CONCORD — With rooms named Alcott, Emerson, and Thoreau, the Hawthorne Inn would seem like a natural gathering spot for the next great American writers, historians, or philosophers.
The nine-room inn is on 1½ acres along historic Battle Road, where Colonial militiamen marched with their muskets in April of 1775.
Named for the 19th century novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, the inn has drawn guests from all over the world and has attracted writers such as Noam Chomsky.
A new chapter could soon be written for the bed-and-breakfast operated for 40 years by innkeepers Marilyn Mudry and Gregory Burch.
The couple are seeking to sell the inn for $2.2 million and hope to find a buyer who will convert it into a nonprofit writers’ center.
“It’s always been our dream,’’ said Mudry, 63, seated in the building’s spacious private living room. “We’ve always drawn a certain type of visitor, who come to learn about the authors and the revolution.’’
The couple imagine a home where visiting writers would be inspired by the richly fertile land that was owned at various times by Bronson Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Hawthorne.
“It just has layer and layer of integrity and history,’’ said Burch, 62, as the couple’s German shepherd, Pashka, lay nearby. “The location is incredibly unique, here on the American mile.’’
Built in 1867 , the inn is across the road from The Wayside,Hawthorne’s home, and Orchard House, where Louisa May Alcott penned “Little Women.’’ The property is amid the farmland and battlefields of Minute Man National Historical Park.
The couple put the inn up for sale about one month ago. Marketing materials ask potential buyers “to exercise your imagination’’ and embrace the idea of turning the pink, stucco home into a writers’ center.
“We’ve had a few conversations with people, but nobody has come forward yet to say ‘We’ll do this,’’’ Burch said.
Until the inn is sold, the couple will continue taking reservations. But they are not booking special events, such as weddings or fund-raisers for local organizations.
They will consider offers from people who want to continue running it as an inn or who want to use it as a private residence. “We hope whoever buys it will respect the property and the history of it,’’ Burch said.
The prospect of a writers’ center at the Hawthorne appeals to its historic neighbors.
“It seems like a good goal,’’ said Nancy Nelson, superintendent of Minute Man National Historical Park. “It would be something that is in the tradition of Concord.’’
The park, which is run by the National Park Service, operates The Wayside, once an Alcott family home later owned by Hawthorne.
“Part of the story we tell is how a truly American literary tradition started in Concord,’’ she said. “A [writers’ center] would be something in keeping with the tradition of Concord.’’
Town officials have not taken a position on the prospect of bringing a writers’ center to town, saying it is a private real estate matter, said Sean Dugan, a spokesman for the town manager’s office.
Every October, thousands of people flock to town to attend Concord Festival of Authors. Visiting writers speak at the public library, churches, museums, and other venues. Many authors have stayed at the Hawthorne over the years, Mudry said.
Now it could become their own retreat.
“You could have poets, historians, short story writers coming through,’’ Mudry said. “People could come for a month, three months at a time.’’
The couple said they are in no position to run the center. After 40 years of welcoming guests, they plan to retire. They’ll continue to sell real estate in town. Burch will devote more time to his work as a Catholic deacon at Holy Family Parish in Concord.
“We don’t have the wherewithal or the experience running a nonprofit organization to manage it,’’ Burch said. “But we will be leaving this house. The building is available. What could be better?’’
Kathy McCabe can be reached at Katherine.McCabe@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @GlobeKMcCabe.
