Potential Merger with the Thoreau Society

our potential merger with the thoreau society

Our two organizations have always been closely aligned. Key members of the Thoreau Society, especially Joe Wheeler, led the movement to preserve Thoreau’s birth house, and since then our partnership has deepened – including a shared executive director. Our two organizations complement each other, and a merger would broaden our reach and amplify our work while gaining some welcome efficiencies. Please send your thoughts, questions, ideas, and other feedback to rebecca@thoreaufarm.org or to a member of the working group: Court Booth, Molly Eberle, John Kucich, Nancy McJennett, Rebecca Migdal, Beverly Pittman, and Michael Schleifer

This page collects various updates and documents for the public Discovery & Planning steps of considering this merger. It does not include any final merger proposal materials, which are still in development in lead up to a vote. To learn more about the process since December 2023, please review the Next Steps document, which details the work done to date and our priorities moving forward.

We are so grateful for the thoughtfulness and imagination that you have brought to this ongoing conversation. We echo your excitement that combining the cutting edge scholarship of the Thoreau Society with a true home in Concord at the birthplace would enrich the work to keep Thoreau active in the world and bring in the next generation of Thoreau enthusiasts and scholars. We share your dream of  building the premiere organization for deep and meaningful engagement with Thoreau’s ideas both in Concord and across the world.

Update: September 2025

Thanks to your generosity, we’ve met our fundraising goal of $20,500 to match the grant from the Lodestar Foundation! Sixty-five members of our shared community have contributed to support our next steps. These funds help us prepare the concrete proposal required to bring this potential merger to an official vote. 

Encouraged by the strong responses from our community and in answer to the specific questions and concerns you all have raised, we are doing the detailed work of drafting potential by-laws and mapping out what a new, merged organization could look like. Please review the Next Steps document for the community-driven priorities we are using as a guide. We are working toward having the detailed materials ready by November 1, so that we can gather your responses and feedback on a full proposal.

We encourage you to spend some time reviewing the existing documents that detail the 20 months of careful consideration already given to this question, the next few months of preparing for an official vote, and what happens after a vote, whether the merger passes or not.

Next Steps Document- Priorities, Potential, and Process.pdf

Next Steps FAQs.pdf answering some of the common questions from this planning phase. 

Process Timeline.pdf showing what happens from Summer 2025 in the lead up to and follow up from the official votes.

Merger-Areas-of-Redundancy Chart.pdf showing where administrative functions can be streamlined and resources freed up for mission-focused goals.

Update: August 2025

We are also thankful you have shared your concerns about maintaining those aspects of each organization that make them powerful. The academic rigor and intellectual exchange of the Society will continue in the publications, the Annual Gathering, and the spirit of the organization. The openness and access to Thoreau that the Farm provides for people from all backgrounds will also continue. It will not become a clubhouse for exclusive use of members and will continue to be a reliable support for partner organizations. We intend to safeguard these cultural assets as well as we safeguard the physical assets of the farmhouse and collections.

Many of you made it clear that you are supportive of a merger in theory, but have practical questions and are ready to dig into the details of how this organization will be structured and governed. The boards, encouraged by the responses in the community, are now continuing with the more detailed work of drafting potential by-laws and mapping out details of a new organization. We will keep you apprised every step of the way and ask for input and reactions at various points, so we can continue to shape this new organization together. Comments and questions are always welcome, either by reaching out to a member of the working group or boards or by submitting through this Google form.

The Thoreau Society is considering a merger with the Thoreau Farm Trust and we hope you will share with us your questions, concerns, ideas, and hopes related to this opportunity.

Read about the Process – Updated August 2025

See Chart of Process From Summer 2025

Submit Comments, Questions, or Ideas

Read the Merger FAQs 

See the At-A-Glance Comparison Chart

See Redundancies between Existing Organizations