Willa Cather House facts for kids
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Willa Cather House
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Willa Cather house seen from east (Cedar Street)
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 Location in Nebraska
Location in the United States
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| Location | Southwestern corner of 3rd Avenue and Cedar Street in Red Cloud, Nebraska, United States |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1878 |
| MPS | Willa Cather TR (AD) |
| NRHP reference No. | 69000139 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 16, 1969 |
| Designated NHL | November 11, 1971 |
The Willa Cather House, also known as the Willa Cather Childhood Home, is a special historic house museum located in Red Cloud, Nebraska. This house, built in 1878, was the childhood home of Willa Cather (1873–1947), a very famous American author. Willa Cather wrote many important stories about what life was like on the American frontier in Nebraska during the early 1900s.
Because of its importance, the house was named a National Historic Landmark in 1971. It is one of eight buildings that are part of the Willa Cather State Historic Site. The Willa Cather Foundation owns and takes care of this historic site.
Exploring Willa Cather's Childhood Home
The Willa Cather House is found just west of downtown Red Cloud. It sits at the corner of North Cedar Street and West 3rd Avenue. The house is a one-and-a-half-story building made of wood. It has a pointed roof and wooden siding on the outside.
The front of the house has three sections. The main door is on the left side. A small porch with a flat roof stretches across the front. This porch is held up by square wooden posts that have pretty decorations between them.
Inside the house, you will find a living room at the front. Behind it are a dining room and the main bedroom. At the very back, there is a kitchen and a second bedroom. A narrow staircase from the kitchen leads up to the attic. This staircase and the attic space have been rebuilt to look like they did when Willa Cather lived there.
Willa Cather wrote about the back bedroom in one of her stories, calling it "grandmother's room." The stairs from the kitchen led to the attic, which was where Willa and her brothers and sisters slept. The inside of the house has been decorated with items that belonged to the Cather family and other things from that time period.
The Story of the Cather Family Home
The Willa Cather House was built in 1878. Willa Cather's parents moved their family into this house in the spring of 1885. Willa lived here until she was seventeen years old and left for college. Her parents continued to rent the house for several years after she left. They moved to another home in Red Cloud in 1904.
Even after she moved away, Willa Cather often came back to visit Red Cloud throughout her life. In 1960, the Willa Cather Memorial and Educational Foundation bought the house. They worked hard to restore it and make it look like it did when Willa Cather lived there.
Willa Cather said that the years she spent growing up in this house were very important for her writing. Even though she wrote most of her books and stories while living in other places, her childhood experiences in this home greatly influenced her work.
More to Explore
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Nebraska
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Webster County, Nebraska
- List of residences of American writers
