The Eudora Welty House and Garden, located at 1109 Pinehurst St. in Jackson, across from Belhaven University, stands as a museum dedicated to the celebrated Mississippi author. Known for her novels and short stories set in the rural South, Welty earned a Pulitzer Prize in 1973 for The Optimist’s Daughter. The museum, which includes her home and garden, is operated by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) and serves as a popular springtime destination.
Built in 1925, the house was Welty’s residence for 76 years. In 1986, she donated her home and belongings to the state with the stipulation that she would live there until her death in 2001. Opened to the public in 2006, the house is modeled after Welty’s life in 1986 and has been recognized as a National Historic Landmark. The museum is described as one of the most intact literary homes in the country, according to the Welty House website.
Guided tours of the home are available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, with appointments beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Tickets are $10, with discounts for seniors, veterans, children, and students. Visitors can also explore the Visitor Center and garden for free during regular hours if they miss a tour appointment.
The Visitor Center features rotating exhibits. The current exhibit, “Eudora Welty: Other Places,” showcases photos Welty took during her travels to locations such as New York and New Orleans in the 1930s. Another exhibit, “One Writer’s Beginnings,” based on Welty’s memoir, offers insight into her early life, while “Out of Outrage: Processing the Murder of Medgar Evers” highlights Welty’s response to Evers’ murder in her short story “Where is the Voice Coming From?”
After the exhibits, a 20-minute film about Welty’s life and influence is shown before visitors proceed to tour her home.
“People would often walk up and down the street and catch a glimpse of [Welty] writing her next novel or short story,” said Ryan, a tour guide. “She would often have her windows open, and you could hear her typing away on her little typewriter.”
The nine-room house, filled with original furnishings, gives visitors a closer look at Welty’s personal life. Thousands of books, figurines, and other belongings are scattered throughout, offering glimpses into her character and inspirations.
“The Welty House is, in a word, special; and it’s wholly unique to Jackson,” said Dr. Michael Pickard, associate professor of English and Creative Writing at Millsaps College. “Nowhere else that I know in the state can you visit the house of a writer of Welty's stature that is filled with her actual belongings, not replicas brought in after the fact.”
The tour concludes in the garden, which was designed using plans created by Welty’s mother. The garden, one of only two botanical gardens in Mississippi, features many of the same plants that Welty and her mother originally grew. It is also a stop on the American Camellia Society Gulf Coast Camellia Trail.
The Eudora Welty House and Garden hosts community events, including writing workshops and lectures.
“I am grateful that our state has chosen to invest in creating these opportunities and in caring for Welty's beloved home,” Pickard said. “To my mind, this commitment helps to counter some of the negative stereotypes one sometimes hears about Mississippi.”
