Robert E. Howard Museum

Robert E. Howard Museum
Robert E. Howard Museum
Location within Texas
Established 1919
Location Junction Tx Hwy 36 and Avenue J
Cross Plains, Texas
Coordinates 32°07′17″N 99°10′19″W / 32.121527°N 99.172009°W / 32.121527; -99.172009Coordinates: 32°07′17″N 99°10′19″W / 32.121527°N 99.172009°W / 32.121527; -99.172009
Type House museum
Website Robert E. Howard Museum

The Robert E. Howard Museum is located at the junction of Texas State Highway 36 and Avenue J in Cross Plains, in the county of Callahan, in the U.S. state of Texas. The museum was the family home of author Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan the Barbarian.[1] The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Callahan County, Texas in 1994.

History

The T-shaped white frame home was built c.1919, by Mr. and Mrs. J.M.Coffman. Dr. Isaac M. Howard and his wife Hester Ervin Howard bought it shortly thereafter. Their son Robert was a teenager when they moved into the home. A bathroom and rear porch were added by Dr. Howard.[2] Robert E. Howard committed suicide in his car in the driveway of the house in 1936. His father sold the house in 1944 to Mrs. Nancy Elizabeth Grisham.[3]

The structure was purchased in 1989 by the Cross Plains non-profit civic organization Project Pride. The organization restored the home and furnished it with period pieces. After the 1994 tornado in Cross Plains, the organization replaced damaged trees and repaired damage to the property. Project Pride added a nearby pavilion to facilitate community events.[4] The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places Listings in Callahan County, Texas in 1994.[2]

Museum

The amateur Robert E. Howard Press Association and the non-profit Robert H. Howard Foundation sponsor an annual event in June to celebrate the author's legacy.[5] The local library extends its hours during the event to make its Howard publications and memorabilia available to the public.[6]

Visitors to the museum may read Howard's suicide note, a copy of which is on display with his typewriter.[7]

Hours, admission

Admission only by pre-arrangement.[5]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert E. Howard.

References

  1. Dreher, Rod (12 February 1997). "A Writer Loves and Dies in Texas". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 "NRHP Howard House". Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  3. "THC RE Howard House". Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  4. Rippke, Dale E (2004). The Hyborian Heresies. Wild Cat Books. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-4116-1608-0.
  5. 1 2 "Robert E. Howard Home Restored by Project Pride". CrossPlains.com. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  6. Graham, Don (2011). State of Minds: Texas Culture and Its Discontents. University of Texas Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-292-72361-0.
  7. Boertlein, John (2010). Presidential Confidential: Sex, Scandal, Murder and Mayhem in the Oval Office. Clerisy Press. p. 312. ISBN 978-1-57860-361-9.
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