Ernest and Mary Hemingway House

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Ernest and Mary Hemingway House and Preserve
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Location Ketchum, Idaho, U.S.
Area14 acres (5.7 ha) [1]
Built1953;72 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 house itself is private, and not open to the public.

Contents

The house was built 72 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] The property is the last undeveloped property of its size within the city limits of Ketchum. 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]

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 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 [8] 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

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. [9]

The Hemingway Writer-in-Residence Program

The Community Library manages a Writer-in-Residence program to provide an inspirational, contemplative retreat for individuals aligned with the Library’s programs, major initiatives, and community partnerships. [10] [11]

A Writer in New Country: Hemingway in 1939

An 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.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 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. 1 2 3 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. ↑ "Center for Regional History". Community Library. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  9. ↑ Emery Davidson, Jenny (May 23, 2017). "New home, new mission for Hemingway's house in Central Idaho". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved February 7, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ↑ Manny, Bill (March 2, 2021). "Hemingway's history draws celebrated writers to Idaho to explore their craft, his world". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved February 7, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ↑ Staff, Express (April 28, 2023). "Hemingway House writers-in-residence to share their work". Idaho Mountain Express. Retrieved February 7, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ↑ "Wood River Museum". Community Library. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
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