Eudora Welty House

Eudora Welty House

Eudora Welty House front
Location 1119 Pinehurst Street, Jackson, Mississippi
Coordinates 32°19′7.7″N 90°10′13.22″W / 32.318806°N 90.1703389°W / 32.318806; -90.1703389Coordinates: 32°19′7.7″N 90°10′13.22″W / 32.318806°N 90.1703389°W / 32.318806; -90.1703389
Built 1925
Architect Wyatt C. Hedrick
Architectural style Tudor Revival
NRHP Reference # 02001388
USMS # 049-JAC-5917-NHL-ML
Significant dates
Added to NRHP November 21, 2002[1]
Designated NHL August 18, 2004[2]
Designated USMS September 21, 2001[3]

The Eudora Welty House at 1119 Pinehurst Street in Jackson, Mississippi was the home of author Eudora Welty for nearly 80 years. It was built by her parents in 1925.[4] In it she did all her writing, in an upstairs bedroom. Welty created the garden over decades. The house was first declared a Mississippi Landmark in 2001,[3] added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002,[1] and declared a National Historic Landmark in 2004.[2][5] This was part of a raised awareness of the significance of authors and literary life in the United States.

The house was restored by the Eudora Welty Foundation and State of Mississippi. In 2006 the house and garden were opened to the public as an author's house museum.[6] The renovation of the house and garden is part of a larger effort to celebrate and promote Mississippi's literary heritage as a means of developing tourism to the state.[7]

The Garden

This garden was designed by Chestina Welty, Eudora Welty’s mother in 1925. The garden was often referred to by Eudora and her mother as a labor of love.[8] It is located in the back of Eudora Welty’s childhood home and is a popular tourist attraction. Visitors are able to come and explore the vast amount of different types of flowers growing in the garden. The garden has a rose garden section, woodland garden section and a camellia flower collection. Chestina Welty put enormous effort into the design of the garden, she wanted a different type of flower to blossom for each season. For example, hollyhocks usually appear in the garden during the summer months. Some of the flowers in this garden even appear in Eudora Welty’s stories, such as Flowers for Marjorie.

Recent Events

On December 18, 2014, a fire occurred at Commons Hall, which is located on the same grounds as Eudora Welty’s birthplace. Commons Hall is a place that people use to host family reunions, parties, weddings, wedding receptions and many other types of social events. The fire was first noticed by a Commons Hall employee at approximately 7:30 a.m., it started in the fireplace chimney and ended up traveling to the attic.[9] The fire was ruled to be accident by investigators.[10] No individuals were hurt and no historic artifacts were damaged. However, severe damage was done to the building itself that will cost around a million dollars to fix.

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 "Eudora Welty House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
  3. 1 2 "Mississippi Landmarks" (PDF). Mississippi Department of Archives and History. May 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  4. ↑ "One Writer's Retreat". The Sun Herald. 2006-05-02. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  5. ↑ Richard J. Cawthon and Daniel J. Vivian (January 13, 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Eudora Welty House" (pdf). National Park Service.
  6. ↑ Roger Mudd (2006-05-04). "A Shrine to Southern Literature, Slightly Frayed". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  7. ↑ George McNeill (2005-05-02). "State's Literary History Plays Role in Tourism Development". Mississippi Business Journal. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  8. ↑ http://eudorawelty.org/the-garden/
  9. ↑ http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/27660149/eudora-welty-commons-on-fire
  10. ↑ http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2014/12/18/eudora-welty-commons-hall-fire/20582567/

External links


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