The Walden Woods Project

The Walden Woods Project We are committed to preserving the land, literature, & legacy of Henry David Thoreau through conservation, education, research & advocacy.

Thoreau wrote of his amazement with nature. Spending time in nature and making observations were essential to him. What ...
06/01/2026

Thoreau wrote of his amazement with nature. Spending time in nature and making observations were essential to him. What does making true "contact" with the natural world look like for you?

"Talk of mysteries!โ€”Think of our life in nature,โ€”daily to be shown matter, to come in contact with it,โ€”rocks, trees, wind on our cheeks! the solid earth! the actual world! the common sense! Contact! Contact! Who are we? where are we?"

โ€” Henry David Thoreau, "The Maine Woods"

Join us for an evening celebrating ๐‘…๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘Š๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘‘๐‘ : ๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐ต๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘™๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘  ๐ฟ๐‘–๐‘“๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘Š๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐ป๐‘’๐‘›๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ ๐ท๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘‘ ๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘ข, a new ex...
06/01/2026

Join us for an evening celebrating ๐‘…๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘Š๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘‘๐‘ : ๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐ต๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘™๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘  ๐ฟ๐‘–๐‘“๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘Š๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐ป๐‘’๐‘›๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ ๐ท๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘‘ ๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘ข, a new exhibition at The Walden Woods Project Library. Enjoy wine and light hors dโ€™oeuvres on the Higginson House patio, then explore the exhibition at your own pace.

Drawing on materials from The Walden Woods Project Library and The Thoreau Society Collections, ๐‘…๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘Š๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘‘๐‘  examines the life, ideas, and literary legacy of Henry David Thoreau. The first installment, ๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘œ ๐ป๐‘’ ๐‘Š๐‘Ž๐‘ , ๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐ป๐‘’ ๐‘†๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘‘ ๐น๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ, traces Thoreauโ€™s emergence as a writer and explores the influences that shaped his philosophyโ€”from family and friendship to Transcendentalism and his time at Walden Pond.

The exhibition was curated in connection with ๐ป๐‘’๐‘›๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ ๐ท๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘‘ ๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘ข, the PBS documentary produced by Ewers Brothers Productions and executive produced by Ken Burns and Don Henley, which premiered nationwide on March 30, 2026.

๐„๐ฑ๐ก๐ข๐›๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐Ž๐ฉ๐ž๐ง ๐‡๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž
๐…๐ซ๐ข๐๐š๐ฒ, ๐‰๐ฎ๐ง๐ž ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ, ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ” | ๐Ÿ”:๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽโ€“๐Ÿ–:๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ ๐ฉ.๐ฆ.
๐“๐ก๐ž ๐–๐š๐ฅ๐๐ž๐ง ๐–๐จ๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐ž๐œ๐ญ ๐‹๐ข๐›๐ซ๐š๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐‹๐ข๐ง๐œ๐จ๐ฅ๐ง, ๐Œ๐€
(Address provided upon registration)

Please register on our website, at https://rpst.in/3j3Ab

When: Friday, June 12, 2026, 6:30-8:30 pm EST.

Where: The Walden Woods Project Library, Lincoln, MA (address provided upon registration)

We hope that this summer you can steal away days and afternoons to enjoy the warm weather and spend time outdoors. Like ...
05/28/2026

We hope that this summer you can steal away days and afternoons to enjoy the warm weather and spend time outdoors. Like Thoreau, we should all wish to be rich in sunny hours.

He wrote in "๐‘Š๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘›":
"Many a forenoon have I stolen away, preferring to spend thus the most valued part of the day; for I was rich, if not in money, in sunny hours and summer days, and spent them lavishly; nor do I regret that I did not waste more of them in the workshop or the teacherโ€™s desk."
โ€” Henry David Thoreau, "๐‘Š๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘›"

Thoreau wrote in "The Maine Woods" about his observations of loons' songs across the lake:"The wood-thrush sang on the d...
05/27/2026

Thoreau wrote in "The Maine Woods" about his observations of loons' songs across the lake:

"The wood-thrush sang on the distant shore, and the laugh of some loons, sporting in a concealed western bay, as if inspired by morning, came distinct over the lake to us, and, what was remarkable, the echo which ran round the lake was much louder than the original note; probably because, the loons being in a regularly curving bay under the mountain, we were exactly in the focus of many echoes, the sound being reflected like light from a concave mirror."

โ€” Henry David Thoreau, "The Maine Woods"

Do you observe birds calling around you? What do you hear when you really pay attention?

Thoreau describes his adventures through wildness and swamps, his with vivid imagery and descriptions of the flora and c...
05/22/2026

Thoreau describes his adventures through wildness and swamps, his with vivid imagery and descriptions of the flora and conditions around him.

