|
Our Next Project: Rescue the Hill House
Make your donation online today!
The Foundation has
launched fundraising efforts to rescue and restore the home of Jack and
Louise Hill at Andalusia. The Hills lived in this two-story house located
just northwest of the main house with a boarder, Willie “Shot” Manson,
during the time that Flannery O’Connor lived at the farm. In fact,
O’Connor refers to these farm workers on several occasions in her
published letters, The Habit of Being. The house is most likely
the oldest extant structure on the property.
Visitors to Andalusia may
recall seeing a portrait of Louise Hill that is displayed on top of the
bookcases in Flannery O’Connor’s bedroom in the main house. The portrait
was painted by O’Connor’s good friend, Robert Hood, from St. Augustine,
Florida.
When PBS filmed an
adaptation of O’Connor’s short story “The Displaced Person” at Andalusia in
1976, the movie included interior and exterior scenes of the Hill house. It
was an essential part of the farm complex in the 1950s and 60s and still is
today. Andalusia is not just a place where O’Connor wrote her fiction – it
clearly inspired many of her stories.
Several generous Friends
have made donations for this restoration effort, which is the largest
project undertaken by the Foundation to date. We are applying for both
federal and state grants to save the Hill house, and we are appealing to
private funding sources too. Government grants require a dollar-for-dollar
match, so please consider making an extra gift this year to help us with
this very important endeavor.
Thank you for helping us as we continue our efforts to preserve one of America's national treasures -- Andalusia, the home of Flannery O'Connor.
|
