The Wayside is located on Lexington Road in Concord, Massachusetts. It was the home of the Alcotts and the Hawthornes in the 1840's and 1850's. The home was purchased by Amos Bronson Alcott with funds supplied by his wife's recent inheritance and a loan from Ralph Waldo Emerson. They moved here in April of 1945 to the home they now called "Hillside" and began renovations on the existing structure. Young Louisa May Alcott began writing her first book, Flower Fables, while living here. The family moved back to Boston in 1848 and rented out the home. In 1852 author Nathaniel Hawthorne purchased the home from the Alcotts and moved in with his wife, Sophia Peabody, and their three children. The Alcotts would eventually purchase the property next door, which today is known as Orchard House. The house was renamed "The Wayside" by Hawthorne who felt that it's close proximity to the road gave it the appearance of a coach stop. In 1853 Hawthorne was appointed United States Consul at Liverpool, a post which he occupied until 1857. The Hawthornes moved to England and wouldn't return to The Wayside until 1860. During their leave they rented out the house to Sophia's sister, Mary Peabody. The publication of The Marble Faun (1860) turned out to be less than successful and Hawthorne continued living in the home, even making improvements to it, even though he was living beyond his financial means. Hawthorne became gradually sick during the early years of the Civil War and never fully recovered. During a trip with former President Franklin Pierce in May 1864, he died. Sophia and her children moved to England and she sold The Wayside in 1870. The home was eventually purchased by publisher Daniel Lothrop in 1883. His wife, Harriett, under the pen name Margaret Sidney, was the author of The Five Little Peppers children's books. Although she died in 1924 the home remained in the family until 1965, when it became a part of the Minuteman Historic Park. The Wayside was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963.