"Would it not be well to describe some of those rough all-day walks across lots?โ€”as that of the 15th, picking our way over quaking meadows and swamps and occasionally slipping into the muddy batter midleg deep; jumping or fording ditches and brooks; forcing our way through dense blueberry swamps, where there is water beneath and bushes above . . . now through a dense pine wood, descending into a rank, dry swamp, where the cinnamon fern rises above your head, with isles of poison-dogwood . . ."
โ€” "Journal", 27 August 1854

We hope you will stop by Walden Pond State Reservation on Sunday, May 31st from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, for a program desig...
05/20/2026

We hope you will stop by Walden Pond State Reservation on Sunday, May 31st from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, for a program designed to introduce people who are blind or have low vision to the joys of birding. Walden Pond State Reservation is pleased to welcome back veteran birder and Mass Audubon accessibility consultant Jerry Berrier to lead a free program along the ยฝ mile ADA-compliant trail. The target birds will include some of the charismatic forest dwellers like the piliated woodpecker, the eastern wood peewee, the red-eyed vireo, and the scarlet tanager to name a few.

Parking will be free for program participants. People taking The Ride or being dropped off can come to the Shop Parking lot. The address is 915 Walden Street, Concord MA 01742. The program will start with a short presentation about bird song at the Visitor Center, before heading out on the trail. This event requires registration. Participants and a guest can register by emailing [email protected] with the subject line: "Birding By Ear Sign-Up.โ€ After 25 registrants, there will be a waitlist. Preference will be given to the visually impaired and their guest. Reasonable accommodations provided upon request.

Questions? Call 978-405-2082.

Thoreau wrote in his "Journal" about the changing of the seasons and his observations. When heading into spring, he wrot...
05/19/2026

Thoreau wrote in his "Journal" about the changing of the seasons and his observations. When heading into spring, he wrote: โ€œIf rivers come out of their icy prison thus bright and immortal, shall not I too resume my spring life with joy and hope?โ€
โ€” "Journal," 29 February 1852

We hope you feel full of hope at new beginnings this spring!

In "Night and Moonlight," Thoreau writes about the wonders of the nighttime he observes during a moonlit walk. It is a r...
05/15/2026

In "Night and Moonlight," Thoreau writes about the wonders of the nighttime he observes during a moonlit walk. It is a reflective and meditative essay on all aspects of the night, and its relation to life.

โ€œOf what significance the light of day, if it is not the reflection of an inward dawn?โ€”to what purpose is the veil of night withdrawn, if the morning reveals nothing to the soul?โ€

โ€” Henry David Thoreau, โ€œNight and Moonlightโ€

If you are not sure which piece of Thoreau's writing to read first, we recommend his essays. You can find many of them on our website: https://rpst.in/R0SZu

A part of Henry David Thoreauโ€™s philosophy, rooted in Transcendentalism, centered on questioning societyโ€™s definition of...
05/13/2026

A part of Henry David Thoreauโ€™s philosophy, rooted in Transcendentalism, centered on questioning societyโ€™s definition of value and turning to nature for clarity and truth.

He believed that many of the things people pursue only seem valuable because society assigns value to them, not because they truly improve our lives. To Thoreau, pursuing material wealth just to buy things society considers important was a waste, although he still respected hard work as a way to earn a living.

He saw nature as a constant source of real beauty, value, and meaning, offering a perspective that cuts through social expectations. He pushed back against the idea of blindly following routines, especially when it comes to work, warning that people often become consumed by labor without ever asking why. Ultimately, Thoreau advocated for a simpler, more intentional life: one where you define your own values, strip away excess, and find what actually matters.

"I do believe in simplicity. It is astonishing as well as sad, how many trivial affairs even the wisest thinks he must attend to in a day; how singular an affair he thinks he must omit. When the mathematician would solve a difficult problem, he first frees the equation of all incumbrances, and reduces it to its simplest terms. So simplify the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real. Probe the earth to see where your main roots run."

โ€”Thoreau to H. G. O. Blake, 27 March 1848

โ€œThe farmer increases the extent of habitable earth. He makes soil. That is an honorable occupation.โ€ โ€“ Henry David Thor...
05/12/2026

โ€œThe farmer increases the extent of habitable earth. He makes soil. That is an honorable occupation.โ€ โ€“ Henry David Thoreau, "Journal," 2 March 1852

The Walden Woods Project Farm is an 8-acre organic vegetable farm in Concord, MA, owned and operated by The Walden Woods Project. We purchased the farm to prevent large-scale development at the western gateway of Walden Woods and to protect an important piece of agricultural land that contributes to the preservation of the Walden Woods ecosystem. The Farm honors the land's legacy by keeping it in active agricultural use and supporting Concord's farming community.

There are several ways to get involved with the Farm this season:

Farm Stand โ€” Located at 1047 Concord Turnpike on Route 2 Eastbound, directly after the Sudbury Road lights, our farm stand is open July through October. In addition to our own organic vegetables, the stand carries local produce, honey, jam, bread, cheese, and other products from the surrounding community.

CSA โ€” Our Community Supported Agriculture program runs for 16 weeks from late June/July through October, providing shareholders with 7โ€“11 items per week. CSA shareholders pick up their share each week at the farm stand and are automatically enrolled in our Friends of the Farm program, including a weekly electronic newsletter.

Friends of the Farm โ€” This membership program directly supports The Walden Woods Project Farm. Members receive special benefits, including a 20% discount on all produce at the farm stand.

Learn more at walden.org.

Address

44 Baker Farm Road
Lincoln, MA
01773

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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