The Attraction at Piggott, Arkansas

But, of course, these days Piggott is an important slice in the life of Ernest Hemingway, and recently, the Pfeiffer house was turned into the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center. The grand opening took place on July 4, 1999, on Ernest Hemingway's 100th birthday.

I enjoyed visiting this museum, giving visitors a peek at a life that had been chronicled in Hemingway's own writings. Both the home and the barn studio have been named to the National Historic Register. About 80 percent of the furniture in the house is original to when Hemingway stayed there and slept in Pauline's former pink bedroom!

In the Barn Studio, the poker table is the same one Ernest and his friends played numerous poker games on, and the Welsh dresser, chairs, and gentlemen's dresser are said to have been used by Hemingway during his stays, and the guide pointed out that even the toilet is the original one! However, the desk and typewriter, although like the original, are not. There are also numerous mementos and pictures throughout the house and studio. If you are a Hemingway fan, or just love "literary" destinations, like me, this is a great place to visit.

Open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m, and from noon to 3 p.m Saturdays, the museum is closed on Sundays and holidays. Admission is by donation. The museum is located at 1021 Cherry St, in Piggott, Arkansas.

I enjoyed my visit to the Pfeiffer-Hemingway Museum and Educational Center, in Piggott, Arkansas, one of the more interesting attractions on beautiful Crowley's Ridge Parkway.

Photos copyright of Rene Burghardt

Sources: The Arkansas Review, Volume 30, July 1999, Ernest Hemingway issue, which was available for sale at the museum, and the guide's explanations.

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