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The Fitchburg Railroad
Program Category
Educational Programs
Audience Age
Learn the history of this railroad line built in the 1840s from Boston to Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and under the guidance of businessman Alvah Crocker. Because the Fitchburg Railroad led right past Walden Pond, its trains and the name of its city are often linked with that of Henry David Thoreau. The naturalist wrote of both in Walden. Thoreau used the Fitchburg Railroad on at least 20 occasions, and almost always “botanized” from its car windows during his travels. This presentation will focus on the background history of Fitchburg, the development of its railroad line, and the crucial relationship Thoreau had with both. (This program can be tailored to locations found along the tracks.)
$300.
Plus travel expenses (.54 / mile) from Gardner, Mass.
Group Size
any
Program Length
90 minutes
Computer projector and screen or blank wall.
Last Modified
02/26/2018
Performer’s Contact Information
Write Outside Your Door
Corinne SmithGardner, MA 01440-4045
Hosts of past talks have been the Fitchburg Public Library and the Boxborough Historical Society. Corinne H. Smith is the author of Westward I Go Free: Tracing Thoreau's Last Journey and Henry David Thoreau for Kids: His Life and Ideas, With 21 Activities.