Four literary landmarks are in the running to receive a “Save Our Sites” grant from Tourism Cares, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving natural, cultural, and historic sites in the U.S. and abroad.
To cast your vote—and to find out what each place has planned for the grant money—click here. Voting is open until Friday, December 3rd.
F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum
Montgomery, Alabama
The Fitzgeralds settled in this Montgomery house after returning from Europe in 1931, and worked on their respective novels — Scott on Tender is the Night and Zelda on the semi-autobiographical Save Me the Waltz. This is the only museum in the world devoted to the Jazz Age pair.
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
Hartford, Connecticut
This Gothic Revival-style house was the last residence of the author whose anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, attracted the attention of even President Lincoln. The Nook Farm neighborhood attracted other literary notables, too. Stowe’s famous neighbor was Mark Twain.
Poe Cottage
Bronx, New York
This modest (c. 1812) cottage, where Poe suffered hard times both personally and professionally, is the only building from the time period to escape the urban sprawl that overtook the once-rural area north of New York City.
Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum
Hannibal, Missouri
The museum complex includes a number of buildings, including the raconteur’s boyhood home (left) and the “Becky Thatcher House” (residence of Laura Hawkins, the inspiration for the character in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer), which is currently undergoing restoration.
[Stowe House photo ©Harriet Beecher Stowe Center]
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December 1, 2010 at 10:08 am
Arti
Thanks for informing us about the vote. I’ll definitely vote for the Fitzgerald house, although all of them are worthy. Coincidentally, I’ve come here to search for any posts on The Great Gatsby… since there’s going to be a new movie adaptation. I know the West Egg is fictional, but still, I’d like to get a glimpse of its setting in Long Island. Could you point me to any post on that one?
December 1, 2010 at 11:30 am
noveldestinations
I know exactly what you mean. I’d love to see all four places receive a grant.
Currently we don’t have any posts specifically about THE GREAT GATSBY. The Fitzgeralds lived in Great Neck, New York, for 19 months in the 1920s, and the town became the model for West Egg in the novel. The house where Scott and Zelda lived, 6 Gateway Drive, is privately occupied. While they were in residence they often hosted parties that sometimes lasted for days.
In New York City, the Fitzgeralds were married in the rectory of St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. They were also frequent guests at the posh Plaza Hotel, situated near Central Park, which Fitzgerald used as a backdrop for a memorable scene in THE GREAT GATSBY.
Enjoy your literary travels!