Editor:
As readers may know, Henry David Thoreau was a prominent American environmentalist in the last century. He was famous for his back-to-nature style of living on Walden Pond in Concord, Mass. He was also well known for his stance and writing on civil disobedience. In 1845, Thoreau built a small 10 by 15 ft. cottage from wood that he had harvested from the land. It has become a heritage site visited by thousands of people each year.
Over time I have been very taken by this man, his ideals, and his activism; in fact, we named one of our boys after him.
Now, I would like to build a replica of his small home on our Roberts Creek acreage. I have the plans for the small building.
This is an invitation to Coast residents of all ages to join me in this exciting venture. It brings together history and what Thoreau called “Noble Work” with one’s hands. I think it would be a wonderful addition to sites on the Coast.
I invite men, women, and youth on the Coast to be in touch with me with a view to working together on this project. The only requirement is goodwill, an interest in learning, and a convivial spirit; of course, we welcome people with carpentry and other skills. It would be a fine example of merging history, learning, and craftsmanship if one of our local teachers would like to involve their class. My phone number is in the local directory.
I should add that the structure is small enough that it could be put on a trailer and transported to another site for a season if that kind of sharing was desired. Also, we have already milled the necessary wood from our acreage, though admittedly not hewed by hand, Thoreau-like.
Garfield Pennington, Roberts Creek
