He was a fairly well off gentleman who made a bad investment and lost all his money.  Louisa adjusted this in Little Women to be her father that lost the money.  Abigail’s family was related to the Adamses, Quincys, and John Hancock.  Another name in her family was Sewell and she was related to Samuel Sewall who was a judge during the witch trials in Salem.  She was a little like Boston royalty although perhaps from a lesser branch.  The probable site of the mansion is now a CVS, but there is a nice park across the street.

2)  Federal Ct street.  This is a small curved road off of Federal Street.  It was where May moved the family after he lost his money.  It was a more modest home.  This spot is now an extremely dingy parking lot and parking garage.  Probably not worth the walk unless you’re hard core.

3)  53 Chauncey Street.  This is the first jump in chronology.  1869, Louisa rented her own place at this address after returning from Europe.  This is another spot that might not be worth a visit since it’s now the back entrance to a hotel.

4)  6 Hayward Place.  This is another jump in chronology.  Louisa lived here on her own after recovering from her illness contracted as an Army Nurse in DC.  She didn’t seem to live here long and it’s all high rises, parking lots, and stuff.  Nothing much like what she would have seen.

I'm assuming most of these places were destroyed in the Boston Fire of 1872 if not earlier.  As a side note, Louisa witnessed the fire and had to evacuate to Cambridge with her manuscripts.  She likened it to the burning of Pompeii.

Easy Starting Spot: Park Street on the Commons

5)  Start at the King’s Chapel.  This is where Bronson and Abigail were married on May 23, 1830.  They immediately moved to Philadelphia where Anna and Louisa were born.

6)  Walk to the Common to the corner of Temple St and Tremont.  This was the site of the old Masonic Temple where the family rented rooms and Bronson started a progressive school (1834).  The actual building is no longer there.  But there is a nice church next to it that was there at that time.  The family liked to visit the Common and liked the view of the State House.  Beth was born.

7)  Walk to the Common and visit the Frog Pond.  This is where Louisa reported that she almost drown but was saved by an African American boy.  This seemed to be an emotional core to her later abolitionist activities.

8)  Continue south to the Common Burial Ground.  The May Family (Marmee's side) had a vault there.  I’m not sure which one it is exactly, but I did see a vault with the name May on it (as well as other names).  If you can go into the cemetery head to the ditch area where there are the sunken vaults.  The vault in question is on the wrong side of the ditch to be seen from outside.  If you are outside, look directly at the cemetery.  There is a large tree on one end, another large tree in the middle, and then a shrubby tree.  The May vault is across from the large middle tree.

9)  Continue south.  The family moved out of the temple and rented a home on Front Street which was along the south side of the Common.  Front St. no longer exists as land fill began to change the topography here.  Some parts of Front St later turned into Harrison Ave.

10) 6 Beach St. in Chinatown.  By 1836 the school began to fail for reasons explained in the book.  It was kind of Bronson’s fault.  The family’s circumstances began to diminish and they had to move to a less desirable location.  Once again, the actual house does not exist.  However, this is a good spot for a snack if you need one or a nice visit to a gentlemen's club.  This could be skipped if necessary.

In 1840 the family decamps to Concord where Emerson helps them rent a place near his.  May is born in Concord.  Then Fruitlands fiasco and other things happen. 

Depending on your fortitude, walk to the South End along Tremont or Harrison or take T to Mass Ave or the Silver Line to Union Square for the next section of the walk. 

11)  Dedham St Basement apartment.  In 1849 the family returns to Boston to Dedham Street.  I do not have an exact address, but they lived in a basement around here.  I'm trying to find out more.  The building may or may not be in existence.  But visiting the street was enough for me.  I went to West Dedham St because I thought that was more likely than them living on E Dedham.  Marmee opened home for wayward women on Washington Street, not sure where but am working on it.  Very destitute times for the family.  

There was also a spot on E Brookline that isn't there anymore.  

12)  Corner of W Springfield and Shawmut Ave.  Anna (age 18) opens a school for girls and Louisa helps out.  The school was on Canton Street and I'm working on finding an address.  They rented a spot on a corner at this intersection.  Not sure which building but the area probably looks about like it did then, but with fewer slum residents.  They both really hated teaching.  

