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Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
Center for the State of the Parks: Park Assessments
Published December 2009
Abraham Lincoln: The War Years, Remembrance Rock, Always the Young Strangers, Rootabaga Stories—these are just a few of Carl Sandburg’s many works. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author wrote many of his poems and books while living in Flat Rock, North Carolina, at his home called Connemara. Carl and Paula Sandburg lived at Connemara from 1945 until Carl’s death in 1967. Shortly thereafter, the property became part of Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site. Mrs. Sandburg donated the contents of her family’s home to the National Park Service so that visitors could experience what the Sandburgs’ lives were like during their time at Connemara. Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site includes the Sandburgs’ home and a barn complex where Mrs. Sandburg raised award-winning dairy goats, as well as 264 acres of forests, ponds, and pastures. Descendants of Mrs. Sandburg’s goats still live there and are cared for by park staff and volunteers. NPCA's Center for State of the Parks recently completed a review of Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s cultural and natural resources. This assessment determined that cultural resources are in "fair" condition overall; natural resource conditions were not rated due to a lack of information. The park could use a historic preservation specialist and additional maintenance personnel to care for historic structures and an archivist to re-catalog the archives. A historic resource study is needed to identify and evaluate the park’s cultural resources within historic contexts, provide data for resource management and interpretation, and help staff discover new ways to continue to ensure the park and the Sandburg story remain relevant to the public. The park benefits from strong community support. About 130 volunteers regularly serve the park, the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara raise money for park programs, and youth programs engage the next generation in the park and Carl Sandburg’s legacy.
