The original members of the Community that started the unique experiment
were Mr. Alcott, his wife, and four small daughters, the Englishman
Charles Lane and his son William, H. C. Wright (for a short time) and
Samuel Bower, Isaac T. Hecker, of New York, Christopher Greene and
Samuel Larned, of Providence, Abraham Everett and Anna Page, Joseph
Palmer, of Fitchburg, and Abram Wood. The transcendentalism of this last
individual showed itself chiefly in insisting upon twisting his name
hind side before and calling himself “Wood Abram.” As this he was always
known at Fruitlands. These members did not all arrive at once, but came
within a short time of each other. Wright had shown some dissatisfaction
already in the extreme asceticism of the plan of life adopted by Mr.
Alcott at Concord and he refused to be a regular member of the
Fruitlands Community on this account. In writing to Oldham on the
subject Charles Lane says: “I can see no other reason but the simplicity
and order to which affairs were coming (in the cottage); no butter nor
milk, nor cocoa, nor tea, nor coffee. Nothing but fruit, grain, and
water was hard for the inside; then regular hours and places, cleaning
up scraps, etc., was desperate hard for the outside.”
When finally the move from Concord to Harvard was made, Mr. Alcott took
what furniture he could with him, such as beds, etc., and the rest was
supplied by Joseph Palmer, who carted his over from his old Homestead at
No Town outside of Fitchburg.
Shortly after the move, Charles Lane sat down and wrote to Thoreau a
description of Fruitlands:
* * * * *
FRUITLANDS, June 7, 1843.
It is very remotely placed, without a road, surrounded by a beautiful
green landscape of fields and woods, with the distance filled up with
some of the loftiest mountains in the State. At present there is much
hard manual labor, so much that, as you see, my usual handwriting is
very greatly suspended. Our house accommodations are poor and scanty;
but the greatest want is good female society. Far too much labor
devolves on Mrs. Alcott. Besides the occupations of each succeeding day,
we form in this ample theatre of hope, many forthcoming scenes. The
nearer little copse is designed as the site of the cottages. Fountains
can be made to descend from their granite sources on the hill-slope to
every apartment if desired. Gardens are to displace the warm grazing
glades on the South, and numerous human beings instead of cattle, shall
here enjoy existence.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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