For more than three hundred years, The Wayside and the families who lived there witnessed and influenced both Concord’s and America’s recorded history. In 1775, The Wayside was home to Minute Man Samuel Whitney, muster master of the Concord Minute Men and delegate to the Provincial Congress. In the 19th century, famed authors Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Harriett Lothrop (who wore under the pen name “Margaret Sidney”) lived within its walls. This noteworthy succession of residents earned The Wayside its sobriquet, “Home of Authors.”

Although the house dates from the colonial period, its architectural significance derives from the alterations and adaptions of its successive notable owners who left behind tangible evidence of their interests, ideas, and behavior. The barn is significant because the Alcott children played here, using it as a theater to perform their original plays and tutor local children.

The house is maintained as near as possible as it was in 1924 – the year of Harriett Lothrop’s death. The author and preservationist’s daughter, Margaret Lothrop, received ownership of the property at this time and opened to the public. The Lothrops, who owned the property for a total of 82 years, made great efforts to preserve its integrity.

The National Park Service acquired responsibility for the property in 1965 and it is administered as a unit of Minute Man National Historical Park. It became a National Historical Landmark in 1985