Henry S. Canby

130 Davis Street

Hamden, Conn.

April 14

1932

This hand-hewn pine beam, probably part of a stud or rafter is from Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond, and was hewed by himself as described on pp. 66-69 of "Walden", with the bark, as there noted, left on one side. The nails, also from the cabin, are presumably those described on pp. 69-71 of "Walden", taken from the shanty he bought from James Collins for $4.25

The cabin was bought from the owner of the land by an Irishman who transported the timber to his farm near Concord, where he used it in building a shed. The farm was later bought by Mrs. Eva Dodge, 10 Sudbury Road, Concord, (mother-in-law of Clarence Day, Jr., '96) who in tearing down the shed to make way for a garage, found it easy to distinguish the hand-hewn beams of the cabin from later boards. The relic was presented to me by her.

It was a custom of Emerson's daughter, with several other old Concord residents, to have an annual picnic by the shed whose backbone was made from the famous hut at Walden.

(Signed)

Henry S. Canby.

I have been long inquiring whether any remnant of the house at Walden remained, feeling that it would be a choice relic of axe strokes that were literally heard round the world.