National Register of Historic Places

Morris, Wright, Boyhood House

Central City, Merrick County, Nebraska
Listed
October 21, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80002457

About this property

The Wright Morris Boyhood House is a vernacular-style house built in 1893 in Central City, Nebraska. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, as the boyhood home of author-photographer Wright Morris. The house was built in 1893 by W. C. Kerr, owner of Kerr Investment Company. It is a T-shaped, one-story vernacular frame house with two enclosed rear porches. It has three bays across the front with a centered doorway. It has a truncated hipped roof with a paneled cornice and gabled wall dormers centered on the front and rear of the house. The gabled pattern of the roof is repeated in the window and door trims. The interior includes pine woodwork, sliding doors, window seat, and a leaded glass transom window. Its primary historical significance is its connection to Wright Morris, who was born in Central City, Nebraska on January 6, 1910, and lived in this house until 1919. The city and the house played a significant role in his literary works and photography. In a private letter he wrote: "The house in which I spent my childhood, and remains the center of all my boyhood impressions, is on the southwest corner of B and D, across from the Baptist Church. I confess I feel a great attachment for it."

Location

304 D St.
Central City, Merrick County, Nebraska
41.11729, -98.02767

Categories

LITERATURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

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Questions about this property

When was Morris, Wright, Boyhood House listed on the National Register?

Morris, Wright, Boyhood House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 21, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Morris, Wright, Boyhood House?

Morris, Wright, Boyhood House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Morris, Wright, Boyhood House?

The period of significance for Morris, Wright, Boyhood House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Morris, Wright, Boyhood House?

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