The Wren's Nest, Home of Joel Chandler Harris
N 33° 44.282 W 084° 25.330
16S E 738816 N 3736095
The home of Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Uncle Remus Tales.
Waymark Code: WMPFG
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 09/04/2006
Views: 28
The Wren's Nest, Home of Joel Chandler Harris
The Wren's Nest was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962.
If you enjoyed the Uncle Remus stories as a child like I did, then this house is a must see waymark. I first visited the Wren's Nest at age 8 or 9 and always enjoy coming back for a visit.
This country retreat on Snap Bean Farm was once the home of Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Uncle Remus Tales. Harris was also a prominent journalist and editor of the Atlanta Constitution newspaper. Influential black songwriter, author and statesman, James Weldon Johnson, said in 1921 "the Uncle Remus Tales constitute the greatest body of folklore that America has produced." Harris had just published his first Uncle Remus book when he moved to this house in 1881, and did most of his subsequent writing here until his death in 1908.
More commonly known as the Wren's Nest, today it is the oldest house museum in Atlanta. Largely unchanged since Harris's death, the historic home contains the original Harris furnishings as well as the original paint colors. It is an excellent and rare example of the early Victorian Queen Anne style in the Atlanta area. The house was dubbed the Wren's Nest in 1900, when the Harris children discovered a wren had built its nest inside their mailbox. They promptly erected a second mailbox so the birds would not be disturbed. In 1948, Walt Disney filmed Song of the South here and enclosed a portion of the porch on the east side to create a set of a cabin interior. Disney also moved a one-room log cabin to the backyard. The Wren's Nest was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962.
The Joel Chandler Harris Home, more commonly known as the Wren't Nest, is located at 1050 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd., in SW Atlanta, off I-20 at exit 19. It is open from Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00am to 2:30pm, except major holidays. Guided tours are offered Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday every hour on the half hour from 10:30am to 1:30pm. Special storytelling sessions, picnic grounds, and a museum store are also available. Call 404-753-7735 or email the historic site at wrensnest@mindspring.com for more information.