# Zane Grey Museum > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Zane_Grey_Museum > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Zane_Grey_Museum.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zane_Grey_Museum > Source revision: 1331904545 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Historic house in Pennsylvania, United States United States historic place Zane Grey House U.S. National Register of Historic Places East elevation and north profile, 2008 Show map of Pennsylvania Show map of the United States Interactive map showing the location of Zane Grey House Location Lackawaxen Township, Pike County, Pennsylvania Coordinates 41°29′8″N 74°59′16″W / 41.48556°N 74.98778°W / 41.48556; -74.98778 Built 1905[2] Architect Romer C. Grey NRHP reference No. 83002283[1] (original) 11000231[3] (increase) Significant dates Added to NRHP May 6, 1983 Boundary increase April 29, 2011[3] The **Zane Grey Museum** in [Lackawaxen Township](/source/Lackawaxen_Township%2C_Pike_County%2C_Pennsylvania), Pennsylvania, United States, is a former residence of the author [Zane Grey](/source/Zane_Grey) and is now maintained as a museum and operated by the [National Park Service](/source/National_Park_Service) (NPS). It is located on the upper [Delaware River](/source/Delaware_River) and is on the [National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places). It contains many photographs, artworks, books, furnishings, and other objects of interest associated with Grey and his family. The house was built in two sections, both from designs by Grey. The first was in 1905 by Zane Grey's brother, [Romer Carl "Reddy" Grey](/source/Reddy_Grey); the second seven years later by a neighbor, to serve as a writing studio and library after the success of *[Riders of the Purple Sage](/source/Riders_of_the_Purple_Sage)*. Grey and his wife moved to California so he could work on screenplays in 1918, but Lackawaxen and the house remained one of his favorite places for the rest of his life. It was added to the Register in 1983. ## Building The house is along Scenic Drive, a short road along the [Delaware River](/source/Delaware_River) north of [Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct](/source/Roebling's_Delaware_Aqueduct), an early suspension bridge which still carries vehicle and foot traffic across the river between Pennsylvania and New York. Along the riverfront to the north, it is 300 feet (91 m) to the Delaware's confluence with the [Lackawaxen River](/source/Lackawaxen_River), the largest tributary of the Upper Delaware in Pennsylvania, resulting in slightly choppier water in front of the house. The grassy, maintained ground slopes gently from [Pennsylvania Route 590](/source/Pennsylvania_Route_590) to the west toward the river, giving the house's east (front) a view across to undeveloped woods on the New York side in [Minisink Ford](/source/Minisink_Ford%2C_New_York).[2] In front of the house, the slope exposes the northern corner more than the southern one. There is a small unpaved parking lot, sign for the museum and state historical marker as well. The house is to the north of a cluster of other buildings in the neighborhood, most notably the former [D&H Canal Co. Office](/source/Delaware_and_Hudson_Canal_Company_Office), now a [bed and breakfast](/source/Bed_and_breakfast).[2] The two-story [clapboard](/source/Clapboard_(architecture))-sided [frame](/source/Framing_(construction)) structure rises from an exposed [bluestone](/source/Bluestone) [foundation](/source/Foundation_(architecture)). It is three [bays](/source/Bay_(architecture)) long by six wide, in an L-shaped plan. The older, east–west–oriented block of the house has a square [hipped roof](/source/Hip_roof) with two large [pedimented](/source/Pediment) [dormer windows](/source/Dormer_window) with dentilled lintels on the east and south sides, with a smaller jerkin-roofed dormer complementing the eastern one. The newer wing designed by Grey and built by his brother has a rectangular hipped roof of gentler [pitch](/source/Roof_pitch) with three small jerkined dormers. Both roofs are surfaced with diamond-shaped [shingles](/source/Roof_shingle) of white [asbestos](/source/Asbestos) cement and pierced by a single brick chimney per wing.[2] A single wraparound porch with flat roof, [balustrade](/source/Balustrade) and [bracketed](/source/Bracket_(architecture)) columns runs the length of the south and east elevations, combining two previously separate porches, one of which had lost its original roof in the floods of 1955. White wooden posts mark the house's corners, and the second-story windows have [awnings](/source/Awning).