Eudora Welty House Launches New Website
The Eudora Welty House & Garden has launched a new website that allows visitors to experience the home of the Pulitzer Prize–winning author online. The website features educational resources for students and teachers, photographs of the home, a calendar of upcoming events, and a bloom calendar of Welty’s historic botanical garden.
“Gardening was a creative outlet for Welty, who mentions more than 150 kinds of plants in her stories,” said Lauren Rhoades, director of the Eudora Welty House & Garden. “We are pleased that the website also highlights the important bond that Welty and her mother, Chestina Andrews Welty, formed while working together in the garden.”
The website provides links to free resources for teachers and students to develop a deeper appreciation for Welty’s life and works. Visitors can learn about Welty's life and writings, as well as the MDAH Eudora Welty Collection, one of the most varied literary collections in the United States. Teachers can access learning tools geared for the classroom through the Eudora Welty Foundation.
From online events to film screenings and live music on the lawn, visitors have access to a calendar of Welty House events on the new website. Currently, staff are leading a “Welty at Home” book club around Welty’s Losing Battles, with live virtual discussions that take place each Wednesday through June.
The website’s bloom calendar informs visitors of the heirloom plants blossoming in Welty’s garden throughout the year. The garden, designed by Chestina in 1925, mixes annuals, perennials, and bulbs in borders—not beds—creating distinct “rooms” to enjoy. The bloom calendar includes lively photographs of the garden, which is one of only two public botanical gardens in Mississippi.
“Thanks to the generosity of Eudora Welty and her family, MDAH holds a comprehensive collection that offers a full picture of the life, work, and creative experience of one of the world’s great writers,” said Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. “This new website offers an attractive and user-friendly portal to Welty’s life, literary accomplishments, house, and garden. We are thrilled to welcome the public to the new website today, and we look forward to reopening the site as soon as it’s safe.”
Visit the new website for the Welty House & Garden at eudoraweltyhouse.com.