John Updike Childhood Home

John Updike Childhood Home
John Updike Childhood Home
Location117 Philadelphia Ave, Shillington, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°18′08″N 75°57′54″W / 40.30222°N 75.96500°W / 40.30222; -75.96500
NRHP reference No.100003635
Added to NRHPApril 22, 2019

The John Updike Childhood Home is the childhood home of American novelist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner John Updike, who lived there with his father Wesley Russell Updike and mother Linda Grace Hoyer Updike, who was also a writer. The home is located in Shillington, Pennsylvania, a suburb of the City of Reading.[1][2]

History and architectural features

Living in the house from the time he was born until he was thirteen years of age, Updike wrote his first fiction, poetry and prose in the house and "famously said it was where his 'artistic eggs were hatched.'”[3][4][5] The home and surrounding communities of Shillington and Reading inspired a great deal of Updike's writings, with several of his works specifically incorporating parts of the house and the community.[4][6][7][8]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 22, 2019.[9] In 2021, the home received a Pennsylvania Historic Marker and was opened as a museum operated by the John Updike Society.[10] The museum features ten rooms of exhibits that discuss Updike's childhood and the influence the area had on him and his writing.[3]

References

  1. ^ Ecenbarger, William. "Updike's Shillington home being converted to museum." Allentown, Pennsylvania: The Morning Call, August 21, 2014, p. A6 (subscription required).
  2. ^ Boccella, Kathy. "In the land of Updike's youth." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 28, 2009, pp. A1, A13 (subscription required).
  3. ^ a b Ruth, Amanda. "John Updike Childhood Home / The John Updike Society". Lehigh Valley Passport To History. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  4. ^ a b Rearden, Caitlin. "John Updike's childhood home set for opening as museum". WFMZ.com. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  5. ^ "The John Updike Childhood Home - Visit PA Americana". Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  6. ^ "Future uncertain for home of late author John Updike." Pottsville, Pennsylvania: Republican and Herald, April 20, 2012, p. A24 (subscription required).
  7. ^ Ecenbarger, William. "Updike Is Home." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 12, 1983, p. 19 (subscription required).
  8. ^ Romano, Carlin. "Pennsylvania's Literary Giant: Urbane, he wrote of ordinary Americans." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 28, 2009, pp. A1, A12 (subscription required).
  9. ^ "NPGallery Asset Detail". npgallery.nps.gov. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  10. ^ "John Updike's Shillington home is now a museum and historic site". Reading Eagle. 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2022-08-05.