[2] Inside, the floor plans reflect the two sections' separate construction. The earlier one has a square plan, the later one a rectangular. Many original finishes and decorations remain. Opposite the original front door at the southeast corner is a brick fireplace trimmed with unglazed [terra cotta](/source/Architectural_terracotta), including [egg-and-dart](/source/Egg_and_dart) molding. A T-plan staircase has its original decorative balustrade and [newel](/source/Newel) posts.[2] The northeast door is the main entrance to the newer wing. It opens onto a living space that runs the length and half the width of the addition. Opposite the door is its fireplace, likewise of brick and topped with a [beveled](/source/Bevel) mirror to a height of 7 feet (2.1 m). Behind it the library includes many original trim, particularly a 2-foot-4-inch (0.71 m) deep painted [frieze](/source/Frieze) depicting [kachina](/source/Kachina) dolls, reflecting Grey's interests in the [Southwest](/source/Southwestern_United_States). These rooms, and Grey's upstairs [studio](/source/Studio), house most of the museum exhibits and visitor interest today.[2] ## History A native of [Zanesville, Ohio](/source/Zanesville%2C_Ohio), Grey had established a dental practice in New York City in 1896 but soon grew dissatisfied with the field. He dabbled in semi-professional baseball and wrote his first stories and novels. They were not successful, but by 1905 he had decided to leave dentistry for writing. They had begun the process of building the first part of the house, the southern wing, after seeing the site on a fishing trip that year, and later they moved their families into it.[2] Grey continued to write [westerns](/source/Western_(genre)), and took two extended research trips to the Southwest over the next several years. He worked, at the time, in a [bungalow](/source/Bungalow) near the house that is no longer extant. These resulted in *Heritage of the Desert* in 1911 and *[Riders of the Purple Sage](/source/Riders_of_the_Purple_Sage)* the following year, his bestselling novel. With the proceeds from the latter work, he designed the study wing. It was built by a neighbor, Gottlieb Kuhn, in 1912.[2] He continued writing novels there for six more years until the nascent film industry beckoned. He and his wife moved to [Altadena, California](/source/Altadena%2C_California), where they eventually purchased [an estate](/source/Zane_Grey_Estate) as he became even more commercially successful as a film producer as well. He remained in California until his 1939 death, but retained the Lackawaxen house for visits east.[4] Both he and his wife are buried in Union Cemetery, not far from the house.[2] In 1945, Grey's widow sold the house to a friend, who operated it as an inn for 25 years. During that time, in 1955, the building suffered some serious flood damage, tearing off the roof of the first front porch. In 1973, they converted it into the museum, which they sold to the Park Service in 1989.[2][4] [Flooding in June 2006](/source/Eastern_United_States_flooding_of_June_2006) left 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 m) of water in the basement. The Park Service was able to get the collection to safety, but it was necessary to thoroughly [dehumidify](/source/Dehumidifier) the space before reopening the museum.[5] ## Gallery Historical photographs of the Zane Grey House, 1933 - Exterior, west facade - Exterior, northwest facade - Exterior, southeast facade - First floor, entrance foyer - First floor, study (facing south) - First floor, study (facing southeast) - First floor, study (facing west) - First floor, study (facing northeast) - First floor, front parlor - First floor, kitchen - Attic ## See also - [National Register of Historic Places listings in Pike County, Pennsylvania](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Pike_County%2C_Pennsylvania) - [Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River](/source/Upper_Delaware_Scenic_and_Recreational_River) - [Zane Grey Estate](/source/Zane_Grey_Estate) - [Zane Grey Cabin](/source/Zane_Grey_Cabin) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-focus_1-0)** ["NPS Focus"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080725123211/http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/). *National Register of Historic Places*. National Park Service. Archived from [the original](http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/) on July 25, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2011. