In a recent visit over to Oak Park, about 40 minutes from where we live on the far North Side of Chicago, we strolled over to Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace, a beautiful Victorian house that is now a museum. Lovingly restored in the 1990s, they normally do frequent tours, but due to the pandemic, do them very infrequently. Still, if you’re in the neighborhood, it’s worth checking out.
Built by his grandparents Ernest and Caroline Hall in 1890, Hemingway was born on the second floor on July 21, 1899 and lived here for the first six years of his life. Acquired by The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park in December 1992, their website provides details about the restoration.
A few years ago I had the privilege of taking a tour of the home and it’s beautiful. (This despite the fact that when I asked our guide about Hemingway’s works, he admitted he was a retired math teacher and had never read a word by Hemingway. Strange, since it was a volunteer position…Still, he memorized the script well.)
For more information check out the official website here. As of this writing they are doing Live Virtual Tours, so even if you’re not in the Chicago area, you could still experience this part of history.
