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Fruitlands (transcendental center)

1843 establishments in MassachusettsAlcott familyBuildings and structures in Harvard, MassachusettsHistoric districts on the National Register of Historic Places in MassachusettsIntentional communities in the United States
NRHP infobox with nocatNational Historic Landmarks in MassachusettsNational Register of Historic Places in Worcester County, MassachusettsPopulated places established in 1843TranscendentalismUse mdy dates from August 2023Utopian communities in the United StatesVeganismVegetarian communities
Fruit lands Alcott house, 2015 2
Fruit lands Alcott house, 2015 2

Fruitlands was a utopian agrarian commune established in Harvard, Massachusetts, by Amos Bronson Alcott and Charles Lane in the 1840s, based on transcendentalist principles. An account of its less-than-successful activities can be found in Transcendental Wild Oats by Alcott's daughter Louisa May Alcott.Lane purchased what was known as the Wyman farm and its 90 acres (36 ha), which also included a dilapidated house and barn. Residents of Fruitlands ate no animal substances, drank only water, bathed in unheated water and "no artificial light would prolong dark hours or cost them the brightness of morning." Additionally, property was held communally, and no animal labor was used. The community was short-lived and lasted only seven months. It was dependent on farming, which turned out to be too difficult. The original farmhouse, along with other historic buildings from the area, is now a part of Fruitlands Museum.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Fruitlands (transcendental center) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Fruitlands (transcendental center)
Prospect Hill Road,

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Latitude Longitude
N 42.509444444444 ° E -71.6125 °
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Address

Fruitlands Museum

Prospect Hill Road 102
01467
Massachusetts, United States
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Phone number

call+19784563924

Website
fruitlands.org

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Fruit lands Alcott house, 2015 2
Fruit lands Alcott house, 2015 2
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Nearby Places

Harvard Center Historic District
Harvard Center Historic District

The Harvard Center Historic District is a historic district encompassing the traditional village center of Harvard, Massachusetts, USA. The district is centered on the town common, a triangular grassy space bounded by Elm Street, Still River Road, and Ayer Road. The common is ringed by residences, civic and religious buildings, and a small commercial area. The common was laid out when the town was founded in 1732, and has grown, mainly in periods of growth at the late 18th and late 19th/early 20th centuries. Most of the village's buildings post-date 1831. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.The historic district is roughly cruciform in shape, radiating out from the common along Still River Road (west), Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 111) to the north and south, and Oak Hill Road and Old Littleton Road to the east. It covers about 125 acres (51 ha), and includes 59 historically significant houses, that range in architectural styles and age from the 18th to 20th centuries. The main civic buildings are located at the northern end of the common, and include a stone animal pound, a small powder house, and the 1872 Gothic Revival town hall, which stands next to an older (1828) Greek Revival frame building, now a residence, that also served as town hall.The district is home to two church buildings: the 1867 Colonial Revival First Congregational Church, set on the location of the town's first colonial meeting house, and the 1840 Methodist meeting house, now a private residence at 13 Massachusetts Avenue. Two of its architecturally most sophisticated buildings are the Bromfield School (1878, Romanesque Revival) designed by Peabody & Stearns, and the public library (1886, also Romanesque) designed by William Channing Whitney.