Carl Sandburg bought a 245-acre North Carolina estate for his wife’s goat farm; it became the first National Park Service site dedicated to an American poet

Carl Sandburg bought a 245-acre North Carolina estate for his wife’s goat farm; it became the first National Park Service site dedicated to an American poet

In 1945, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Carl Sandburg and his wife, Lilian “Paula” Sandburg, left Michigan for a 245-acre estate near Flat Rock, North Carolina. The move was driven in large part by Paula’s expanding dairy-goat operation, which needed more pasture and suitable farm buildings. Carl also wanted a warmer climate and a quieter place to … Read more

In 1966, a 71-year-old woman donated nearly 100 acres of her Virginia farm and money for an amphitheatre; the land became America’s only national park dedicated to the performing arts

In 1966, a 71-year-old woman donated nearly 100 acres of her Virginia farm and money for an amphitheatre; the land became America's only national park dedicated to the performing arts

Wolf Trap remains the only national park in the United States devoted to the performing arts, advancing the concept Shouse first put forth more than six decades ago Before it became a stage beneath the stars, Wolf Trap was simply a Virginia farm. But in the 1960s, one woman had a very different dream for … Read more