Edwin Arlington Robinson House facts for kids
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Edwin Arlington Robinson House
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | Gardiner, Maine |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000070 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 11, 1971 |
| Designated NHL | November 11, 1971 |
The Edwin Arlington Robinson House is a special historic home in Gardiner, Maine. It's a two-story wooden house that became a National Historic Landmark in 1971. This house is famous because it was home to Edwin Arlington Robinson, a very important American poet from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
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Exploring the Robinson House
This historic house sits on Lincoln Street in a quiet neighborhood. It's a 2+1⁄2-story building made of wood. The roof slopes down on the sides, and it has two chimneys inside.
What the House Looks Like
The outside of the house is covered with wooden boards. A porch with square posts wraps around the front and left side. These posts have cool, decorative wooden arches between them.
The front of the house has five sections. The main door is in the middle. On either side of the door are tall windows. Upstairs, there are four shorter windows. A two-story bay window sticks out on the north side. There's also a smaller, 1+1⁄2-story section at the back.
Inside the Historic Home
On the first floor, two large living rooms are separated by a central staircase. The dining room and kitchen are in the back section of the house.
Upstairs, you'll find the bedrooms. One bedroom was changed into a bathroom. There's a small study in the bay window area. This is where Edwin Arlington Robinson used to write his poems! His own bedroom was a small room right next to the staircase. The attic space was later finished to add another bedroom and bathroom.
A Poet's Childhood Home
Edwin Arlington Robinson's parents moved into this house in 1870. He was only about one year old at the time. He grew up here, spending his childhood and teenage years in Gardiner.
In 1891, he left to study at Harvard College. He was a special student there for two years. He returned to this house in 1893. By then, he had already started writing poetry. He had decided he wanted to be a professional poet.
His first book of poems, The Torrent and the Night Before, came out in 1896. That same year, he moved out of the house. He later split his time between Gardiner, New York City, Boston, and the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire. The house stayed in his family until 1903. It is still privately owned today.
Why Edwin Arlington Robinson is Important
Edwin Arlington Robinson was a very important American poet. He lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He won three Pulitzer Prizes for his amazing work.
Recognized by a President
Even President Theodore Roosevelt admired Robinson's poetry. President Roosevelt helped him get a job at the custom house in New York. This job gave Robinson time to focus on his writing.
His Unique Poetry Style
Robinson's poems often explored what it means to be human. His work could sometimes be dark, but it also showed moments of hope and understanding. Besides his early poems, he was also praised for his 1916 work, The Man Against the Sky.
Edwin Arlington Robinson passed away in New York in 1935. He is buried in the cemetery located right behind his childhood home in Gardiner.
