COME FOR A HOUSE & COTTAGE TOUR or GARDEN VISIT!
ADDRESS: 1313 Pierce Street, Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
CONTACT: Call: 434 845-1313
Click here to email Shaun Spencer-Hester
Click here to download Traveling Trunk and SOL Activity Program
DIRECTIONS: GOOGLE MAPS click here.
The GARDEN at the home of Anne Spencer is open, free of charge, every day, dawn to dusk.
To visit the GARDEN, park at the house, 1313 Pierce Street, and walk down the brick-lined driveway through the garden gate. There are brochures in a box just inside the gate. In addition, there is information about the garden through push-button speakers located at the front door of the garden cottage, Edankraal, and on the post of the birdhouse beside the garden pond.
The garden, with its charming cottage, Edankraal, was Anne Spencer's retreat and source of inspiration for much of her poetry. The design is Anne' s own, built for her by her husband. Edward, and has been restored, capturing the spirit of her 1937 garden as revealed in vintage photographs. The colorful grape arbor and wisteria pergola divide the garden into rooms, and the pond with its fountain head, named “Prince Ebo”, forms the terminus of the garden. Flowers, bulbs, flowering shrubs, and Anne Spencer's original roses provide abundant bloom as the seasons progress.
The garden is lovely at any season, but peak bloom is during March, April, May, and June.
To visit the Historic Museum & Cottage
NOTE: The House & Cottage Museums are closed November through March, except by special arrangement)
A visit to the Anne Spencer home is a fascinating experience for visitors of all ages. The beautiful home is furnished almost exactly as Anne Spencer left it when she died in 1975. It has been said that it is as if she went out to the store and hasn't returned yet. Phone numbers are still scribbled on the wall of Anne' s telephone booth in the front hall, and her magazines and newspapers, table settings, and kitchen utensils are still close by where she would have used them. The colorful upstairs bedrooms where the family slept, as well as where many important guests stayed overnight, are of interest. Edward Spencer's clever handiwork throughout the house where he re-used architectural items salvaged from other sites attests to his creativity and skills.
Hours for Tours of the House: Saturday 1 – 4, or by appointment.
Fees:
Adults: $10.00
Seniors: $5.00
Children under 12: $3.00
(Children under age 12 must be accompanied by an adult)
College Students with institutional ID: $5.00
For groups of 10 or more persons, please call for an appointment:
Group Rates: Adults: $5.00
Seniors: $3.00
College Students with institutional ID: $3.00
SCHOOL TOURS:
Students of all ages are invited for a tour of the home and garden. The tour content can be tailored to a variety of grade levels, and to the size of the group. An educational video and books about Anne Spencer have been supplied to each school library in the Lynchburg Public School system and are strongly recommended for viewing and discussion before the visit. In addition, a Kid's Guide brochure, designed especially for younger classes, is available.
Fees for School Groups:
Students: $2.00
Adults: $3.00
Click here for a PDF of our Kid's Guide
Click here for a PDF of our Teacher's Guide
Coming Soon!
Travel Trunk & Standard of Learning Based Activity Program - Grade 2nd-12th, and information available for college students who are also interested in the Spencer's involvement in the Harlem Renaissance, Jim Crow and the Civil Rights .
Accessibility: The garden and first floor of the Anne Spencer House and Cottage are accessible for visitors with disabilities. A photo book of the house museum second floor is available for viewing upon request.
Food: Students may bring and eat a bag lunch in the garden area, weather permitting.
Restrooms: Restrooms currently are only available on the second floor of the house museum.
1313 Pierce Street • Lynchburg, Virginia 24501 • 434-845-1313 • The Garden Conservancy provides preservation assistance to the Anne Spencer garden