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NRHP_nom_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NRHP_nom_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-NRHP_nom_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-NRHP_nom_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-NRHP_nom_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-NRHP_nom_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-NRHP_nom_2-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-NRHP_nom_2-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-NRHP_nom_2-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-NRHP_nom_2-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-NRHP_nom_2-10) Nancy Carrs Roach (October 15, 1982). [National Register of Historic Places Registration: Pennsylvania SP Grey, Zane, House](https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996056). National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved January 8, 2026. (Downloading may be slow.) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-weekly_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-weekly_3-1) ["Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 4/25/11 through 4/29/11"](https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2011-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf) (PDF). National Park Service. May 6, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2011. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NPS_Bulletin_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NPS_Bulletin_4-1) ["Zane Grey Museum"](https://web.archive.org/web/20061015000714/http://www.nps.gov/upde/planyourvisit/upload/zanegreysitebulletin_feb06.pdf) (PDF). National Park Service. February 28, 2006. Archived from [the original](http://www.nps.gov/upde/planyourvisit/upload/zanegreysitebulletin_feb06.pdf) (PDF) on October 15, 2006. Retrieved November 18, 2009. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2006_floods_5-0)** ["Parks Continue Recovery From Flooding"](https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/index.htm?type=Incidents&id=2681). *NPS Digest*. National Park Service. July 5, 2006. Retrieved November 18, 2009. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Zane Grey Museum](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Zane_Grey_Museum). - [Zane Grey Museum](https://www.nps.gov/upde/planyourvisit/hours.htm) – National Park Service - [Historic American Buildings Survey](/source/Heritage_Documentation_Programs#Historic_American_Buildings_Survey) (HABS) No. PA-5371, "[Zane Grey House, West side of Scenic Drive, Lackawaxen, Pike County, PA](https://loc.gov/pictures/item/pa1790/)", 18 photos, 9 measured drawings, 30 data pages, 1 photo caption page v t e Zane Grey Novels Betty Zane (1903) The Spirit of the Border (1906) Riders of the Purple Sage (1912) Last of the Duanes (1914) The Lone Star Ranger (1914) The Rainbow Trail (1915) The Border Legion (1916) Man of the Forest (1920) Tonto Basin (1921) To the Last Man (1921) The Day of the Beast (1922) The Call of the Canyon (1924) Under the Tonto Rim (1925) Forlorn River (1927) Nevada (1928) Wilderness Trek (1944) Other works Code of the West (1925 film) Born to the West (1926 film) Tales of Tahitian Waters (1931 short story collection) King of the Royal Mounted (1935 comics series) Miscellaneous White Death (1936 film) Rangle River (1936 film) Zane Grey Cabin Zane Grey Estate Zane Grey Highline Trail 50 Mile Run Zane Grey Museum v t e US National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Topics Contributing property Keeper of the Register Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Property types Lists by county Adams Allegheny Armstrong Beaver Bedford Berks Blair Bradford Bucks Butler Cambria Cameron Carbon Centre Chester East North South Clarion Clearfield Clinton Columbia Crawford Cumberland Dauphin Delaware Elk Erie Fayette Forest Franklin Fulton Greene Huntingdon Indiana Jefferson Juniata Lackawanna Lancaster Lawrence Lebanon Lehigh Luzerne Lycoming McKean Mercer Mifflin Monroe Montgomery Montour Northampton Northumberland Perry Philadelphia Pike Potter Schuylkill Snyder Somerset Sullivan Susquehanna Tioga Union Venango Warren Washington Wayne Westmoreland Wyoming York Lists by city Pittsburgh Lancaster Philadelphia Center City North Northeast Northwest South Southwest West Other lists European archaeological sites Native American archaeological sites Bridges covered National Historic Landmarks Philadelphia Category NRHP portal Authority control databases International VIAF National United States --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Zane Grey Museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zane_Grey_Museum) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zane_Grey_Museum?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.