Joel Chandler Harris | |
.jpg) HABS photo from 1985 | |
    | |
| Location | Ralph D. Abernathy Blvd., SW,Atlanta, Georgia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°44′16″N84°25′20″W / 33.73764°N 84.42219°W /33.73764; -84.42219 |
| Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha)[1] |
| Built | 1870 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000281 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966[2] |
| Designated NHL | December 19, 1962[3] |
| Designated ALB | October 14, 1989 |
Joel Chandler Harris House, also known asThe Wren's Nest orSnap Bean Farm, is aQueen Anne style house at 1050 Ralph D. Abernathy Blvd. (formerly Gordon Street.), SW.[3][2] inAtlanta, Georgia. Built in 1870, it was home toJoel Chandler Harris, editor of theAtlanta Constitution and author of theUncle Remus Tales, from 1881 until his death in 1908.[3][4]
The house was designated aNational Historic Landmark in 1962 for its association with Harris, and is alsodesignated as a historic building by the City of Atlanta. It is now ahistoric house museum.
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 bookUncle Remus: Songs and Sayings. He lived here until his death in 1908.[5] Harris had the home extended with six additional rooms and a newQueen Anne-style facade added in 1884. A furnace, indoor plumbing, and electricity were added circa 1900.[6]
In the late 1880s and early 1890s, Harris's goddaughter, Daisy Baker, who would becomeMargaret Dumont, lived at Snap Bean Farm.[7]
Harris originally referred to the home asSnap Bean Farm, as a reference to fellow authorEugene Field's home Sabine Farm. The name "Wren's Nest" came from his discovery of a family ofwrens living in the mailbox in the spring of 1895.[5]
After several years of correspondence, Indiana poetJames Whitcomb Riley visited Harris at Wren's Nest in 1900. Harris's children were especially interested in Riley and nicknamed himUncle Jeems.[6]
Ultimately, Harris wrote more than twenty books while living in the home as well as several editorials for theAtlanta Constitution and various articles for magazines and newspapers — including his own,The Uncle Remus Home Magazine.[8]
After Harris's death, businessmanAndrew 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.[8]
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 awren 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 aNational Historic Landmark in 1962.[1][3][9] 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.[10]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Media related toJoel Chandler Harris House at Wikimedia Commons
| Topics | |
|---|---|
| Lists by state |
|
| Lists by insular areas | |
| Lists by associated state | |
| Other areas | |
| Lists of specific structure types | |
| Related | |
