Park volunteer conducts a tour of the Carl Sandburg house
Guided house tours of the Carl Sandburg Home are held Wednesdays through Sundays at least once an hour starting at 11 AM, with the last tour starting at 3 PM. On busy days the tours run every half hour. While the National Park Service website claims the tours are 30 minutes long, my tour lasted an entire hour, so set aside an hour in your schedule just in case.
You can only enter the house when on a tour (except for the Visitor Center portion on the bottom floor), and there is a fee. The best option is to make a reservation in advance at Recreation.gov. Any tickets that are not purchased in advance online can be purchased at the Visitor Center on the day of the tour. Payment is with a credit / debit card only—no cash. Those with a National Park Annual Pass get a discount on the ticket price, but not a free ticket. For the current prices, check the National Park Service’s official Tour the Sandburg Home web page for the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site.
There is a limit of 10 guests per tour. The busiest times are from late March to early April when the baby goats are born; during the fall when the leaves change color; and on Fee Free Days, which, according to a Ranger, are the busiest of all days (all tickets on Fee Free Days are first come, first served). If you didn’t make an advance reservation, arrive early during these times if you want to get a tour at all, and forget about showing up just in time for the last tour. At other times of the year, walk-up visitors should be able to get on the next available tour, particularly if you are by yourself or with just one other person. Larger groups may have to wait. When I visited on a Saturday in early May, I was able to get on the next tour, but there were only four spots left. A group of six came in right after me and had to wait until the tour after mine.
The National Park Service requests that groups of ten or more call in advance. Visit the Adult Group Reservation web page on the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site website for more information.
The Sandburg House is located up a steep driveway .3 mile from the main parking lot. If you are in a wheelchair or have trouble walking, the National Park Service provides a shuttle bus to bring you to the house. A phone number is posted at the parking lot; call this to have the shuttle come get you.
Carl Sandburg Home
The Sandburg House tour covers the second and third floors of the home. There is a lift to the second floor for wheelchair-bound visitors and those who cannot walk up stairs, but not to the third floor (stairs only). Fortunately, most of the rooms are on the second floor.
You can take photos in the house, but cannot use a flash. Lighting is low, but the main problem is getting photos without the tour group in the way. The secret is to be the last one out of the room; get your photos as you leave, not when you arrive.
Sandburg Home and Front Lake at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
As for the house itself, it was built in 1838 by Christopher Memminger, who went on to serve as Secretary of the Confederate Treasury during the Civil War. The second owner was Ellison Smyth, and it is he who named the home Connemara after his homeland in west Ireland. Local residents knew the house as the Smyth House.
Meanwhile, on the dunes of Lake Michigan where the Sandburgs had a home, Lilian Sandburg, Carl’s wife, had been raising goats since 1935. By the early 1940s, the goats had outgrown the property and Lilian wanted to move somewhere with more land and a warmer climate. Carl had no objection as long as it was quiet so he could write. During a visit to North Carolina, Lilian learned that the Smyth house—now owned by Ellison’s heirs—was for sale. The Sandburgs purchased the house, and in 1945 the family moved to Flat Rock, North Carolina. The family included Carl, Lilian, their daughters Margaret, Janet, and Helga, plus Helga’s two children, John and Paula, from a first marriage.
The Sandburgs lived in the home until Carl’s death on July 22, 1967. The next year Lilian donated the house and its entire contents to the National Park Service, and in 1968 Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site was opened. It was the first National Park dedicated to an author.
Along with the furnishings are more than 11,000 of Carl’s books (there are approximately 17,000, but only 11,000 are on display in the home). All of the goats were sold, for Lilian didn’t want the park to be about her and the goats, but about her husband. Since then, the park has acquired goats that are direct descendants of the original goats and has restarted the goat farm.
Sitting room in the Carl Sandburg house, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
Room in the Sandburg House used as an office and for storage, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
Lilian Sandburg’s office, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
Dining Room in the Sandburg House, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
Carl Sandburg’s office, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
Carl Sandburg’s books, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
Carl and Lilian Sandburg’s bedroom, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on March 27, 2024
