Fruitlands Museum

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102 Prospect Hill Rd
Harvard, MA

(42.5077858,-71.6095963)

Directions

Hours vary by season. Check the website for details.

https://thetrustees.org/place/fruitlands-museum/
All Destinations Hiking Trails Museums Native American History

Fruitlands takes it’s name from the utopian community founded by the Alcott and Lane families in 1843. Eleven year-old Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, lived here with her parents and later wrote the book Transcendental Wild Oats based on her experience. The utopians had an abundance of high-minded ideals but lacked the practical experience needed to survive a New England winter. The experiment collapsed after seven months. The wealthy Clara Endicott Sears purchased the property in 1910 and opened it to the public as a museum shortly after. While small, the three museums are exceptional, including Native American artifacts, Shaker pieces and landscape paintings from the Hudson River School.