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Anne
Spencer, noted African American
Virginia poet, was an
individualist with a questing
mind and an indomitable spirit.
Her Lynchburg home reflects
both. Tours of the Anne Spencer House
are conducted by her only son, Chauncey Edward Spencer, whose reminiscences of
his mother add a personal dimension few other homes on the National Register of
Historic Places can match.
Chauncey is quick to point out, "Mother
was the intellectual." It is readily apparent that her family and friends
recognized and encouraged her creative muse. Her daily routine, after 26 years
as a librarian at Dunbar High School, was clearly that of a thinker and poet.
She worked in her flower garden and wrote in the garden cottage during the later
afternoons. She would frequently stay in her garden cottage during dinner,
eating from a tray while she worked long into the night.
The garden cottage was added by her
husband, Edward Spencer, to give Anne a retreat where she could work
undisturbed. The name she gave her cottage-studio, Edankraal (Ed and Ann's
place), reveals their close relationship. Many of her poems touch on her love of
flowers and her garden oasis. A tender sentiment is expressed in the following
Anne Spencer poem:
He Said:
"Your garden of dusk
is the soul of love
Blurred in its beauty
And softly caressing;
I, gently daring
This sweetest confessing
Say your garden at dusk
Is your soul, My Love."
Both the garden and house provide an
intimate look at Anne Spencer. The house has remained as it was during the 72
years she lived here. It rings with her vibrant spirit. "Lines to a
Nasturtium" is printed on a nasturtium decorated wallpaper that covers a kitchen
cupboard.
The house was built for Edward Spencer and
his family in 1901 and he continued to work for years expanding and decorating
it. He added several guest rooms. The Spencers kept an open house for all
those interested in meeting and talking with Anne Spencer. Travel for African
Americans in the 1920s and '30s was difficult because so few accommodations were
available. Their children often referred to their home as an overground, not
underground, railroad. The Spencer home became a stopover for many political
and literary figures. James Weldon Johnson, Field Secretary of the NAACP, was
instrumental in thrusting Anne Spencer on the national horizon. He and H.L.
Mencken sought a publisher for her poems. Johnson's friendship led to a wider
circle of contacts. Visitors to the Spencer home included Booker T. Washington,
Paul Robeson, Charles Gilpin, Marian Anderson, Dr. George Washington Carver,
Langston Hughes, Carl Van Vechten, H.L. Mencken, Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B.
DuBois, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jackie Robinson, Mary McCloed Bethune and many
others. The Rev. Adam Clayton Powell and his bride honeymooned at the Spencer
home.
The Anne Spencer House is open by
appointment only. To arrange a visit call (804) 846-0517.
Directions:
From I-95 in the Richmond area take Route 360 southwest to Burkeville.
From there pick up Route 460 west to Lynchburg. At Lynchburg turn right on
Route 501, then take the Buena Vista off ramp to Kemper Street. Take Kemper
Street to 12th Street and turn right. Drive two blocks on 12th to Pierce
Street and turn right. The Anne Spencer House is at 1313 Pierce Street.
There is an Historical State Marker at the front of the house.
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