Concord is a city steeped in the history of the sword and the pen. The site of the historic Battle of Lexington and Concord, the city provided the setting for the initiation of the American War of Independence, honored at Minute Man National Historical Park. Concord's literary history is at least as rich. It was here where Thoreau penned Walden, inspired by the kettle pond of the same name, where Emerson philosophized on Self-Reliance and where Louisa May Alcott introduced her Little Women.