Ernest Hemingway Foundation

What We Do

The Foundation operates two Hemingway sites in Oak Park, IL – The Hemingway Museum and the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace–and offers educational programs, such as free lectures, short story discussion groups and special events. The Foundation acquired the Boyhood home in 2001 and is exploring options for its use.

Hemingway and Oak Park
One of the greatest writers of the 20th century, Ernest Hemingway won a Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Although most of us think of Hemingway as an adventure seeker–a worldly man at home in the bullrings of Spain and the plains of Africa–he spent the first 20 years of his life in the small Midwestern village of Oak Park, Illinois, an experience that profoundly affected his character and work. It's hard to imagine this author of tough, terse prose as a choirboy in the family church, or the son of a devout family that shunned alcoholic spirits. Yet it was this strict upbringing, along with his father's passion for nature and his mother's attention to her children's artistic talents, that helped shape Hemingway's legendary life and career.

Hemingway Birthplace, 339 N. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL
Ernest Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899, in this stylish Queen Anne home built for his maternal grandparents. He lived here for the first six years of his life, surrounded by his extended family, before moving to a second home in Oak Park. Today, Hemingway's birthplace is open to the public and has recently undergone extensive restoration. The home features historic photographs of the family, original furniture and memorabilia from the Hemingways.

More about the Hemingway Birthplace Home

Hemingway Museum, 200 N. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL
Just a short walk from the birthplace, the Ernest Hemingway Museum is host to permanent and temporary exhibits that explore the author's life. Kiosks fashioned from historic doors hold exhibits of rare photos and artifacts, including Hemingway's childhood diary and the famous letter from nurse Agnes von Kurowsky–later portrayed in A Farewell to Arms–terminating their engagement. Special exhibits highlight Hemingway's love of nature and the arts, along with his involvement in both World Wars and the movies. Other exhibits include The Eye of the Writer, Picturing Hemingway (traveling exhibit), and From Oak Park to Cojinmr (50th anniversary of the publication of The Old Man and the Sea). A museum bookshop features books by and about the author, gift items, videos and posters.

More about the Hemingway Museum

Tour Hours
Both the Hemingway Museum and the Hemingway Birthplace are open for public tours Sunday through Friday, 1 pm to 5 pin and Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm. Special group tour rates and times are also available.

For more information, contact The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park at 708.848.2222