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Home » Authors » Jan Turnquist
Jan Turnquist

Jan Turnquist

Articles

ARTICLES

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Cultural Spotlight

Orchard House: A Legacy of Literature and History

March 28, 2025
Jan Turnquist
No Comments

It is rare to find the very home where a beloved feminist author penned her most famous work, Little Women—a novel that has never been out of print for over a century and has been translated into more than 50 languages. Rarer still is to find that home still preserved just as she and her family left it, filled with their personal belongings. Add to that a rich history spanning centuries, and you have Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts.


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Preserving the Legacy of Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House

January 28, 2025
Jan Turnquist
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In 1910, the home of one of the world’s most beloved authors was up for sale and likely to be demolished. It had been built in the mid-1600s and had been vacant for years. “Private Property” and “No Trespassing” signs were nearly obscured by tall grass, giving the overall impression of sad dilapidation. The real estate prospectus read, “perfect site for a new mansion.”


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By Any Other Name: The Pseudonyms of Louisa May Alcott

June 15, 2024
Jan Turnquist
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Max Chapnick, of Northeastern University, has been in the news lately for possibly uncovering another of Louisa May Alcott’s pseudonyms. I was delighted to meet Max, not only to discuss his current work, but also to talk about the long, winding trail he followed to determine if Jo March’s thriller writing was something Alcott actually did. That trail begins in 1942 with Madeleine Stern and Leona Rostenberg, two of the most extraordinary women I’ve ever met. 


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“The Best Blind Band in the Land” Discovers Orchard House Through Touch

September 15, 2023
Jan Turnquist
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Take one beloved band director with vision, add 25 blind marching band students; mix well in Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House and voila! You have an extraordinary, never-to-be forgotten experience.


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Little Women Inspires a Treasured Mother/Daughter Trip

June 15, 2023
Jan Turnquist
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Completely unaware of the existence of Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, Julie Nass and her daughters had developed a deep affection for Little Women, reading the book multiple times and watching all the movie adaptations as a family on their small Wisconsin dairy farm. The Little Women musical, which debuted on Broadway in 2005, was youngest daughter Hannah’s favorite. 


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The Legacy and Allure of Orchard House’s Landscape

May 15, 2022
Jan Turnquist
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“Little Women saved my life…twice.” The woman who uttered these amazing words as I was leaving Orchard House late one summer evening had just landed at Logan Airport from Korea and drove directly here. 


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From The House of Little Women

December 15, 2020
Jan Turnquist
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“Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents, grumbled Jo . . .” The irony — the beautiful irony — of Louisa May Alcott’s opening words in Little Women is striking, as the ultimate message of the book is quite the opposite of its iconic opening line. Readers of Little Women simply begin a journey that leads to a boldly empowering expansion of the heart. We follow along with the March sisters as they learn to care for others, even while struggling with their own desires and disappointments, and we identify with their experiences. Whether enacting a play for an audience in their parlor, or preparing to give their Christmas breakfast feast to a needy family, our mind’s eye envisions the girls’ widening realization that caring for something other than self and sharing what gifts they possess are far more fulfilling than receiving presents.


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Featured Stories

  • Battle of Lexington and Concord.Jpg

    Battlefields of the American Revolution: New Commemorative Stamps

    As America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the first battles of the American Revolution, the United States Post Office is commemorating the occasion with 15 new stamps memorializing five turning points in the fight for American independence.
  • Modern-Orchard-House---Trey-Powers.png

    Orchard House: A Legacy of Literature and History

    It is rare to find the very home where a beloved feminist author penned her most famous work, Little Women—a novel that has never been out of print for over a century and has been translated into more than 50 languages. Rarer still is to find that home still preserved just as she and her family left it, filled with their personal belongings. Add to that a rich history spanning centuries, and you have Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts.
  • Natl-Park-Service-Map-Insert.p1.jpg

    Minute Man National Historical Park: The Birthplace of the American Revolution

    Few places in America capture the spirit and legacy of a nation quite like Minute Man National Historical Park – located along the “Battle Road” corridor of Concord, Lincoln, and Lexington, Massachusetts. It was here that the first running battles of the American Revolution took place on April 19, 1775. Later, in the 19th century, Concord became the epicenter of a literary, philosophical, and environmental movement that endures today. Revolutions—whether on the battlefield or in the mind—demand vision, dedication, and sacrifice. The same is true for preserving the rich history to be found in these remarkable places.

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