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Charles Thompson introduced Hemingway to the exciting world of big game sport fishing, and a long friendship was born. Charles and his wife Lorine entertained the Hemingways at their home on Fleming Street. Lorine Thompson proved to be as friendly and gracious as her husband Charles, and it was during those early days in Key West she and Pauline forged a friendship that would endure for the rest of their lives. Both Ernest and Pauline grew to love Key West and its inhabitants, and soon decided to look for a permanent residence.
The Cat Walk
Guided tours are a big draw, offering insights into Hemingway’s life and times in Key West. These tours are not just walks through an old house; they are storytelling sessions that bring Hemingway’s world to life. Today, the Hemingway House is more than a museum; it’s a vibrant part of Key West’s tourism scene. Every year, thousands flock to this historic site, eager to step into the world of Ernest Hemingway.
Ernest Hemingway’s Wives
The museum grounds also feature a cat cemetery, where many of the property’s former feline residents rest. This area serves as a testament to the close-knit nature of the home’s community of cats and the care afforded to them over the years. It also acts as a historical record, with many of the tombstones dating back decades, inscribed with the names of these beloved pets, marking their place in the legacy of the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. Ernest Hemingway’s home in Key West, Florida is as much a sanctuary for literary history as it is for the famous six-toed cats that roam its gardens. The Hemingway Home & Museum is home to approximately 50 polydactyl, or six-toed, cats, which are descendants of Hemingway’s original cat, Snow White. The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum located at 907 Whitehead Street allows visitors to explore Hemingway’s residence from 1931 to 1939.
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As he had been in Key West, Hemingway seemed inspired by his new surroundings, writing works such as For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea, and receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Born in 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois, Hemingway grew up in a comfortable, but fractious, family. Childhood trips to the remote woods of Michigan inspired his fascination with nature and a lifelong quest for adventure, including his passion for hunting and fishing.
The Ernest Hemingway house in Key West is nearly 170 years old, but has been preserved to look much as it did when Hemingway lived there for nine years in the 1930s. The paintings, chandeliers, and other architectural details, which have been immaculately preserved over the years, foster a sense that time has magically stood still at the Hemingway house. The Ernest Hemingway Home is located in Old Town Key West at 907 Whitehead Street, approximately 0.8 miles from Mallory Square. If you board the free Duval Loop Bus, get off at stop number 8 for Whitehead & Petronia. Ernest Hemingway was married four times, and each of his wives influenced his writing. The Hemingway Home embodies the Spanish Colonial architectural style, distinguished by its stucco walls and red-tiled roof.
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He quickly became obsessed with deep-water fishing, and soon bought his own boat, the Pilar. "Papa" Hemingway, as he’d dubbed himself, took to sailing the nearby waters with friends in tow, who were soon nicknamed the Key West Mob. The couple lived on-and-off in Key West for several years (spending summers in Wyoming), before finally putting down more permanent roots in 1931.
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The Writing Experience
A ship captain once gave Hemingway a six-toed cat, of whom the writer was extremely fond, and from whom these cats are supposedly descended. It remained vacant for the next 10 years, until Hemingway’s death, after which his heirs sold it. The new owners, who had planned to live in the house, found that most of the furnishings and other memorabilia remained there, and they opened it as a museum in 1964.
The trophy mounts and skins were souvenirs of the Hemingways’ African safaris and numerous hunting expeditions in the American west. Ernest’s presence can still be felt in his studio where he produced some of his most well-known works. In addition, a very visible and living link to the past are the descendants of Hemingway’s cats. The story goes that Hemingway made the acquaintance of a sea captain who owned an unusual six-toed tomcat, which captured Ernest’s fancy.
It is a reminder of the many works he wrote while living in Key West, including To Have and Have Not, which was largely set in Key West. The Ernest Hemingway House, located in Key West, Florida, is a National Historic Landmark and museum dedicated to the life and works of famed American author and Nobel Prize-winning novelist Ernest Hemingway. It was his private residence from 1931 to 1939 and provides an insight into the literary genius who lived there with his second wife Pauline Pfeiffer, during some of the most productive years of his career. Ernest Hemingway was gifted a white six-toed cat named Snow White in the 1930s by a ship’s captain. This breed, known for its polydactylism, was thought to bring good luck by sailors. Polydactyl cats are not a specific breed, rather they are defined by their multiple toes; most cats have five front toes and four back toes, while polydactyl cats may have as many as eight.
From there I stand on the veranda and gaze down at the swimming pool, the first swimming pool in the city, and beyond that to the bungalow where, surrounded by animal heads and stuffed fish, he wrote in longhand. Writers have always loved the Keys, none more famous than Ernest Hemingway, who bought a beautiful Spanish colonial home at 907 Whitehead Street in 1931 and stayed eight years. Hemingway and his wife left Cuba in 1960, following Fidel Castro’s overthrow of the Batista government (although the left-leaning Hemingway’s sympathies were with the revolutionaries). In ill health and increasingly suffering from the depression that ran through his family, and which he had struggled against all his life, Hemingway settled in Idaho. Routine procedures such as ear mite treatment, flea spraying, and worming are performed here at the museum by our Veterinarian. They also administer annual vaccinations, and performs routine animal health maintenance.
It was also the first with a swimming pool, installed by Hemingway’s second wife Pauline in 1938. Hemingway lived in this house from 1931 to 1939, years during which he wrote some of his greatest novels as well as short stories and poems. Among the most famous works that Hemingway completed in the Key West estate include were Death in The Afternoon, The Green Hills of Africa, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, and To Have and Have Not. The house was actually a gift to the newlywed couple from Pauline’s rich uncle, Gus, who purchased the estate in 1931. The home was in disrepair when the Hemingways took ownership, but both Ernest and Pauline could see beyond the rubble and ruin and appreciated the grand architecture and stateliness of the home.
Upon his departure from Key West, the captain presented the cat to Hemingway. Today many of the numerous cats that inhabit the grounds still possess the unusual six toes. For literature enthusiasts, history buffs, and anyone seeking a unique and immersive cultural experience, a visit to the Hemingway House in Key West is an absolute must. It offers a rare glimpse into the life and works of one of America’s literary legends and provides a deeper understanding of the historical and architectural significance of this remarkable landmark. Hemingway’s impact on literature is immeasurable, and the Hemingway House Museum plays a vital role in preserving his legacy. By showcasing the author’s personal belongings, manuscripts, and photographs, the museum allows visitors to gain a deeper understanding of Hemingway’s life and works.
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