Image Gallery
Concord, N.H.: Two Decades of Work
The move to Concord
At the end of the busy decade of the 1880s, Mrs. Eddy withdrew from the demands of Boston and, in June 1889, rented this furnished house for herself and her small staff. During her first months here, she took the colossally courageous steps of dismantling the organizations she had built up over the previous decade. She then turned her attention to revising her writings. This burst of activity all took place in the stately Greek-revival house at 62 North State Street, one of three similar houses built near the state capital circa 1850, before the Civil War.
Restoring the exterior
In 2007-2008 Longyear engaged in a major restoration of the house at Concord. The elaborate cornices were repaired. The roof was replaced with slate, which was the roofing material of the house when Mrs. Eddy occupied it. The pristine white of the exterior, was subjected to tests, which revealed a decidedly more colorful paint palette in the late 19th century. Now visitors can see the exterior of the house in the vibrant Victorian color scheme Mrs. Eddy would probably have known.
A retreat for writing
During the year 1890, working in her Concord home — far from the pressures of Boston — Mrs. Eddy revised her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. By 1891 the landmark 50th edition was ready for publication. Later that year, Mrs. Eddy revised three of her shorter writings. She greatly expanded a fourth to create a new book, Retrospection and Introspection, which sums up the substance of her life and work. 
Years of constant toil
This house was the starting point of the nearly two decades of work Mrs. Eddy carried out while living in Concord — , here and at her next home, Pleasant View, also located in Concord. These residences stand as a reminder of all those years of constant toil for her Cause.
Research and restoration
The rooms on the first floor have been furnished to depict this period in Mrs. Eddy’s life. The exact living arrangements for the household — who occupied which rooms — are not definitely known. However, research is ongoing, and further interior restoration is in the planning stages.
Life in Mrs. Eddy’s household
The parlor and other first-floor rooms have been furnished to suggest daily life in Mrs. Eddy’s home. For example, after supper she and her household would often gather in the parlor to enjoy music in the evenings. Calvin Frye, seated at the piano, might accompany them as they sang the old, heartfelt songs and hymns Mrs. Eddy was so fond of.
Exhibits: Pleasant View and Bow
Visitors to 62 North State Street can view these scale models of the house and grounds of Pleasant View, where Mrs. Eddy lived from 1892 through 1907. From Pleasant View (which is no longer standing) she reorganized her church as The First Church of Christ, Scientist; directed the building of its edifice in Boston; wrote its Manual of bylaws; ordained the Bible and Science and Health as its pastor; and dealt with attacks against herself and Christian Science as the new religion became known and practiced worldwide. Other exhibits describe Mrs. Eddy’s childhood home, the Baker family homestead at nearby Bow.
