Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, National Park Service

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site is located in Flat Rock, North Carolina and was the last home of writer, folk singer, social activist and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and biographer Carl Sandburg (1878-1967). The park includes 264 acres of pastures, ponds, small mountains and hiking trails, as well as fifty historic structures, including the Sandburg family residence and goat barn. The 9,000-square foot antebellum house contains the family belongings, including 10,000 books. The historic barns feature descendants of Mrs. Sandburg’s award-winning dairy goat herd.

Also located on site is a collections storage building, containing the Carl Sandburg Papers and the Lilian Steichen Sandburg Papers, among other historical and park-related archival collections. The exhibited collection in the historic house features mid-century furnishings, fixtures, and personal items—all original to the Sandburg family.

The park was officially authorized by Congress on October 17, 1968 and the property was sold, with its contents and cultural resources donated to the National Park Service. The site opened to the public in 1974.

Carl Sandburg Virtual Museum Exhibit

Teaching with Museum Collections Lesson Plans