Ernest and Mary Hemingway House

Coordinates: 43°41′38″N 114°22′34″W / 43.694°N 114.376°W / 43.694; -114.376
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Ernest and Mary Hemingway House
Ketchum is located in Idaho
Ketchum
Ketchum
Ketchum is located in the United States
Ketchum
Ketchum
LocationKetchum, Idaho, U.S.
Coordinates43°41′38″N 114°22′34″W / 43.694°N 114.376°W / 43.694; -114.376
Area14 acres (5.7 ha)[1]
Built1953; 71 years ago (1953)
NRHP reference No.13001073
Added to NRHPMarch 13, 2015

The Ernest and Mary Hemingway House, in Ketchum, Idaho, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.[2] The National Register does not disclose its location but rather lists it as "Address restricted."[1] The property is the last undeveloped property of its size within the city limits of Ketchum.[1]

The house was built 71 years ago in 1953 for Henry J. "Bob" Topping Jr. It is a two-story, 2,500-square-foot (230 m2) home in Ketchum, west of the Big Wood River.[3] Similar to the Sun Valley Lodge a few miles away, its exterior walls are concrete, poured into rough-sawn forms and then acid-stained to simulate wood. It was sold to Hemingway in 1959 for its asking price of $50,000, and the Hemingways occupied it in November 1959.[1]

On the morning of Sunday, July 2, 1961, Hemingway died in the home of a self-inflicted head wound from a shotgun.[3][4][5][6] After a brief funeral four days later, he was buried at the city cemetery.[7]

The Nature Conservancy acquired ownership in 1986.[1] In May 2017, ownership was transferred to The Community Library in Ketchum, a privately funded public library.[3]

According to the Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History, also owned by The Community Library, Ernest Hemingway's final home, and Mary Hemingway's home until 1986, is managed by The Community Library Association as a private residence for visiting writers, and the site of ongoing preservation efforts.

The Community Library became the custodian of the Hemingway House and Preserve in May 2017, following the 30-year ownership of the House by The Nature Conservancy. The change marked a new approach to the preservation and promotion of the iconic writer's legacy in the American West, and by a library whose own history is intertwined with Hemingway's.

The Community Library honors the House as a contemplative, non-commercial space, and they are prioritizing ongoing preservation efforts and a writer-in-residence program there. They ask the public to respect the privacy of the place. You can take a virtual tour of the House[8] and learn more about Hemingway's time in Idaho through the Library's digital Hemingway library.

The Ketchum, Idaho, house, and its associated 13.9 acres of land alongside the Big Wood River, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its association with the great writer and because it is an exquisite example of mid-century architecture.

The house is incorporated into a larger historical and literary program that explores Hemingway's abiding connections to the remote and rugged region, a place he visited for two decades, and the place where he turned to make his final home after his departure from Cuba.

Artifacts from the Ernest and Mary Hemingway House and Preserve are being preserved by the Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History[9] and will be made accessible to the public through periodic displays at the Library and the Wood River Museum of History and Culture, as well as through research requests.

Stewardship of the Hemingway House[edit]

Since taking over the management of the house and legacy, the Library undertook a needed series of restoration measures on the exterior and interior in order to protect the 1953 house and its contents. Notable in the infrastructure work done to date are the re-shingling of the roof — from shake back to shingle (with a Class A assembly); the painting of the house exterior trim; partially regrading the original gravel drive; installing a new boiler, and removing several dying trees.

Importantly, the preservation measure of replacing eleven picture windows in the living room, bedrooms, and kitchen with UV-protected double-paned glass will ensure the artifacts within the house against UV light damage. This project was made possible by a grant award from the Idaho Heritage Trust. We are pleased and thankful to be able to protect the house collections from the beautiful but harmful rays of sunlight that come through the windows.

The Hemingway Writer-in-Residence Program[edit]

"The Hemingway Writer-in-Residence[10] is a residency program based in Ketchum, Idaho, and managed by The Community Library, custodian of the historic and privately-operated Ernest and Mary Hemingway House and Preserve."[11] The house is private. "The residency program is by invitation only, as we are focused at this time on aligning the residency with the Library's programs, major initiatives, and community partnerships. Letters of inquiry may be submitted here and submissions may include a CV and/or writing sample. The Library fields a large number of inquiries. We thank you for understanding that we are not able to respond to all inquiries and that responses may be delayed. We typically are not able to respond  to time-sensitive inquiries."[11] The residency program was started in early 2019.

A Writer in New Country: Hemingway in 1939[edit]

This exhibit at the Wood River Museum of History and Culture[12] in Ketchum, Idaho, examines who Hemingway was when he arrived in 1939: a writer at his peak, a globetrotter drawn to remote places, a rugged outdoor enthusiast, and a man with complicated personal relationships. Visitors can type their own “One True Sentence” on a vintage typewriter just like Ernest Hemingway used!

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Donald W. Watts (November 22, 2013). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Ernest and Mary Hemingway House / IHSI #13-94" (PDF). state of Idaho. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 18, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017. Includes 22 photos from 2013.
  2. ^ "Ernest Hemingway's Idaho house put on National Register". BBC. August 13, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Ridler, Keith (May 23, 2017). "Hemingway house changes hands, still off limits to public". Associated Press. (also available here)
  4. ^ "Rugged Ernest Hemingway kills himself with shotgun". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. July 3, 1961. p. 1.
  5. ^ "Hemingway's death via shotgun wound mourned by millions". Bend Bulletin. (Oregon). United Press International. July 3, 1961. p. 1.
  6. ^ "Authorities rule out inquest in death of famed novelist". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). AP, UPI reports. July 3, 1961. p. 1A.
  7. ^ "Hemingway given quiet funeral". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. July 7, 1961. p. 7.
  8. ^ "Hemingway in Idaho". Community Library. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  9. ^ "Center for Regional History". Community Library. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  10. ^ "Writer-in-Residence Program". Community Library. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Writer-in-Residence Program". The Community Library Association. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  12. ^ "Wood River Museum". Community Library. Retrieved October 16, 2023.

External links[edit]

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