This is the most distant point on the walk.  Depending on your fortitude walk back to Beacon Hill or go a little farther west and catch the Orange Line at Mass Ave returning to Park St.

13)  98 Chestnut St.  When the family was poor and living in the South End, Louisa and Anna would frequently attend parties, theater, and other events with their Sewall cousins who lived at this address.  (This theme showed up frequently in Little Women, i.e. a poor friend/relative in shabby clothes going to a fine elegant party.)  Louisa and Anna must have been fun to have around and were always included in the good times.  Louisa stayed with the Sewalls for extended visits at various times throughout her life, even after her writing successes.

14) 20 Pinckney St.  Nathanial Hawthorne purchased some property the Alcotts somehow had and the family immediately started overspending again and moved to Beacon Hill.   After Little Women, Louisa moved back and lived at a couple of different places on Pinckney St.  This is the only one that has a marker on it.  I'm looking around to find the other Pinckney addresses and will add them later.

Now there is a big jump in time.  Alcott Family moves to Walpole NH.  Louisa writing small books and stories and is enjoying early success.  Moved back to Boston by herself to live with Aunt Bond (Aunt March, although she said she wasn't Aunt March, she so totally was).  Not sure where.  Continued hanging out with Sewell cousins.  Theater, acting, writing.  May moves in with Aunt Bond who pays for her art lessons.  That is SOOO Amy.  

In 1857, Louisa moves home to Concord to help care for Beth as she’s dying.  Then back and forth to Sewall cousins whenever she could.  Would often winter in Boston and summer in Concord. 

Decided to be an army nurse during the Civil War and was stationed in DC.  Became dangerously ill fairly quickly and Bronson had to come get her.  Recuperated in Concord.  Helped Anna with her two babies.  Wrote Hospital Sketches which was kind of her first major success with a memoir.  

Got a job as a paid companion to go to Europe.  Stuff happened.  She ditched the 'companion' thing and went around on her own.  She had an affair with a man who would become the model for Laurie.  

Returned to the states.  Got a job as an editor for a children's magazine.  Was writing 14 hours a day because when she was in Europe the family got themselves back into debt and she had to bail them out again.

Her editor and Bronson convinced her to write Little Women in 1868 saying that children's literature really sells and she'd make a fortune.  And it was an immediate commercial success with great reviews and multiple printings.

15) 21 Beacon St., Hotel Bellevue in Sky-Parlor.  After publishing Little Women in 1868, May convinces her to move to a penthouse at this prestigious hotel and to take her with her.  They lived together in luxury for a while and it seems like the thing that Louisa enjoyed the most was not cooking.  This is now a condo building but looks like it did in pictures.

1870 More writing and more tours of Europe with May and others.  And then going back to live in Concord.  It kind of seems like she'd live at home for as long as she could and then she'd get away whenever she could.  She worked on more novels including the Little Women sequels.

Moved to NYC for a year.

Returns to Concord because Marmee was very ill.  Then Marmee dies after a long illness.  Anna’s husband was dead as well and Louisa helped with her two boys.  May stayed behind in Paris working as an artist and writing her own book about studying art.  She marries a much younger man.  This is a whole separate walk that I hope to take in the future.  

Louisa moves back to the Bellevue Hotel and also to Chauncy St (3 on list).  May dies after childbirth and sends daughter (Louisa, Lulu) to be raised by Louisa.

16)  Needs a bigger place because of her now larger family.  Rents 10 Louisburg Square. Lives there with Bronson, Lulu, Fred and John, probably Anna, and 10 servants.

Dies May 6, 1888 a few days after her father.

Now this list doesn't represent every single place she lived in Boston.  Some I couldn't find.  There were some other relatives who lived in a house overlooking the Charles.  Still don't know where Aunt Bond lived.  But it seems like this is a good starting place.  I've purchased a book that claims to have more details and I'll add more if needed.

Let me know if anyone tries this.

Go Death March 2013!!!