Nathaniel Hawthorne Memorial

Local organizations in Concord and beyond are
celebrating the life of Nathaniel Hawthorne 150 years after his death.
Hawthorne, best known for his novels "The Scarlet Letter" and "The House of
the Seven Gables," died at age 59 in Plymouth, New Hampshire on May 19,
1864.

This program will honor Hawthorne on the anniversary
of his funeral, May 23, 2014, and will echo that historic event. A
formal program will begin at 6 p.m. at the First Parish in Concord, 20
Lexington Road, which will feature readings from Hawthorne’s
contemporaries like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa May Alcott. Following
this brief program, participants are invited to walk the route from
First Parish to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where Hawthorne was interred
exactly 150 years earlier. Along the way, the procession will pass what
is believed to be the same horse-drawn hearse used to transport
Hawthorne’s coffin in 1864, on display thanks to Dee Funeral Home. After
paying our respects at the family plot, the public is invited to an
open reception at the Old Manse featuring light refreshments. The
evening should conclude by 8:30 p.m.