Joel Chandler Harris House

Joel Chandler Harris

HABS photo from 1985
Location Ralph D. Abernathy Blvd., SW, Atlanta, Georgia
Coordinates 33°44′16″N 84°25′20″W / 33.73764°N 84.42219°W / 33.73764; -84.42219Coordinates: 33°44′16″N 84°25′20″W / 33.73764°N 84.42219°W / 33.73764; -84.42219
Area 3 acres (1.2 ha)[1]
Built 1870
Architect Unknown
Architectural style Late Victorian
NRHP Reference # 66000281
Significant dates
Added to NRHP October 15, 1966[2]
Designated NHL December 19, 1962[3]

Joel Chandler Harris House, also known as The Wren's Nest or Snap Bean Farm, is a Queen Anne style house at 1050 Ralph D. Abernathy Blvd. (formerly Gordon Street.), SW.[3][2] in Atlanta, Georgia. Built in 1870, it was home to Joel Chandler Harris, editor of the Atlanta Constitution and author of the Uncle Remus Tales, from 1881 until his death in 1908.[3] He is most known as author of the "Uncle Remus" tales, based upon stories he heard slaves tell during his youth.[4]

The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962 for its association with Harris, and is also designated as a historic building by the City of Atlanta. It is now a historic house museum.

Overview

The house was built circa 1868 in an area then known for its upper-class residents. Harris began renting the home in 1881 before buying it two years later thanks to earnings from his first book Uncle Remus: Songs and Sayings. He lived here until his death in 1908.[5] Harris had the home extended with six additional rooms and a new Queen Anne-style facade added in 1884. A furnace, indoor plumbing, and electricity were added circa 1900.[6]

Harris originally referred to the home as Snapbeam Farm, as a reference to fellow author Eugene Field's home Sabine Farm. The name "Wren's Nest" came from his discovery of a family of wrens living in the mailbox in the spring of 1895.[5]

After several years of correspondence, Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley visited Harris at Wren's Nest in 1900. Harris's children were especially interested in Riley and nicknamed him Uncle Jeems.[6]

Ultimately, Harris wrote more than twenty books while living in the home as well as several editorials for the Atlanta Constitution and various articles for magazines and newspapers — including his own, The Uncle Remus Home Magazine.[7]

Modern history

The Wren's Nest in 2009

After Harris's death, businessman Andrew Carnegie donated $5,000 toward establishing the home as a museum. He had met Harris there in 1900 during a 20-minute visit.[6] From 1913 to 1953, the home was managed by the Uncle Remus Memorial Association, a group of volunteers who operated the house as a museum. In 1983, the organization became known as the Joel Chandler Harris Association.[7]

The home still contains furnishings owned by Harris and utilizes the original paint colors. The house became known as Wren's Nest in 1900 after the Harris children found a wren had built a nest in the mail box; the family built a new mailbox in order to leave the nest undisturbed. The structure was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962.[1][3][8] The original mailbox that housed the family of wrens and led to the home's name was recreated during a renovation in 1991.[6]

The organization that maintains the Wren's Nest offers tours and regular storytelling. The organization also has two writing programs for Atlanta area youth: KIPP Scribes, in partnership with APS charter school KIPP STRIVE Academy, and Wren's Nest Publishing Company, an entirely high school student run literary journal.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Blanche Higgins Schroer (May 15, 1975) National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Joel Chandler Harris House / The Wren's Nest; Snap Bean Farm, National Park Service and Accompanying one photo, front porch, from 1975
  2. 1 2 National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Joel Chandler Harris House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  4. ↑ "New Georgia Encyclopedia".
  5. 1 2 Burke, Michelle Prater. The Ideals Guide to Literary Places in the U.S. Nashville, TN: Ideals Publications Incorporated, 1998: 80. ISBN 0-8249-4093-8
  6. 1 2 3 4 Burke, Michelle Prater. The Ideals Guide to Literary Places in the U.S. Nashville, TN: Ideals Publications Incorporated, 1998: 81. ISBN 0-8249-4093-8
  7. 1 2 Burke, Michelle Prater. The Ideals Guide to Literary Places in the U.S. Nashville, TN: Ideals Publications Incorporated, 1998: 82. ISBN 0-8249-4093-8
  8. ↑ "Joel Chandler Harris Home". National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  9. ↑ Doty, Cate (2007-07-01). "Rehabilitating Uncle Remus (and His House in Atlanta)". New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved 2007-07-01.

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